Developer News

Once-modest center in Dallas Design District is getting flashy re-do

The Seam will be an upscale shopping and dining destination.

Courtesy rendering

A complex in the Dallas Design District is on the brink of a makeover: Called The Seam, it's a multimillion-dollar project that will transform the former Oak Lawn Design Plaza at 1444 Oak Lawn Ave. into an upscale shopping and dining destination.

Oak Lawn Design Plaza is a seven-building site that was constructed in the 1970s and was the low-key, modest home to various little design-centric businesses like Mizzen & Main.

It was acquired by North Carolina-based real estate investment firm Asana Partners in 2023, who are redeveloping it into a 160,000-square-foot retail center with restaurants, wellness, and shops in an open-air environment. Asana is the company that has wrought gentrification upon Deep Ellum.

At the new-and-improved Seam, there could be up to six restaurants, gyms, coffee shop and more than 30 stores. They've already signed a deal with Lettuce Entertain You, the Chicago-based hospitality group whose portfolio of 90 restaurants includes concepts such as Big Bowl, Gus' Sip & Dip, Big City Chicken, and Frankie's By the Slice.

Let's hope they can surpass previous dining spots on the site such as the modest Tom's Diner or the quirky Spanish Oaks Restaurant and Lounge.

Adolfson & Peterson Construction, a national, family-owned construction management and contracting company, is doing the renovation. They began construction in March 2025; completion is anticipated within 12 months. Morris Adjmi Architects (MA) is the Design Architect with GFF Design serving as the Architect of Record.

“Our planning and design approach was centered on enhancing connectivity throughout the site and within the neighborhood's context,” says MA founder and principal Morris Adjmi in a release. “We reconfigured the plaza's overall layout to open up the site and significantly improve the pedestrian experience."

The site's original layout was reconfigured, removing portions of the existing complex that obstructed visual and physical connections to Slocum Street.

Adolfson & Peterson Construction will handle all aspects of The Seam’s construction, including staging and phasing the work; improving the existing buildings by upgrading facades with new exterior insulation finish systems (EIFS) and metal panels; mechanical, electrical and plumbing upgrades; and structural improvements by adding new steel and roof work.

They'll also add outdoor features such as lighting, modern hardscapes and softscapes, new curb lines, and sidewalk upgrades. The Seam will provide nearly 50 spaces for retail, restaurants, wellness providers, and showrooms.

Adolfson & Peterson Construction tackled a similar project with the renovation and interior demolition of Dallas’ Knox Park, located at 4441 McKinney Ave., in 2020.

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homebuying news

Texas ranks among the top 20 markets for homebuyers under 35

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

In 2025, Texas had more mortgage applicants under 35 years old than any other state in the country, the report found.

The Lone Star State is emerging as a top destination for young adult homebuyers, a new report has confirmed, with nearly 23 percent of all mortgage applications submitted by individuals under 35 years old.

Texas ranked No. 18 in SmartAsset's new study, "Where Young Adults are House Hunting," making it one of the most sought-after U.S. states "where the next generation of homeowners may be gaining the strongest foothold."

To determine where younger Americans are most actively pursuing homeownership, SmartAsset's analysts examined mortgage application data in all 50 states in 2025, and calculated the share of applications filed by buyers younger than 35 relative to all applicants.

A total 259,737 Texas homebuyers under 35 submitted mortgage applications in the last year alone — making Texas the state with the highest number of young adult applications in the country.

California and Florida, respectively, had the second- and third-highest numerical rate of young adult homebuyers with 170,434 and 159,429 applications in each state. But they still ranked at the bottom of the national list with the lowest percentage of young adult applications relative to all applicants in 2025 — at 14.7 and 14.8 percent.

North Dakota leads the nation as the top state for young homeowners with over 28 percent of all mortgage applications in 2025 submitted by homebuyers under 35, making up 6,551 applications.

SmartAsset also revealed something many homeowners might already know: younger Americans are more likely to pursue homeownership in states with lower housing costs.

"In each of the four states with the highest share of mortgage applications from adults younger than 35, the typical home value is less than $300,000: North Dakota (No. 1), West Virginia (No. 2), Nebraska (No. 3) and Iowa (No. 4)," the report's author wrote.

In Texas, the typical home is worth $302,187, which is the 18th highest in the U.S. Meanwhile, West Virginia and Mississippi are the only two states with home values under $200,000, the lowest nationwide.

Young potential homebuyers looking for a home in Dallas need to make about $83,000 to afford a starter home. Many surrounding suburbs also have high appeal for first-time homebuyers, such as McKinney and Plano, which offer a high quality of life for homeowners that want to start a family.

High home prices aren't the only challenges keeping young Americans from becoming homeowners, the report said. Other challenges like high interest rates and limited supply are also plaguing would-be homebuyers.

"According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, nearly 9 in 10 younger Americans say it is harder for them to buy a home than it was for their parents," the report said. "Nonetheless, younger buyers continue to aspire to homeownership, navigating an uneven landscape of affordability and opportunity."

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