red-hot dallas

Dallas ranks No. 5 hottest market for real estate development in last decade

Dallas had the fifth highest number of single-family home permits between 2013 and 2022.

A new report has discovered Texas cities hold the top five most active real estate development markets in the country, with Dallas landing in the top five.

The ranking by storage marketplace StorageCafe reflects the city's resiliency over the last decade after a recent reported plummet in Dallas' quality of life.

Dallas had the fifth highest number of single-family home permits between 2013 and 2022, totaling 17,332 units. At the same time, the city also permitted nearly 69,000 new multi-family/apartment units. The massive influx of housing ultimately adds up to an impressive national surge.

On the industrial end, Dallas also took the No. 5 spot for the most square feet of new industrial space construction. About 31.4 million square feet of industrial space was erected in the last decade, further solidifying the city's standing as a top destination for business.

The report attributes Dallas' success in growing its industrial sector to "a number of innovative companies establishing headquarters or offices in the area" within recent years during the pandemic.

Also on the rise since the pandemic is the number of build-to-rent single-family homes, where the Dallas market recently nailed the top spot for the most completions in 2022.

The true national winner in real estate growth is Houston (No. 1), with 55,600 single-family homes permitted between 2013 and 2022, and nearly 90,000 multi-family units, followed by San Antonio (No. 2) and Austin (No. 3). Also outshining Dallas in the list is Fort Worth (No. 4), which permitted nearly 50,600 single-family homes and 36,700 multi-family units.

The cities that complete the top 10 include:

No. 6 – Phoenix, Arizona
No. 7 – Jacksonville, Florida
No. 8 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 9 – Denver, Colorado
No. 10 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

The full report can be found on storagecafe.com.

real estate housing texas reports dallas

Shopping in the 'burbs

Retail boom in fast-growing Forney fueled by massive mixed-use development

Photo courtesy of The Village at Gateway

The Village at Gateway is a booming retail complex in Forney.

Frisco's not the only North Texas city experiencing a retail explosion right now. Forney's getting in on the action, too.

A Dick’s Sporting Goods store will join EVO Entertainment and other new tenants at The Village at Gateway mixed-use development in the booming Kaufman County city, according to a release.

Dick’s hasn’t announced an opening date for the 60,000-square-foot store. The retailer operates more than 10 locations in DFW.

The 82,000-square-foot EVO location will be an all-in-one entertainment venue. Think Dave & Buster’s meets Alamo Drafthouse. (Fun facts: Dave & Buster’s headquarters is in Coppell, while Alamo Drafthouse is based in Austin.)

The Forney venue will feature:

Nine movie theaters, including one IMAX auditorium and two EVX auditoriums
A full-service bar and restaurant
An upper-level lounge area
Event and conference spaces
22 bowling lanes
More than 125 arcade games
Rock-climbing walls
A multilevel ropes course
Bumper cars
Laser tag

An opening date for the EVO location hasn’t been set, although EVO previously said it would be ready this fall. It’ll be the first North Texas venue operated by Austin-based EVO after locations in Addison, Southlake, and Waxahachie rebranded as Hooky Entertainment under new ownership.

Construction of the EVO venue kicked off in January.

EVO Entertainment Group Kyle EVO construction is underway in Forney. EVO Entertainment Group Facebook

Developed by Dallas-based StreetLevel Investments, the Village at Gateway also will welcome other new tenants such as:

Luna Grill, a Mediterranean restaurant (October opening date).
Forney Nail Bar (October opening date).
Handel’s Ice Cream (future opening date).
Costa Vida, a Mexican restaurant (future opening date).

“The Village at Gateway is an exciting milestone for Forney, bringing new jobs, shopping, and dining opportunities while continuing to strengthen our local economy,” Forney Mayor Jason Roberson says in the release.

Tenants already open at the 152-acre development include:

Target
Home Depot
H-E-B
BJ’s Wholesale Club
Five Below
Burlington
Ross Dress for Less
James Avery
Bath & Body Works

“Forney is one of the fastest‑growing communities in the Dallas area, with exceptional schools, strong employment, and a rapidly expanding population — yet it has long been underserved when it comes to convenient, high‑quality retail and dining,” says Brian Murphy, managing principal at StreetLevel Investments.

From April 2020 to July 2025, Forney’s population soared by 79 percent to nearly 41,700, making it one of the fastest-growing cities in North Texas and the U.S.

A report released in January 2025 by OpenDoor revealed Forney’s 75126 ZIP code claimed the No. 6 ranking as the hottest U.S. housing market in 2024 for the second year in a row. It was the only North Texas ZIP code to make the top 10.

Forney failed to crack the top 10 in OpenDoor’s 2026 report, though. The only DFW ZIP code appearing in the latest top 10 is McKinney’s 75071, landing at No. 8.

forney retail shopping