Knox Street News

Construction begins on Dallas' Knox St project with Auberge Resorts luxury hotel

Hotel and residences coming to Knox Street in 2026.

Rendering courtesy of Trammell Crow

Construction has begun on a massive mixed-use development in the Knox Street neighborhood that will include a hotel, office, residential, restaurants, and retail.

The project is a joint venture partnership of MSD Partners, Trammell Crow Company, The Retail Connection, and Highland Park Village Associates. It sits on a four-acre site adjacent to the Katy Trail and according to a release is expected to open in 2026.

Upon completion, it will total one million square feet of mixed-use space, including a hotel managed by the Auberge Resorts Collection.

The components are as follows:

The Knox Hotel and Residences: Managed by Auberge Resorts Collection, the Knox Hotel and Residences will consist of a 140-room hotel and 48 ultra-luxury condominiums ranging in size from 2,500 square feet to more than 15,000 square feet.

The hotel is designed by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio and will include restaurants, bars, lounges, event spaces, and a full-floor spa and wellness destination connected to an outdoor pool and bar with views of downtown Dallas.

The residences are designed by Dallas-based interior designer Chad Dorsey and will feature private residential amenities including a clubroom, bar & lounge, entertaining spaces, fitness center, and indoor pool. Allie Beth Allman & Associates is the listing agent for the residences and according to the release has overseen a highly successful pre-sale launch.

Office space: Fronting Knox Street, the development’s 150,000-square-foot office building will rise nine stories above two floors of retail and restaurants. Dallas-based ISN Software Corporation will anchor the office building, leasing the top four floors. Office amenities will include a fitness center with locker rooms, tenant lounge, and café. A CBRE team led by Dennis Barnes is handling leasing for the remaining office space.

Retail and restaurant space: The Knox Street development will provide more than 100,000 square feet of ground-floor and second-story retail and restaurant space, which will be leased to a mix of local and national operators to bring in shopping, art, culinary, and health & wellness experiences. Stephen Summers and Kaitlin Travis with Highland Park Village Associates are leading the retail leasing for the project, which is now underway.

Multifamily Residential: The development will include a 27-story, 173-unit multifamily building featuring expansive amenity spaces, ultra-luxury interiors, and oversized balconies.

Park: The development will be anchored by a half-acre park with a direct connection to the Katy Trail.

"We are thrilled to have reached this important milestone and to begin construction on what we believe is the most exciting mixed-use development in Dallas," says MSD partner and head of real estate Coburn Packard in a statement. "The project reflects our commitment to creating incredible spaces and experiences, and we look forward to bringing our vision for Knox Street to life."

TCC managing director Joel Behrens says that, “with its array of premier offerings in an irreplaceable location, this project is positioned to fill a void in the Dallas market and cater to the unmet demand for world-class, mixed-use space in the city.”

Roll the credits: The New York office of Australia-based Woods Bagot is leading the design of the hotel and residences, while New York-based Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) is designing the office building. Dallas-based HKS is the architect of record and OJB Landscape Architecture is designing the green space. Balfour Beatty and Andres Construction are providing construction services, JLL Capital Markets served as financial advisor, and construction financing is being provided by Plano-based Beal Bank.

Welcome Home

Dallas neighbor declared No. 1 Texas city for first-time homebuyers

Photo courtesy of Arista McKinney

undefined

The Dallas housing market may not be for everyone, but one shining suburb is a cut above the rest. McKinney has been named the best market for first-time homebuyers in Texas, and it's among the 100 best in America, according to a new study.

WalletHub's new study — which analyzes the affordability, quality of life, and real estate market in 300 U.S. cities — ranks McKinney No. 70 overall in the U.S. to buy your first home. And, when broken down by city size, WalletHub ranks McKinney No. 31 out of 102 mid-sized cities in America.

McKinney's outstanding real estate market and quality of life are the biggest appeal for first-time buyers, with affordability its main detractor, according to the report's findings.

The Dallas suburb ranks 9th out of all 300 U.S. cities studied for its housing market, and its quality of life is 61st nationally. The report found McKinney also boasts the second-lowest property crime rates in the U.S. The city's affordability ranking, however, is among the 50 worst, at No. 258, but that wasn't enough to outweigh its stellar performance in the other main categories.

Overall, the Lone Star State has taken a tumble among the best places for first-time buyers. McKinney is the only city in Texas to appear among the top 100, with a total of 20 Texas cities ranking below that section of the report.

For 2026, Dallas plummeted as the second-worst housing market for first-time homebuyers in Texas, ranking No. 233 nationally. Dallas' real estate market is the 60th best in the U.S., but its poor quality of life and affordability scores — No. 248 and No. 252, respectively — significantly brought down the city's overall performance.

This is how WalletHub ranked first-time homebuyer appeal across other cities in North Texas:

No. 106 – Plano
No. 110 – Grand Prairie
No. 111 – Denton
No. 130 – Fort Worth
No. 134 – Frisco
No. 148 – Allen
No. 170 – Richardson
No. 177 – Garland
No. 184 – Arlington
No. 189 – Irving
No. 194 – Carrollton
No. 202 — Mesquite

Laredo (No. 200), San Antonio (No. 208), and Houston (No. 271) join Mesquite and Dallas as the five worst housing markets for first-time buyers in Texas.

First-time buyers across the country are entering the housing market at a difficult time, the report says. The National Association of Realtors reported the share of first-time homebuyers sank to an all-time low in 2025, to 21 percent, whereas the historic national average is 40 percent.

"Buying a home for the first time is an exciting and important milestone for many Americans, but achieving that milestone is getting more difficult as prices and interest rates continue to rise," the report's author wrote. "People willing and able to invest in a house this year must balance what they want and need with what they can afford. Often, people begin searching for their dream home without a realistic idea of market prices, interest rates or even their eligibility for a mortgage."

wallethub real estate housing market first time homebuyers reports