Hotel News

From the looks of it, Omni Frisco at Cowboys headquarters will be a great party hotel

Omni Hotels & Resorts has released some new renderings of its upcoming property at Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters in Frisco, and from the looks of them, it’s going to be a sweet party pad. Like lots of pretty people lounging by the pool, drinking cocktails, before they get cleaned up to have dinner at Neighborhood Services.

The 16-floor hotel is part of The Star development, anchored by the Cowboys headquarters and the Ford Center. Recently, hotel chain executives were joined by Frisco Mayor Maher Maso, and reps from the City of Frisco and the Convention & Visitors Bureau, for the topping-out ceremony, i.e., the hoisting of a Leyland Cypress tree to the top floor of the property to commemorate a construction milestone.

According to a release, the hotel’s design will “subtly capture the Dallas Cowboys legacy while honoring the City of Frisco’s “Progress in Motion’ motto.” We’re not sure what that means, but we do understand the statement that it will “set a new standard for hotel accommodations in Frisco.”

For sure! It’s so fancy. Props to Gensler, the lead architect on the project.

Here are the stats: 300 guest rooms and suites (those are finely appointed) as well as 24,000 square feet of meeting space, which includes a 13,000-square-foot ballroom (for more parties). In addition to the aforementioned Neighborhood Services, there will be a lobby wine and coffee bar.

That pool deck, on the fourth floor, can accommodate 300 to 400 guests, who can gaze upon the plaza and the Ford Center, gather around fire pits, or seek shelter from the sun under cabanas. They can also partake in offerings from a bar and grill.

The Cowboys new headquarters will be home to administrative offices, coaches’ offices, and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. The 12,000-seat Ford Center will serve as both the home venue for FISD for events and activities, and the practice and training facility for the Cowboys. The Star is set to open August 27.

With general manager and Omni Hotels 15-year veteran Jeff Smith at the helm, the hotel is slated for a summer 2017 opening. That’s plenty of time to get a bathing-suit-ready bod.

A rendering of the fourth-floor pool deck at the upcoming Omni Frisco Hotel at Dallas Cowboys headquarters.

Rendering courtesy of Omni Hotels

A rendering of the fourth-floor pool deck at the upcoming Omni Frisco Hotel at Dallas Cowboys headquarters.

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New apartment complex in Oak Lawn Dallas caters to LGBTQ seniors

Oak Lawn Place

A new apartment complex in Dallas’ Oak Lawn neighborhood provides a place for an older segment of LGBTQ individuals: Oak Lawn Place apartments is now open at 5723 Sadler Cir.

Oak Lawn Place apartments has 84 units for senior residents, while also supporting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) age 55 and older. And it’s all thanks to a $750,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB). CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story implied that Oak Lawn Place was restricted to LGBTQIA+ seniors only, but Oak Lawn Place is open to anyone who qualifies, while also supporting LGBTQIA+ seniors. It is not exclusive to the LGBTQ+ community. We apologize for the error.

Resource Center of Dallas, an organization that started in 1983 as a service for people with HIV/AIDS that now provides additional LGBTQ+ services, was awarded the grant through Veritex Community Bank.

According to a release, the apartment complex is designed to help low-income older residents and will include meeting rooms, a fitness center, a dog park, and onsite activities. There’s also convenient access to healthcare facilities, public transportation, and entertainment.

Rent for the single and double occupancy apartment units will be income-based.

“The generous $750,000 AHP grant provided through FHLB Dallas was a critical component of the capital stack that helped provide the necessary funding that has made it possible for Resource Center to create Oak Lawn Place, a welcoming residential development that we are proud to bring to Dallas,” says Cece Cox, Resource Center of Dallas CEO, in a statement.

AHP grants fund home rehabilitation and modifications for low-income, elderly and special-needs residents, down payment and closing cost assistance for first-time homebuyers, and the construction of low-income multifamily and single-family homes through institutions, like Veritex Community Bank.

“This is an example of affordable housing designed to meet a particular need in Dallas, and we were pleased to work with our member, Veritex Bank, to assist with the AHP grant, which is known for providing critical gap funding to get projects over the finish line,” says Greg Hettrick, Senior VP and Director of Community Investment at FHLB Dallas, in a statement.

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, with total assets of $126.2 billion as of June 30, 2024, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced advances and other credit products to approximately 815 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas.

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