Your Expert Guide

The Cedars: Stunning skyline views and great art just south of downtown Dallas

There are so many great places to live in Dallas that it helps to have an expert on your side. The Neighborhood Guide presented by Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty gives you insider access from the agents who live and work there, providing in-the-know info about your possible new community.

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Dallas has received numerous accolades for its impressive skyline, and that's what led real estate global advisor JB Hayes to purchase her loft in the Cedars more than seven years ago.

"I love to watch the buildings in the skyline change their colors and messages to support local causes and sports teams," she says. "With the views of downtown, the easy access to all major highways, and its close proximity to downtown, the Dallas Farmers Market, and Deep Ellum, it was a no-brainer! And did I mention the views of the skyline?"

This area of Dallas, which is directly south of downtown and north of the Trinity River, has undergone tremendous growth in recent years — and even more is on tap for the future. "This area will be impacted by multiple projects: the new Convention Center District anchored by the new Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, The Ambassador Residences now under construction, and more," Hayes says.

The artist community is another big plus. During the annual Cedars Open Studios Tour held each November, artists open their doors for all to come stop by, shop, and see what this area is about.

Hayes offered up a few of her personal favorites about life in the Cedars. Here's her guide to the area:

Where to eat & drink
Hayes enjoys meeting new neighbors while frequenting Four Corners Brewing Company, Lee Harvey's, Full City Rooster, Off the Bone Barbeque, and Zalat Pizza. She supports her friends at open mic night at Autonomous Society Brewpub and enjoys craft beer brewed in-house with live music provided by the neighbors.

Baby Back Shak, Opening Bell Coffee, and Johnny's Waffles also make her must-visit list.

She has been raiding the pantry stocked full of local goods at Val's Cheesecakes in the Piggly Wiggly building on Akard and looks forward to their pop-up dinners and events.

To sip and see the Dallas skyline from the Cedars, check out Gallery Rooftop Lounge at Canvas Hotel Dallas or the Vetted Well patio at the Alamo Drafthouse Cedars.

Where to play
A little-known fact, even to most Dallasites: There is an entrance to the Santa Fe Trestle Trail down the street from the historic Longhorn Ballroom, located at the southeast corner of the Cedars. The ballroom first opened in 1950 and has showcased a wide variety of legends, from Willie Nelson to Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, and more. Hayes says the Santa Fe Trestle Trail a great place to get outdoors with your pups, friends, and family. She has spotted turtles, butterflies and of course the skyline from the trail.

Speaking of pups, South Side Bark Park is a large green space for Cedars neighbors (and their furry friends) to use. Hayes also likes to create resin art and pottery with Erika Thornton at Artist Till Death Studios.

The Cedars is home to an Alamo Drafthouse location, as well as the popular Gilley's Dallas, but it's also close to AT&T Discovery District, Pioneer Plaza and the Dallas Farmers Market.

A favorite spot of Hayes' is Grey Gardens Florist: "It's my happy place, as flowers make me smile. I love to bring life to open houses with some of their amazing arrangements." Be sure to check out their Saturday “Stem Specials” as they mark down flowers sold by the stem.

Another hidden gem is Cactus Queen DFW, now located on Corinth near Park Ave. Find all sizes and shapes to add some greenery to your life.

Where to live
Here you'll find Victorian-style homes from the early 1900s, repurposed warehouses like South Side on Lamar (which was the Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog merchandise center in a former life), industrial-style lofts like The Beat Lofts and Buzz Lofts, new-construction townhomes likeMirar at the Cedars, and various apartment options, with The Ambassador Residences under construction to open late 2026.

"This area is not cookie-cutter or one-size-fits-all," says Hayes. "There is a little bit of everything for all ages and interests."

Those familiar with the Cedars know the Eagle Apartments on South Ervay Street, a structure that was built in 1924 and flaunts a big, red entry door. Hayes has had four sales in the building, two off-market, which is remarkable considering there are only eight units in the building.

Hayes’ most significant Cedars sale was in the summer of 2024. One of the penthouses she listed at The Beat Lofts sold for $220,000 more than any Cedars residential sale documented in MLS.

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JB Hayes lives, works, and plays in the Cedars. For more information on buying and selling a home in the area, click here, email jhayes@briggsfreeman.com, or call 214-334-3977.

Photo courtesy of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty

Residents of The Cedars get to enjoy the skyline every day.

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Million-dollar homes

Multi-million-dollar gated home community The Preserve rises in Frisco

Preserve

A palace on the prairie of The Preserve in Frisco

Construction has begun on a multi-million-dollar custom home community in Frisco. Called The Preserve, it's situated among PGA Frisco’s championship golf courses and near the Omni PGA Frisco Resort, with multiple phases that will roll out over the next few years.

The Preserve is part of Fields, a 2,500-acre development in North Frisco off the Dallas North Tollway. Fields is co-developed and owned in partnership with The Karahan Companies, Hunt Realty Investments alongside investors Chief Partners and Cross Tie Capital.

The development will feature retail, dining, entertainment, hotels, corporate offices, native Texas plants, flowers, trees, and 250 acres of park space. It's designed by the same team responsible for Plano’s Legacy West, led by Fehmi Karahan.

Phase 1 of The Preserve will feature 233 homes crafted by 10 North Texas luxury homebuilders: Alford Homes, Coats Homes, and Starside Builders have all begun home construction. The other seven are The Preserve Bella Custom Homes, Endurance Homes, Faulkner Perrin Custom Homes, Hawkins-Welwood Homes, Shaddock Custom Builders & Developers, Sharif & Munir Custom Homes, and Ventura Custom Homes, for whom construction will start soon.

The Preserve Frisco The Preserve in Frisco, soon to be covered with homes.The Preserve

Lot sizes range from 6,800 square feet to more than an acre. Home design options will incorporate high ceilings, open floor plans, glass walls, and seamless transitions between indoor and outdoor such as patios, infinity pools, and landscaped exteriors.

The surrounding area will have more than 2,000 new trees plus views delivered via design elements such as floor-to-ceiling windows and expansive outdoor living areas.

Many of the homes will address sustainability, health, and wellness with green architecture, energy efficiency, water conservation, and recycled building materials.

It will combine the privacy of a gated community with resort-style living, featuring amenities such as the PGA golf courses, 20+ miles of hike and bike trails, and the exclusive Brookside Club with an expansive swimming pool, state-of-the-art fitness center, tennis and pickleball courts and a playground.

Prices will start at $3,500,000.

Hunt Realty SVP Todd Watson calls it one of the most anticipated mixed-use projects in the area -- æa perfect location for discerning buyers seeking their forever home or a secondary residence" — although he's involved with the project so he's probably biased.

“As part of the Fields development, with prominent neighbors like PGA of America and the Omni PGA Frisco Resort, we know The Preserve will be one of the most sought-after addresses in North Texas," Watson says.

According to the Frisco Economic Development Corporation, Frisco’s population has increased by 500 percent in two decades and was recently recognized as the fastest growing city in Texas and third across the U.S.

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