CityWalk witness

Affordable Downtown Dallas: “I Believe in This Project,” Says CityWalk @ Akard Penthouse Owner

by Joanna England
 

 Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect new developments.

When Andrew Foster bought his 15th floor penthouse at 511 N. Akard, he began the 7 month process of completely gutting the former commercial space. The building, which is the one of the few affordable apartment buildings in downtown Dallas,  includes permanent supportive housing for the formerly homeless. It was built in 1958 to house the headquarters of the Relief and Annuity Board of the Baptist General Convention, but today it has been transformed into something much more vibrant and useful.

“I love the space and I love downtown,” Foster said. “Downtown is a really exciting place to be right now.”

Read more.
 

Fair Park, a future?

Fair Park may be the most under-utilized asset in the city of Dallas. 

The 277 acre community resource combines museums, seasonal attractions (including the best known, State Fair of Texas), history, art and performances.  It is a national historic landmark. Personally, I have very fond memories of walking to the State Fair with my best buddy when we were grade school kids.  His dad allowed us to tag along to his workplace not far from the park and we'd walk the short distance to a destination of great fun and wonder. 

For many reasons, those days are long gone. 

I've been thinking about Fair Park and its possibilities for quite awhile now.  When Jerry Jones decided not to build Cowboys Stadium in the park, I wondered why the city of Dallas wouldn't redevelop it in a manner that would actually produce more economic return to more of its citizens than a football stadium. 

More recently, I read Patrick Kennedy's opinion piece in the June issue of DMagizine ("Big Tex Is a Murderer," page 14) reporting that two zip codes just south of the park are two of the 25 most violent neighborhoods in the U. S. (75210 and 75215 rank 9 and 12 respectively).  Kennedy blames the violence in large part on the fact that the park includes 47 acres of surface parking, noting that "Crime follows disinvestment."

Kennedy wonders what would happen if the parking lots gave way to redevelopment and new investment.  I like the way he is thinking.  However, I don't think he goes far enough. 

The entire park needs comprehensive redevelopment.  One  possibility would be a public-private partnership, possibly backed by an aggressive bond issue and including private investors, land planners and community development organizations.  I know the Dallas 2020 Olympic Committee focused its attention on Fair Park as a potential, wonderful site for an Olympic Village had Dallas landed a bid for the games.  Plans included thousands of apartments that could be leased/sold after the competition concluded. 

Selling off some or all of the park should be considered with built in obligations to develop a truly diverse community in and around the park.  The value of adjacent homeowners' properties  would have to be protected as an upfront part of any deal. 

Can you imagine the vitality of a mixed use, mixed income development at such a scale?  The redevelopment, reinvestment coupled with DART's Green Line at the doorway of the park would draw Fair Park back into the entire community.  Businesses, performing venues, an entertainment corridor, apartments for lease, condos for sale, a healthy connection to the nearby schools--the deal, done properly and adequately capitalized, would set off real transformation of South Dallas.  The return on investment to the city and to the entire region would be phenomenal. 

Wonder what would happen if a group of accomplished folks got together and worked on this?  It's way past time to take some creative action on this largely untapped jewel of our city.

Big deal to us!

It's a huge deal to us!

7-Eleven has engaged us in a 7-year lease for space on the first floor of CityWalk @Akard! 

The store is set to open around Labor Day 2010. 

Jobs.

Retail options.

Service.

All right inside our building.

We're also working on a bakery, a credit union, and a large non-profit consortium creative center. 

The mixed use, mixed income nature of CityWalk makes music in Dallas!

The Future of Downtown Dallas

>Here's an important note of interest to folks living in Dallas. Why not show up and have a say?

CityWalk@Akard--the "ride up"

No way to capture this experience--riding up on the exterior elevator that is mounted on the "skin" of 511 N. Akard in Downtown Dallas.

Looking out through the fence grid that keeps us inside as we are going up can be a real trip.

One thing I know for sure is that I don't want to have a career in the window washing business. Actually, the men on the moving platform are restoring the exterior panels on our buidling.

This one is just for the fun of it.

CityWalk@Akard: An Ongoing Report--Part 5

One of the most exciting aspects of the CityWalk@Akard project from the beginning stages of concept development has been the fact that the headquarters for Central Dallas Ministries will move into the building. This means that we will be with the folks who live in the new building. Two hundred units of the project's 206 will be affordable with 50 set aside for formerly homeless individuals.

Having our offices in the middle of the community will "keep us honest" while allowing us to remain in close contact with the people and their opinions.

Take a look!

CityWalk@Akard: An Ongoing Report--Part 2

We'll continue our "eye witness" tour of the 15-story office tower that Central Dallas Community Development Corporation has under redevelopment.

CityWalk is set to open later this year.

Here's another "rough cut" video segment about the progress.

This particular segment focuses on the 15th floor, market rate condos that are for sale. If you want to buy one, give us a call!

home

I suppose all living things possess the instinct to "nest." Everyone wants a home--a place that provides rest, safety and renewal, a place for young to arrive and thrive.

A family of Mockingbirds built this nest in a tree just outside our front door. Throughout the year I've watched and listened as the birds would come and go from the home they built for themselves and their young.

Home.

Powerful idea.

Nothing shapes a child more than the environment in and around a house. And, I am coming to understand that the physical environment plays an extremely important role in the development of children and communities.

Here are some sobbering facts of life about housing in the city of Dallas.

9,386 families (1.71%) in our city are classified as "extremely low income"--meaning they earn below 30% of the Median Family Income (MFI) of the area or less than $19,500.

72,406 families (13.19%) in Dallas are classified as "very low income"--meaning their earn between 30 and 50% MFI or between $19,500 and $32,500.

164,946 families (30.05%) in the city are classified as "low income"--meaning they earn between 50 and 80% MFI or between $32,500 and $52,000.

Of course, income levels tell only a small part of the story. Another key consideration involves the concentration of poverty in dense pockets across the inner city. Ironically, in many of the neighborhoods where poverty is the most dense, there are opportunities for more people to return, to live and to help renew such areas. People would enjoy higher quality lives for themselves and their children if we learned how to create mixed income neighborhoods all across the city.

One thing is certain: we must face the challenges of inner city housing together if we are going to make progress as a community.

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Dallas Observer on design charrette. . .

Dallas Observer reporter, Robert Wilonsky had some interesting thing to say about the design charrette on Friday at City Hall.

Check it out here.

Well, at least it was provocative! Reactions?

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If I had a magic wand. . .

Let me share a dream or two.

If I could direct the funding--and it would take a major public /private commitment to accomplish what I am about to suggest, I would base the redevelopment of South Dallas on a complete renewal of Fair Park.

Fair Park is an historic jewel nestled in the northwest edge of South Dallas. Beyond the Music Hall and the various museums, Fair Park springs to life once each year to host The State Fair of Texas. During that three week period, the park hosts the Grambling-Prairie View A & M and Texas-Oklahoma football classics. Everyone loves the fair.

But, Fair Park could be so very much more than it is today. Shame on us for not taking advantage of this unique community asset.

If I had a magic wand, here's what I'd do (now remember, I said "magic" wand!):

1) Bring a Major League Baseball club out of the National League to Dallas and locate it in Fair Park. My first choice would be to move the Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Club to Dallas. Of course, there's not enough magic in any wand ever made to pull that one off. So, as a second choice, I'd move the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to the National League, which would mean the Washington Nationals would need to join the American League East. No easy change, but not impossible with the right wand. There are a number of potential owners in Dallas. Or, maybe we could create a very unique franchise that was owned, at least in part, by the public. The Metroplex could support two major league teams. The competition with Arlington would be fun to watch!

2) Build a wonderful new Cotton Bowl. The stadium I have in mind could easily host football games, including the annual fall, State Fair Classics and other special games. I can see Notre Dame playing Arkansas or Texas A & M. Or, how about a USC--LSU match up? We could host two or three special games annually, drawing from any of the major college teams. During baseball season (remember now, that would be 81 home dates, not counting college baseball!), our new team, let's say the Dallas Knights, would play in our new state-of-the-art sports facility, complete with retractible roof system that would make our summers bearable for pitchers. Lots of new jobs, year-round positions, would be created by a baseball venue that could accommodate other sports. Baseball is always better for communities that seek real economic development because of the number of guaranteed dates for the venue.

3) Redevelop mixed income housing on much of the extra parking area that was needlessly claimed years ago from neighbors who weren't consulted, but who were displaced. Town home condos, moderate and larger single family homes, mixed income/mixed use multi-family housing and retail development would be included around the park.

4) Renew the Martin Luther King, Jr. corridor by providing economic development funds to existing business owners and meaningful inducements to new, larger retail outlets. This key corridor out of Fair Park should be a major part of "Downtown South Dallas."

5) Redevelop all of Second Avenue as a shopping, dining, entertainment district to go along with the stadium renewal. This other corridor of the community could become a bustling center of economic and entertainment health.

6) Make sure that Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) developed adequate light rail transportation services to and from Fair Park and down the new development zones. A rail plan linking Fair Park to Deep Ellum, Downtown, and Uptown would be amazing.

7) Coordinate with the City of Dallas a new, aggressive land bank strategy to build out every vacant lot in the area as part of a dramatic, creative in-fill housing initiative. A plan should be devised to bring non-profit and for-profit developers to this important community challenge. The foundation community in Dallas should join with the city in creating a genuine and very robust housing trust fund that could create thousands of new home owners to take advantage of the in-fill housing redevelopment plans.

8) Appoint a special director or "Czar" for Fair Park renewal and expansion to drive the effort every day until it is completed. This special leader would need to be trusted, reputable, visionary and totally committed. He or she would then need to be surrounded by other community leaders who would drive the project forward.

9) Complete the entire project by 2015.

I can see it.

What would it take? Public and political will. A champion who lives and breathes the vision. Private investment. Community involvement, and by that I mean the folks who live around Fair Park would have to be involved in an official and meaningful manner from the beginning. The entire city would need to be sold on the fact that a success in South Dallas would benefit everyone.

And what a difference this would make for the entire city and region. And, just think, a team with pitchers who take their own place in the batting order!

Branding great housing. . .

WinshipPhillips helps Central Dallas Ministries and Central Dallas Community Development Corporation with media, communications, graphics and branding.

Great company!

Great partners!

If you need a crack graphics firm, contact me and I will put you in touch with Ken and Becky Phillips, the principals.

But, here's the deal today.

I have posted several logos they have developed for our CityWalk @Akard project in Downtown Dallas.

CityWalk @Akard will be developed into 209 apartment units, 200 of which will be affordable, with 50 set aside for formerly homeless persons. Nine of the units will be market rate.

CDM will also occupy the third floor with our administrative offices, LAW Center and CDC.

The first two floors will be occupied by our tenant services/concierge group, a leasing office, light retail and office space for outside companies wishing to office Downtown. I'm happy to report that negotiations are underway presently with several companies interested in moving into our retail and office space.

What I'd like to know right now is which logo do you like best? The color schemes could change, so don't worry about that, just the design.

Please take a moment and cast your vote! Review the logos with the one at the top being #1 and descending through #4 at the bottom. I would love to hear from as many of you as possible on this one!