Downtown News

Dallas Arts District artist loft project gets a boost from new high-rise

A rendering of the new Atelier | Flora Lofts project in the Dallas Arts District.

Courtesy of Zom

A new plan is in the works for one of the largest remaining undeveloped parcels of land in the Dallas Arts District, one that will bring luxury residential, retail and restaurant space, and 100 accessible parking spots.

The previously announced Flora Lofts project — a six-story residential and retail complex for artists and their families, just south of Museum Tower on Flora Street — has morphed into Atelier, thanks to new development partner ZOM. In addition to the live/work spaces for artists, the new vision has 370 “market rate” apartment units, 10,000 square feet of amenity space and 12,000 square feet of street-level shops.

ZOM, which also developed The Mondrian near West Village in Uptown Dallas, is working with local nonprofit La Reunion TX and Graham Greene, who originally envisioned Flora Lofts as a way to bring artists to the Arts District. La Reunion will own and operate the artist lofts; ZOM will own and operate other aspects of the development and provide management services for the artist residences.

With help from architectural firm ADD Inc. out of Miami, Atelier promises to “complement the Arts District visually, embrace and enhance the neighborhood culturally, and energize the area with more people by improving walkability and pedestrian amenities,” according to a release. Those elements include a structure (podium base with 29 stories of luxury residences) arranged in a wedge shape to minimize environmental impact on nearby properties, residential floors arranged in a slender tower to minimize visual impact on the neighbors while maximizing residents’ views, and other design elements “incorporated to ensure the structure does not impede natural light from reaching the roof of the Nasher Sculpture Center.”

In other words, ZOM and partners are playing nice with the neighbors, and they promise it will be a “handsome” and “complementary” addition. “We are taking great care to develop Atelier | Flora Lofts in a way that enhances the neighborhood,” said ZOM chief development officer Greg West.

“The Dallas Arts District is the cornerstone and catalyst for creative vitality in the region, and ZOM is very excited to play a role in helping the area grow and expand,” said Hans van Veggel, chairman and chief creative officer of ZOM’s Holland-based parent company. “In fact, the prospect of incorporating live/work space for artists in this urban Arts District is what first drew our interest to this opportunity.”

Groundbreaking is expected during the fourth quarter of this year. Building should also begin this year on fellow Arts District project Park District, a joint venture between Trammell Crow and MetLife that will bring similar amenities to the area.

unspecified

GP News

Grand Prairie expands to the south with new master-planned community

Rendering courtesy of Provident

Goodland Grand Prairie

The City of Grand Prairie is growing fast and expanding to make way for a new master-planned development south of US Highway 287 and along Tollway 360, in Ellis and Johnson counties.

The community development, called Goodland, is the result of Grand Prairie’s recent 1,500-acre annexation extending its southern border toward Mansfield. Overall, with the added land, Goodland will be a 5,000-acre site featuring 15,000 residences including townhomes, custom homes, and gated communities for 50,000 residents.

According to a release, it will be a “city within a city” and a 45-minute drive from Dallas-Fort Worth. Beyond housing, there will be shops, restaurants, schools, public and private event venues, regional sports fields and complexes, dance halls, churches, trail systems, city parks, ponds, and preserved green spaces.

“This is a significant step in our city’s development,” says Grand Prairie Mayor Ron Jensen in a statement. “Unlike many of our neighboring cities, we have the unique advantage of new development opportunities to our south that will drive the growth and prosperity of our city. We recognized the opportunity and took decisive action.”

Leading the development is Provident, a Dallas-based real estate firm that has created other master-planned communities across Dallas-Fort Worth, such as Preston Hollow Village and Hillstead in Collin County. Provident has plans to work nature into the space design with more than 1,600 acres of creek corridors and floodplain land.

Plans are ongoing for a centralized mixed-use walkable Town Center, complete with civic buildings and other commercial development. Further south on the property near Highway 67, light industrial uses and other private employment campuses are already underway, projects that will contribute vital tax dollars for city growth and future expansions.

“This level of placemaking is quite rare, and certainly not easy to execute, especially in a brand-new community," says Provident Managing Director Rylan Yowell in a statement. "We are committed to a long-term vision with a desire to be good stewards of the land."

A new four-lane road called Goodland Parkway will link Goodland to Grand Prairie at Tollway 360 and US Highway 287. It's set to open by December 2025.

openings