CTroyMathis
03-23-2002, 11:15 PM
Developer has view of revitalized street
03/24/2002
By NORMA ADAMS-WADE / The Dallas Morning News
Birds and ant mounds command the high hill at Fort Worth and Sylvan avenues where developer Monte Anderson sees the future.
His arm sweeps across the panoramic scene of north Oak Cliff and downtown Dallas that the choice spot offers.
"Isn't this a great view?" he asks. "This is where my own unit will be."
He points to a section of land where he plans to build The Heights on Fort Worth Avenue – a 30-unit mix of luxury townhomes and garden homes. The proposed $5 million, 4.5-acre development also will feature retail shops and landscaping to complement the hill.
The development represents a new beginning for Fort Worth Avenue. The street was once part of the main highway between Dallas and Fort Worth. But time and neglect have chipped away at the three-mile corridor, where a number of structures are decaying.
Mr. Anderson, 43, is one of the first businessmen to buy into a new vision for the has-been road. For more than a year, north Oak Cliff leaders have been pushing to revitalize and upgrade the avenue as a gateway to downtown and a showplace of new retail and housing developments.
It is a key strip because of the high-profile Trinity River downtown lake and park development project at its east end and the increasingly popular Pinnacle Park commercial and industrial development near its west end.
"We got in the middle where the action is," Mr. Anderson said.
Historically, area leaders bemoaned southern Dallas as the city's stepchild. Development began going north after World War II, so that's where the city poured its resources and infrastructure.
But the millennium and new leadership at City Hall have created new opportunities. Mayor Laura Miller, who lives in Oak Cliff, and Dallas City Council members Mark Housewright and Elba Garcia, who represent parts of the area, have been particularly supportive, Mr. Anderson and other Oak Cliff advocates say.
They say they think City Hall has become more receptive to southern Dallas County's needs. Area residents and business owners agree the time is right for improvements. Last month, more than 150 people met to discuss the avenue's future.
"We don't normally see those kinds of crowds for economic development efforts in the community," Mr. Housewright said.
But residents say it's important to get involved so they have a stake in their neighborhood's future.
"This is in our back yard," said Robert Dominguez, a resident of the Stevens Park neighborhood that backs up to the avenue. "It affects me."
Resident Daryl Nance said he has disliked traveling to North Dallas to shop. He came to the summit to get inspired.
"I wanted to hear some encouraging words that would keep me fighting," Mr. Nance said.
Randall White is doing just that. He brought his contagious enthusiasm to the area's revitalization efforts as chairman of the Fort Worth Avenue Development Group. The group, which sponsored the summit, formed a year ago out of casual conversations among neighbors frustrated about having to drive north to find the retail shops and amenities they enjoy.
The group's goals are to beautify the street and attract restaurants, retail stores such as Home Depot or Lowe's, bookstores and trendy housing and shops. The group also is monitoring city efforts to enforce property code compliance, to remove eyesores such as junked cars and weeds, and to reduce crime.
Some Dallas City Council members have taken on specific tasks. Mr. Housewright said he is working on zoning and access improvements. Dr. Garcia said she is helping city code violators correct problems.
"It is important for the community to know that this is a joint effort ... to improve both of us together," she said. "We want to make it neighborhood-friendly."
Mr. White and his co-chairwomen, Julia Laxson and Fran Tynan, said residents' positive reaction to the summit helped them see that they were not alone in wanting to attract missing amenities to their Stevens Park neighborhood.
"Clearly, there is interest," Mr. White said.
Physician Kevin Bryant said he relishes the chance to make his north Oak Cliff neighborhood and Fort Worth Avenue similar to trendy Dallas spots such as Oak Lawn and McKinney Avenue.
"I'm excited about it," Dr. Bryant said. "I've been so frustrated, driving around and seeing the area going down."
That will change if Mr. Anderson's proposed townhomes go up as planned. Mr. Anderson, who will be the first resident in his new development, plans to break ground by the end of the year and complete the units within a year. The homes are expected to be priced from less than $200,000 to about $500,000.
He is willing to take the risk of testing the luxury housing market on the avenue because of his love for the area, he said. He grew up and still lives and works south of the Trinity River.
His company, Options Real Estate, is a familiar name there. It represents commercial properties throughout southern Dallas County, including the suburbs. Mr. Anderson also has held top posts with the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce, the Oak Cliff Foundation – which is renovating the historic Texas Theatre – and Best Southwest Partnership, which promotes the relationship between Oak Cliff and the southern suburbs.
"It's just such a neat time to be in Oak Cliff," he said.
For years, Mr. Anderson said, he has admired the hilly corner of Fort Worth and Sylvan avenues near the familiar pink Travel Inn motel. Now that he owns property that will overlook the landmark, he shares even more of Mr. White's signature motto of seeing "what is possible."
"Fort Worth Avenue certainly has the potential," Mr. Anderson said.
03/24/2002
By NORMA ADAMS-WADE / The Dallas Morning News
Birds and ant mounds command the high hill at Fort Worth and Sylvan avenues where developer Monte Anderson sees the future.
His arm sweeps across the panoramic scene of north Oak Cliff and downtown Dallas that the choice spot offers.
"Isn't this a great view?" he asks. "This is where my own unit will be."
He points to a section of land where he plans to build The Heights on Fort Worth Avenue – a 30-unit mix of luxury townhomes and garden homes. The proposed $5 million, 4.5-acre development also will feature retail shops and landscaping to complement the hill.
The development represents a new beginning for Fort Worth Avenue. The street was once part of the main highway between Dallas and Fort Worth. But time and neglect have chipped away at the three-mile corridor, where a number of structures are decaying.
Mr. Anderson, 43, is one of the first businessmen to buy into a new vision for the has-been road. For more than a year, north Oak Cliff leaders have been pushing to revitalize and upgrade the avenue as a gateway to downtown and a showplace of new retail and housing developments.
It is a key strip because of the high-profile Trinity River downtown lake and park development project at its east end and the increasingly popular Pinnacle Park commercial and industrial development near its west end.
"We got in the middle where the action is," Mr. Anderson said.
Historically, area leaders bemoaned southern Dallas as the city's stepchild. Development began going north after World War II, so that's where the city poured its resources and infrastructure.
But the millennium and new leadership at City Hall have created new opportunities. Mayor Laura Miller, who lives in Oak Cliff, and Dallas City Council members Mark Housewright and Elba Garcia, who represent parts of the area, have been particularly supportive, Mr. Anderson and other Oak Cliff advocates say.
They say they think City Hall has become more receptive to southern Dallas County's needs. Area residents and business owners agree the time is right for improvements. Last month, more than 150 people met to discuss the avenue's future.
"We don't normally see those kinds of crowds for economic development efforts in the community," Mr. Housewright said.
But residents say it's important to get involved so they have a stake in their neighborhood's future.
"This is in our back yard," said Robert Dominguez, a resident of the Stevens Park neighborhood that backs up to the avenue. "It affects me."
Resident Daryl Nance said he has disliked traveling to North Dallas to shop. He came to the summit to get inspired.
"I wanted to hear some encouraging words that would keep me fighting," Mr. Nance said.
Randall White is doing just that. He brought his contagious enthusiasm to the area's revitalization efforts as chairman of the Fort Worth Avenue Development Group. The group, which sponsored the summit, formed a year ago out of casual conversations among neighbors frustrated about having to drive north to find the retail shops and amenities they enjoy.
The group's goals are to beautify the street and attract restaurants, retail stores such as Home Depot or Lowe's, bookstores and trendy housing and shops. The group also is monitoring city efforts to enforce property code compliance, to remove eyesores such as junked cars and weeds, and to reduce crime.
Some Dallas City Council members have taken on specific tasks. Mr. Housewright said he is working on zoning and access improvements. Dr. Garcia said she is helping city code violators correct problems.
"It is important for the community to know that this is a joint effort ... to improve both of us together," she said. "We want to make it neighborhood-friendly."
Mr. White and his co-chairwomen, Julia Laxson and Fran Tynan, said residents' positive reaction to the summit helped them see that they were not alone in wanting to attract missing amenities to their Stevens Park neighborhood.
"Clearly, there is interest," Mr. White said.
Physician Kevin Bryant said he relishes the chance to make his north Oak Cliff neighborhood and Fort Worth Avenue similar to trendy Dallas spots such as Oak Lawn and McKinney Avenue.
"I'm excited about it," Dr. Bryant said. "I've been so frustrated, driving around and seeing the area going down."
That will change if Mr. Anderson's proposed townhomes go up as planned. Mr. Anderson, who will be the first resident in his new development, plans to break ground by the end of the year and complete the units within a year. The homes are expected to be priced from less than $200,000 to about $500,000.
He is willing to take the risk of testing the luxury housing market on the avenue because of his love for the area, he said. He grew up and still lives and works south of the Trinity River.
His company, Options Real Estate, is a familiar name there. It represents commercial properties throughout southern Dallas County, including the suburbs. Mr. Anderson also has held top posts with the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce, the Oak Cliff Foundation – which is renovating the historic Texas Theatre – and Best Southwest Partnership, which promotes the relationship between Oak Cliff and the southern suburbs.
"It's just such a neat time to be in Oak Cliff," he said.
For years, Mr. Anderson said, he has admired the hilly corner of Fort Worth and Sylvan avenues near the familiar pink Travel Inn motel. Now that he owns property that will overlook the landmark, he shares even more of Mr. White's signature motto of seeing "what is possible."
"Fort Worth Avenue certainly has the potential," Mr. Anderson said.