Lake Highlands: Projects + Construction | V2.0

[CTroyMathis]

Continuation of the Lake Highlands projects & construction thread. . .

Retired thread located here:
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/showthread.php?t=2552

[LH_Newbie]

We have closed on our house - we're happy home owners in the Merriman Park North area. Walking distance to Mi Cocina (or is it crawling distance after a few margaritas?). Our subdivision is nice and quiet and has great, mature trees. I really like Lake Highlands.

I love that LA Fitness is going in the same complex as Mi Cocina - already signed up both of us for a membership. Walking to the gym makes so much sense. Plus they have a pool so I can possibly even do a triathlon in the future.

Now if we can just get that Town Center built... I'd love to have a couple big retailers and a theater that close to the house (maybe some more local restaurants also). Heck, if I decide to telecomute, there's no reason to ever leave the neighborhood. :)

Brian

[Columbus Civil]

Congrats on the new house!

It looks to me like parking will be a problem once the LA Fitness opens. That lot is mostly full on Fridays night with the restaurant crowd. Is there more parking hidden away somewhere that I don't know about?

[sogod]

Forgive me since I am not really familiar with LH, but where is that Mi Cocina?

[JasonDallas]

Forgive me since I am not really familiar with LH, but where is that Mi Cocina?

Skillman and Walnut Hill, which was formerly Skillman and Kingsley. Across the parking lot from their old location.

http://www.projectrun.com/palms/mi_cocina.jpg

[LH_Newbie]

I could see parking being an issue.

On the bright side, crowds at the gym are much bigger on Mon through Thurs nights and less on Friday, so maybe the Friday night restaurant crowd won't be too bad. Of course, the first month that LA Fitness is open, there will be TONS of people going there, using their new memberships. Then it'll die down for December as the newness wears off... then back to crazy for January as everyone hits their New Year's resolutions. Ah, the cycles of the gym.

[Boredkid]

why is the patio so enclosed?

[LH Wildcat]

;) ...protection from drive-by's...?

[LakeRidge]

why is the patio so enclosed?

Are you asking us to speculate about the architect's design decisions?

If so, my guess is "to create a relaxing atmosphere removed from the hustle and bustle of Skillman and Walnut Hill Roads, both of which are heavily traveled"

[LakeHighlands]

$10 million for Lake Highlands OK'd

Richardson ISD: Board agrees to participate in tax increment district
12:00 AM CDT on Tuesday, September 12, 2006
By KRISTINE HUGHES / The Dallas Morning News

The Richardson school district will contribute millions of dollars to a Dallas plan for redeveloping blighted areas of Lake Highlands.

After addressing earlier concerns about the proposal, board members voted Monday night to commit $10 million in future tax revenue to the 30-year Skillman Corridor tax increment financing district.

TIFs allow taxing entities, such as cities and school districts, to temporarily refund portions of their tax revenue to developers. The refunded money is then used to improve utilities, roads and other infrastructure. The goal is to encourage economic development and improve property values.

The Skillman TIF runs along Skillman Avenue between Northwest Highway and LBJ Freeway.

Officials had initially said that depending on possible changes in school finance laws and how many students remain in the redeveloped area, Richardson could gain tax revenue – or lose millions of dollars and have to close schools. However, Dallas economic development officials worked to tailor the agreement to minimize the district's risk.

About 60 percent of the Richardson school district is in Dallas.

Among the negotiated agreements are a clause allowing the district to opt out if participation begins hurting the district financially; arrangements for financial assistance for families who would be relocated by the plan; and a promise that no private or charter schools will benefit from the funds.

This will be the first time Richardson has participated in a TIF.

"Just because this has not been done by RISD does not mean we're not going to explore the options," board President Luke Davis said.

The negotiations have sent a message to other cities that might approach Richardson with future proposals "that we're good neighbors, but we're also taking care of our kids and staff and community," he said.

The Skillman TIF, one of 14 in Dallas, was approved by the City Council in October. Its 740 acres, with a total property value of about $342 million, includes 19 apartment complexes and several underused strip shopping centers, which would be demolished and replaced with mixed-use development over the next 10 to 15 years.

City officials and nearby residents have said several of those apartments are crime-ridden and in disrepair. That is a major reason the TIF is needed, they say. Improvements could include single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums, upgraded multifamily apartments, retail and office facilities, parks and other pedestrian-friendly spaces.

Another DART light rail station is also being discussed to anchor the development.

Dallas' City Council will conduct a public hearing and then vote on the proposed adjustments Oct. 25.

E-mail khughes@dallasnews.com



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Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-risdtif_12met.ART0.North.Edition1.3eaf32c.html

[Longtime Wildcat]

Glad to see a continuation from the first fantastic thread. I just checked the old and thought "mine's still the last post?!" Good to see otherwise.

Does anyone have any recent info on the potential redevelopment of the Northwest Terrace complex or any of that immediate area's developments? I know there's been a lot of rumblings--and some action--about the whole area. It seems like the David Weekley development really kick-started things (though the rest seems to be only partial movement so far). Haven't taken a really close look, but I know there's home construction going on.

[LakeHighlands]

3-alarm fire damages Lake Highlands apartments

12:20 PM CDT on Friday, October 13, 2006

By ALAN MELSON / The Dallas Morning News

A three-alarm fire spread quickly through a Lake Highlands apartment complex Friday morning, causing significant damage to 16 units and displacing 10 families, fire officials said.

The blaze was first reported around 8 a.m. at the Summer Hill apartments in the 10000 block of Whitehurst Drive near Skillman Street, and went to three alarms quickly as it grew, Dallas Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Annette Ponce said.

Also Online
WFAA-TV aerial images of the blaze
"It was a large fire, and we needed more manpower to rotate guys in and out of the building," Ms. Ponce said.

The blaze was brought under control around 9 a.m. She said the units damaged by fire, smoke and water were in one portion of the building, and firewalls kept the blaze contained.

"Firefighters also did a great job dousing it quickly to keep it from spreading," she said.

No firefighters or residents were injured, she said.

"I was across town, and saw it on the news," said resident Ladell Fincher, who stood outside the burned building. "I rushed here, and this is what I came to."

Mr. Fincher was waiting to find out if his unit was among those damaged.

"I'm just praying and hoping that I didn't lose it all," he said. "I won't know until I get in."

The Red Cross was headed to the scene to assist the victims.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The same complex experienced a three-alarm fire in November 2005 in which 10 units were damaged.


WFAA-TV contributed to this report.


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Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/101406dnmetlhfire.34609d7b.html

[LakeHighlands]

^ Another one bits the dust. Seems like the apartment residents are taking down left and right. Its either burned or blown up and it not like the apartment owners are building the apartments back either. Shutter Woods building still fenced off and burnt.

[LakeHighlands]

Here is another article on the pro development attitude of the Lake Highlands Area.

Cheers, Not Jeers For Add-ons, Teardowns
New home construction, additions seen as community investment

By Bruce Felps/Lake Highlands People
Friday, September 29, 2006

Community members in Lake Highlands see beauty in the same types of construction that residents in other communities see as points of contention.

Tearing down older structures to build new and second floor additions are increasingly popular options for area homeowners, while such construction jobs in Lakewood, for example, spark neighborhoods wars.

Julie Peek, a member of the Lake Highlands Junior Women’s League, said she and her husband built an upstairs addition over the garage to accommodate their growing family.

“We moved to White Rock Elementary [School] area found a really charming house, but it wasn’t big enough,” she said. “We added over the garage with two bedrooms and a full bath, and converted the master downstairs into a playroom, so we could keep all the toys together.”

The Peeks added about 750 square feet to their home. Julie pointed out at least two other houses on her street to which the owners have made similar additions in square footage. She said she and her neighbors view the space added by families as a connection to the community.

“It’s exciting to see other people find a house, add on, and stay a longtime,” she said. “People are excited about the revitalization in Lake Highlands, the energy and enthusiasm.”

Kara Chumbley and her husband, who live in the Highland Meadows neighborhood, took a similar route to enlarging their house. The couple wanted to stay in the community because they have roots in Lake Highlands.

“My husband and I added a second floor to out house about four years ago,” she said in an email. “We added 800 square feet with a game room. A bedroom and a bathroom. We were both from this area and wanted to stay here, so rather that move, we decided to change the house to fit our needs.”

Donna Halstead, head of the Dallas Citizens Council, said the energy and revitalization stem in part from a repatriation of onetime Lake Highlands residents.

“It’s amazing how many young people who grew up in Lake Highlands are returning to Lake Highlands to raise their families,” she said. “I think people in Lake Highlands recognize that [the construction is] an indicator of strength in the community, and when people make that type of investment in the community, it’s an indicator that it’s a good place to live.”

W.B. “Bill” Vandivort, a community activist and member of the Lake Highlands Area Improvement Association, said the roots the younger families establish in the area and the investments they make in their homes improve the stability in the neighborhoods and create a better quality of life.

Peek agreed, saying the community eventually would grow stronger from those bonds.

“That’s the faith people have in Lake Highlands, that it’s going to get better,” she said. “The retail and the developments will happen; you just have to be patient.”

Halstead, who is Peek mother, said the relatively young ages of various Lake Highlands neighborhoods, compared to areas of Lakewood, Old East Dallas, or Swiss Avenue, where historic districts or conservation districts protect older structures, lend themselves to residential redevelopment.

“Lake Highlands began to develop in the late ‘50s,” she said. “Much of the growth south of Walnut Hill [Lane] took place from the ‘50s to late ‘60s, and farther north in Royal Highlands it took place in the ’70s, so you don’t have the historically significant structures to worry about in Lake Highlands.”

Vandivort offered another reason: [B]“Other parts of town don’t appreciate it because they don’t live here,” he said. “Lake Highlands is just different. When we see people coming to fill out potholes, we say, ‘Don’t do it. That’s our traffic control. It keeps people from speeding.’”

[LakeHighlands]

RISD to Give $10M to Skillman TIF
Half allotted for educational facilities

By Sarah P. Henry/Lake Highlands People
Friday, September 29, 2006

The Richardson Independent School District board of trustees voted on Sept. 11 to
enter an interlocal agreement with the city of Dallas to participate in the Skillman
Corridor Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, District with a contribution of $10 million over a 30-year time span.

By joining the TIF, a move officials said will help enhance property values in Lake Highlands, the school district will be contributing to the removal or redevelopment of apartment complexes and retail centers deemed obsolete by the city of Dallas, improving two DART light-rail stations and upgrading sidewalks, landscaping, and lighting throughout the 740 acres of the Skillman Corridor.

Total property value is expected to increase from about $341 million in 2005 to $1.36 billion over the 30 year life of the TIF, according to the agreement.

“I believe this is something that’s very important to our Lake Highlands residents,” district spokesman Tim Clark said.

The agreement stipulates that $5 million of the $10 million contribution will be allocated for Richardson ISD educational facilities.

“This is intentionally left in broad terms to allow us the most flexibility possible,” said Tony Harkleroad, assistant superintendent for finance and support services for the school district.

School property within the TIF boundaries would be eligible for the funds, as would areas outside the boundaries that are used by the district for public assembly, such as playgrounds, auditoriums, and Stadiums, Harkleroad said.

The Skillman Corridor boundary lines were redrawn to include Lake Highlands schools, including Lake Highlands High School, Lake Highlands Freshman Center, Lake Highlands Junior High, Forest Meadow Junior High; as well as the following elementary schools: Rock, Skyview, Merriman Park, Moss Haven, Northlake, Wallace, and Lake Highlands.

The district may reduce or withdraw its contribution if the city decreases the amount of state or local funds available to the district at any period during the agreement.

Tax increment funds are prohibited from use toward charter or private schools.

Harkleroad said the TIF was created at the request of Lake Highlands residents, and the district wants to participate.

“Our board wants to partner with our communities as much as possible and to the extent allowable by law,” he said. “We believe this initial investment provides a superior long-term return for not only the Lake Highlands community, but all of our taxpayers.”

[LakeHighlands]

The Lake Highlands Area has a lot of power in the RISD. RISD is the first school district to join a TIF in Dallas and DISD is looking at possibility joining the Skillman Corridor TIF.

Also NONE, NOT ONE of the 150 children who lived at Northwest Terrace and went to RISD schools reenrolled in the RISD! It appears that the apartment residents of apartments being torn down in Lake Highlands are moving out of the area all together.

THE NEW LH TIF MAP! Can you say gerrymander? Confused Yet? ;)
http://home.att.net/~lakehighlandsarea/LH_TIF.jpg

[txRNGr]

I just hope we can see something big and good come out of this TIF in the near future. I know these things take time but theres been alot of talk and not much to show, so far....

[Insidetheloop]

Here's an interesting trainwreck of a website I have been casually looking at over the past few months

http://iamfacingforeclosure.com

Some 24 year old guy managed to dig himself into over $2.2 million in debt trying to flip houses using all those get rich quick schemes shown on late night TV. If you read his blog you will understand how over his head he is in this mess. The reader comments below his posts are fascinating.

Although he lives out on the west coast, he bought a home in Lake Highlands, sight unseen. He paid roughly twice market value for a home that backs up to Kingsley near Skillman.

Here is the home
http://iamfacingforeclosure.com/properties/angleridge-rd-dallas-tx/

It's interesting to read his description of the home and then to read the user comments below which include a previous homeowner of the property and Dallas area realtors who will not touch his property with a ten foot pole.

[Random Traffic Guy]

Here's an interesting trainwreck of a website I have been casually looking at over the past few months

http://iamfacingforeclosure.com

Some 24 year old guy managed to dig himself into over $2.2 million in debt trying to flip houses using all those get rich quick schemes shown on late night TV. If you read his blog you will understand how over his head he is in this mess. The reader comments below his posts are fascinating.

Great site! I especially like his rules he's applying to his work life (http://iamfacingforeclosure.com/59/nine-to-five-at-my-rich-dads-office/).

[KBilly]

Geezz... that guy is in a world of hurt if he thinks that place can sell for that much, where it is! :2lol:

[LH Wildcat]

Almost as an adendum, the final paragraph in today's DMN proclaimed the following item approved at yesterday's Dart Board meeting...

In other action Tuesday night, the board agreed to spend $10 million on a new Blue Line station in Lake Highlands at Skillman Street and Kingsley Road.

This should certainly boost interest in development plans for the much talked about Lake Highlands Town Center at Skillman and Walnut Hill

[Auburn]

Hey Wildcat. Thanks for the info. I hadn't heard that -- it is really encouraging news. I suppose that the timetable for this station is years away?

[buddhaismissing]

Taken out of email from L Streets Crime Watch:

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: Northwest Terrace Update

(Please read this note carefully, no plans for apartments yet, we just need to be vigilant.)

Lincoln Properties has NW Terrace under contract. This means they have a 15 day to 90 day period where they are either trying to secure financing or inspect the property. This could still fall through, and is not final, but that is the current situation.

Lincoln Properties is looking for a developer to partner with to create town homes there. Right now, they are still platted to be town homes. (In order for them to build apartments, the land would have to be replatted and that would have to be approved by the city. http://www.dallascityhall.com/html/bi_platting.html)

If you have leads or contacts with quality home developers you think would be candidates for this project, please forward them to Mr. Blayde’s office and he can coordinate with Lincoln Properties.

http://www.dallascityhall.com/government/council/district_10.html

[LakeHighlands]

Economic Upturn for Kingsley Square
Revamped center attracts national retailers
By Bruce Felps/ Lake Highlands People
Friday, October 20, 2006

The progress made on the renovation of Kingsley Square Shopping Center has area residents watching developments throughout Lake Highlands for signs of revitalization. Locals hope that the rapidly filling center could indicate a move toward similar commercial and residential improvements in other sections of the community.

Bill Blaydes, who represents the Lake Highlands area as Dallas City Council District 10, said the Kingsley Square over haul was the first step in a series of expected redevelopments.

“It is absolutely the start to what I expect to see all the way up and down Skillman [Street],” he said. “It is the development that will move other developments directly across the street and to the south.”

The center retained locally owned Mi Cocina Mexican food restaurant, and another local dining establishment, Picasso’s Pizza and Grill, plans to relocate there from its original location north of Interstate 635 early next month.

Kingsley Center also attracted a national company LA Fitness, which is owned by a corporation based in New York. The fitness center is expected to open by Nov. 1, according to Ray Washburne, the president and chief operating officer of Charter Holdings, the commercial real estate firm that bought Kingsley Square about two years ago.

Juice It Up, a fruit drink company founded in California, opened its only Texas location at Kingsley Square which prompted some local residents to see a continued pattern of revitalization.

“Juice It Up opening in the area, I think, shows we’re on the upswing,” Lake Highlands resident and Wallace Elementary School PTA President Michelle Dishman said. “I think Juice It Up had a ton of confidence in Lake Highlands because of its market research.”

Melissa Allis, the Juice It Up director of Texas operations and a Lake Highlands resident, said the Kingsley Square location is only one of five outlets owned and operated by the corporation. The other 120 locations are franchises. Corporate management, she said, watches the Store’s Performance and uses it as a gauge to measure other Texas locations.

She declined to reveal monetary or percentage comparisons to other company-owned stores, but said the Lake Highlands location has so far exceeded projections.

Aills moved to Lake Highlands about five years ago. She said she saw the economic advances made in the area and wanted the company to share in and contribute to the growth.

“This location is more near and dear to me because I live in Lake Highlands and, probably a little selfishly, wanted to see the improvement continue in the area. But most likely, I would not have lobbied [corporate management] so hard without the renovation at Kingsley Square.”

Larry Sidoti, co-founder of Juice It Up Franchise Corp., indicated his faith in Lake Highlands and the center when negotiating the lease.

“The community is right, the density and population ... all aspects that surround us there made sense for us,” he said. “There were other opportunities in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, but in this case, we made the right economic deal. It was an opportunity to get in before the market gets really hot.”

Dishman said she’s seen Lake Highlands go through periods of growth and times when businesses withered. The cycle, she said, has moved back to a growth period, and Kingsley Square contributed to the turn. She also said the refurbished center could serve as a guide for improvements elsewhere.

Washburne owns a stake in Mi Cocina and said the restaurant steadily has outperformed the original location in the center by 20 percent to 25 percent. He also said merchants continue to sign new leases, and that the center soon would reach 100 percent occupancy.

“A nail salon will be opening up soon, and we’re talking with an ice cream shop, which I can’t announce yet,” he said. “It could be open by January and that will make it 100 percent.”

Lake Highlands resident J.J. Pair said in an e-mail message that the renovations have spurred talks of new high-end residential development near Kingsley Square, and that the shopping center has instilled confidence in area residents.

“I can only imagine that this new development will bring up the surrounding multifamily locations,” she said.

[LakeHighlands]

Stadium Updates To Begin Next Month
Crowed press box slated for upgrades, new seats in bleachers
By Sarah P. Henry/ Lake Highlands People
Friday, October 27, 2006

Rendering of new construction at Lake Highlands Wilcat's Stadium
http://home.att.net/~lha/LHHS_Stadium_12.jpg

While those sitting in the press box at Wildcat-Ram stadium are afforded a premier view of the happenings on the field, media members, coaches, and scouts have had to contend with mold, mildew, no Internet access, and limited space in exchange for the coveted vantage point. These conditions have discouraged media members from visiting and limited the effectiveness of coaches and scouts trying to watch the game.

The stadium, built in 1968, has never been renovated, save for painting, in its nearly 40-year life span, and the press box is on the verge of being unsafe for occupants.

Fortunately, a complete overhaul of the box, as well as major renovations to bring the stadium into compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, was put into motion in May when Voters approved a $140 million bond package for Richardson ISD.

In the proposal $7.4 million was slated for the district’s two stadiums.

Bob Dubey, athletic director for RISD, said the district is reviewing bids and the Cost of the project at Wildcat-Ram Stadium should be determined sometime this week.

The plan is for the press box to be demolished beginning the week of Nov. 18, he said. The project should be completed by Aug.15, 2007, just in time for football season.

Dubey described the stadium’s press box as very crowded. “We have to turn people away most weeks; he said. “The new press box will also provide more working space for coaches who are involved with the game.”

In addition to the expansion, the new box will have wireless Internet access and extra phone lines. A covered filming deck will be erected just outside the press box.

Currently, individuals filming games or practices are forced to stand on top of the dilapidated press box.

“It will be a much safer option,” Dubey said of the new deck.

ADA renovations will include removing the first four rows of bleachers to install buddy seats for fans in wheel chairs as well as lessening ramp inclines for better wheelchair maneuverability.

“We’re very sensitive to the issues we have,” said Leslie Slovak, assistant athletic director for the district. “When somebody comes to the game, they ought to be able to sit with their husband or wife or friends.”

Dubey said soccer season will be in progress as renovations are being made to the stadium. Fans from both teams will sit on the visitor’s side until the project is complete.

“I think that people will enjoy coming to the game and knowing conditions will be very favorable for them,” Dubey said of the changes. “Now we should be able to accommodate them all.”

[LakeHighlands]

Highlights of Major improvements in the Bond for Lake Highlands! Vote Yes! (Districts 9 & 10)

Proposition 1 Streets & Transportation

$ 4.1 million in street resurfacing

$1.3 million for the Northwest Highway amities and beautification (This is for the beautification features on the side of the new Northwest Highway Bridge over White Rock Creek)

Proposition 3 Park and Recreation Facilities

$5.3 million for White Rock Lake – many projects

$3.1 million for Recreation Facilities and Site Development
B.B. Owen Park $352,197 (Lake Highlands Estates & Highland Meadows NA)
Various Facilities at Hamilton Park $1,543,460
Lake Highland North Park $417,749 (Lake Highlands North NA)
Lake Highlands North Park Recreation Center $800,000

$700,000 for the Lake Highlands Trail. (Run from Lake Highlands High School to Ferndale. It will eventually tie into the new trail that will run along Jackson Branch through the Lake Highlands Town Center and tie into the White Rock Trail).

$676,861 for Playgrounds
Friendship Park $170,592 (Whispering Hills NA)
Lake Highlands Park $170,592 (Lake Park Estates NA)
Lochwood Park $165,085 (Dixon Branch NA)
Peavy-Van Dyke $170,592 (Old Lake Highlands NA)

$65,000 for the McCree Park Pool (Highland Meadows NA)

Proposition 6 City Service Facilities

$8 million for the design and construction of the 18,000 sq. ft. White Rock Branch Library. (Dixon Branch NA)

$3.9 million for land acquisition for future city and community services facility. (Woodbridge, Country Forest Jackson Meadows, Whispering Hills, and Walnut Estates NA)

$3.1 million for land acquisition for a new location for the Forest Green Library (Forest Meadow Area)

***Proposition 8 Southern Sector and TOD***

$4.7 million for infrastructure associated with a transit-oriented development at Skillman Street and Walnut Hill. (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT for the Lake Highlands Towncenter!!!!!!)

[LakeHighlands]

Project 27: The Lake Highlands Town Center

Work has been proceeding at a fast pace on the Lake Highlands Town Center (LHTC) on Skillman and Walnut Hill. The LHTC is will consists of 70 acres of new construction and will have a seamless integration into 23.78 acres of preexisting construction. The Lake Highlands Town Center will cover over 93 acres.

The site incorporates the trees, water, and hills into a development like none in the DFW area. Places on the creek will have huge promenades where shoppers and residents can walk down and look at the water or eat at sidewalk cafes. (I can not give out many details right now, but imagine a channel river running through the middle of a shopping district. Stores and building reflections from both sides would reflect off the water because both sides face the water.)

There will be many parks, an out door amphitheater, waterfall, and trails that goes to White Rock Trail and the new Lake Highlands Trail.

The DART station is now on the north side of Walnut Hill. The buildings will be four floors and can go up the 6 floors in some locations. I can’t give out too many details but if you have the list of the metroplex largest shopping center & malls (published by DBJ last week) the LHTC will start out on the list as around number 18 and finish somewhere around 10-13. Stores include department stores, (two of them are not found south of 635 in north Dallas) specialty stores, high end grocer, movie theater, many restaurants, and some service stores.

Attached is a rendering of the site that WILL NOT BE used. This rendering is just to illustrate the size of the site. The site will look completely different from this. I'm just showing this to show that lots of work is going on at the LHTC even though it seems like things are quiet. Look at the date on that rendering! Things are really about to start moving and shaking in Lake Highlands.

[noelamador]

wow! that's alot of land. it would really change things up in LH. the only dept. stores not south of 635 I can think of are Sears, JC Penney, Saks and Belk. is this going to be upscale of mid-level?

[ajmstilt]

wonder what the condo's will go for...?

[tamtagon]

Project 27: The Lake Highlands Town Center

...will consists of 70 acres of new construction and will have a seamless integration into 23.78 acres of preexisting ... will cover over 93 acres.

The DART station is now on the north side of Walnut Hill.

... list of the metroplex largest shopping center & malls, LHTC will start out on the list as around number 18 and finish somewhere around 10-13.

The forum has been waiting for good news like this, for what, two? three? years...?

I cannot wait for this to get started. This project represents a very significant benchmark in the maturation of the Dallas suburban lifestyle. Since the 1950s, families and the service industries which address the needs of families have marched outward relentlessly, with all the best 'stuff' occuring at the edge. Now, things are returning.

The scope and scale described for The Lake Highlands Town Center is a powerful bounce-back of "neighborhood" service industries inevitable in continuously growing population center. This will lead to a distinquishable difference giving Dallas intown neighborhood as opposed to suburban neighborhoods. This is a big deal.

[sogod]

This looks really promissing. Can you say when it is supposed to be finished? And is the DART station supposed to open before, with, or after this project?

[LakeRidge]

This looks awesome. Thanks for the update.
I especially like the inclusion of the creek in the shopping center.

I am also excited about the bond issue in the upcoming election. We definately need to spend some money on infrastructure and upkeep here in Dallas and I look forward to the opportunity to do so.

[freewaytincan]

Wow! I thought this was totally dead!

[Auburn]

Thank you, Lake Highlands, for the renewed hope. Is this project similar in scope / layout as Firewheel?

[KBilly]

This is great stuff -- thanks!

I am wondering if this will be a 'Park and Ride' DART stop -- does not look like it via this "not correct" rendering. Regardless, if the station is north of Walnut Hill, it has to be sandwiched somewhere convenient -- between the existing, private White Rock school and the tracks/creek??

The in-out traffic could be horrendous at the White Rock Trail / Walnut Hill intersection. I'm not looking forward to that possibility.

[LakeHighlands]

I will answer all the questions soon and I have a new rendering. I’m just working like there is no tomorrow these days. I will say this though. There will be no car access to the station on White Rock Trail. There will be no way to access the station from White Rock Trail, because the school is on the other side. All access will be via Skillman and Walnut Hill. Think Galleria Dallas access off of Inwood when you think of car access from Walnut Hill.

[txdore]

Prescott Realty Group (http://www.prescottrealtygroup.com/index.php?id=27), owner of the Stoneleigh Hotel and a bunch of office space, has a bunch of the land that would make up the LHTC under contract. Thier feasibility period(s) ends sometime in December.

Surprised Steve Brown hasn't written this up again. I think it's the first time one firm has had the entire area tied up at once.

[KBilly]

.......... I will say this though. There will be no car access to the station on White Rock Trail. There will be no way to access the station from White Rock Trail, because the school is on the other side. All access will be via Skillman and Walnut Hill. Think Galleria Dallas access off of Inwood when you think of car access from Walnut Hill.
Hallelujah! :master:

[LH_Newbie]

This really is great news - I'm especially excited about more restaurants in the area!

Have there been any proposed timelines that can be published?

I would have to believe that the existing single family home values in the area would be propped up by this sort of development. I just hope this is the first of many redevelopment projects for the Skillman Cooridor. Is the TIFF helping to get these sort of projects off the ground? Can't wait to see what this area looks like in 5-10 years. Should be quite an improvement!

[LakeHighlands]

wow! that's alot of land. it would really change things up in LH. the only dept. stores not south of 635 I can think of are Sears, JC Penney, Saks and Belk. is this going to be upscale of mid-level?


This looks really promissing. Can you say when it is supposed to be finished? And is the DART station supposed to open before, with, or after this project?


wonder what the condo's will go for...?


Thank you, Lake Highlands, for the renewed hope. Is this project similar in scope / layout as Firewheel?

Project 27: The Lake Highlands Town Center (LHTC)

The Lake Highlands Town Center will be an open air Life Style Center. This is a mixed-use development that will have office, residential, and retail. New construction at the LHTC will take place on 70 acres. Existing and just completed construction makes up 24 acres that will be integrated into the new construction at the LHTC to make it look like one big development. The new construction as well as existing properties will all be known as the 94 acre Lake Highlands Town Center. The LHTC will cover 3 of the corners at Skillman/Walnut Hill.

New construction will include over 2.3 million square feet of residential, retail, and office. In addition to this, there is 319,969 square feet of existing residential and 76,000 square feet of newly built retail that will be part of the LHTC. In all upon completion, the LHTC will cover 2.7 million square feet. (Almost 3 times the size-square footage of Firewheel Towncenter).

This development will be the “Towncenter” for the Lake Highlands Area and a destination center for Lakewood, North Dallas, and surrounding communities. The LHTC will use water features in ways that no other shopping center has attempted in North Texas. Huge board walks and promenades will be lining long bodies of water. Parts of the development will be similar the “Kemah Boardwalk” (photos of Kemah coming soon) in Houston and other places in the country where residential and retail come right up to the water front.

There will be a hike and bike trail that will connect the LHTC to the White Rock Trail and the Lake Highlands Trail. There is a lot of green space, out door amphitheater, a focus area where a huge outdoor Christmas Tree and outdoor ice rink will go in the winter. In addition to this there are many parks, and places on the trail where people can sit and watch the creek and animals. The LHTC will also have something most places do not have which is forest and numerous trees well over 100 feet.

The LHTC will truly be a unique development that can not be replicated in any of the outlying suburbs. Jackson Branch is a decent creek with lots of flowing water and no other development in DFW has attempted to use a flowing creek in the way the LHTC will. All the large bodies of water will be moving water and not standing water. In addition to this the suburbs will have a hard time finding a forest of 100 foot plus trees. This site also sits on some of the most rapidly changing terrain in elevation in all of Lake Highlands. Walnut Hill Lane goes up almost 100 feet from the creek area to the top of White Rock Trail. That is a very short distance. Again something that can not be replicated without great difficulty in DFW.

The retail in this development will be a mix of mid level and upscale stores. I think Stonebriar Centre will be a good example of what the retail landscape of the center will be like. This center will give people in Richardson a place to go since Richardson Square Mall is just about all but gone. It will also be an attractive alternative to older enclose malls of Valley View and Town East for people in Dallas. The LHTC will also bring many retailers to North Dallas that do not currently have stores south of LBJ. There currently is a shortage of quality retail stores to serve Lake Highlands, Lakewood and East Dallas, and this development will gave this entire part of Dallas the quality retail it needs.

Below is a more current site plan for this development. The area of this development north of Walnut Hill and particularly around the DART station will change from what is shown as the anchors have their own ideas for how they would like their stores designed in the development. In one place, people will be able to access this development from the fourth level of a parking garage because Walnut Hill is that high above the ground the LHTC sits on. Notice that most parking is in the garages and not surface parking. DART station is an important part of this development and should be open by the time the LHTC is ready to open. I can not give out the names of retailers or the prices of the residential, but there will be lofts, condos, and townhomes.


The shortest buildings are three floors and are mostly along Skillman. The other buildings are four floors, and the tallest buildings will be six floors. At 2.7 million square feet, this is will be the largest towncenter in the area upon completion.

All of the properties are under contract and I give this development a 90% chance of succeeding. I really do not see anything stopping it this time.


Highlights:

Open-Air, Lifestyle Center
Mixed-Use Development
New Urbanism Design
DART Light Rail Station
Strong Demographics
High Traffic Counts
Elegant Water Features
Family Friendly Amenities
High Visibility & Easy Access
Acclaimed Public School District
Metro-Linked Hike and Bike Trail
Unique Terrain with a creek, large hills, and 100 ft plus trees
Attractive Alternative to the 30 year old Valley View and Town East Malls
Town Center for the Lake Highlands Area and a Destination Center for Lakewood, North Dallas and surrounding communities

[dfwcre8tive]

cool! I know there's a lot of work and planning going into this to make it a high-quality development, and I'm excited to see it all come together. When will the first sections open? 2008?

[Auburn]

^^ Nah, njjeppson, I'm thinking more like 2010 or later.

Regardless, this looks like good progress. I am excited to hear that something is happening and it looks like it is the right plan for the area. Thanks for sharing, LH.

[sogod]

Sounds excellent.

[dfwcre8tive]

^^ Nah, njjeppson, I'm thinking more like 2010 or later.

Regardless, this looks like good progress. I am excited to hear that something is happening and it looks like it is the right plan for the area. Thanks for sharing, LH.

I thought I read Christmas 2008 somewhere but I may be wrong. It's a big project so I wouldn't be surprised if it takes longer. I wonder if it will be like Southlake Town Center with retail first, residential later... or all opening together.

[LakeHighlands]

New DART Rail Station Back On Track
Agency commits $10M for project at Skillman, Walnut Hill
By Bruce Felps/Lake Highlands People
Friday, November 10, 2006

DART, which has planned for years to add a light-rail station in Lake Highlands, now believes it has the necessary commitment from a real estate developer to set the wheels in motion toward a rail stop at the intersection of Skillman Street and Walnut Hill Lane. The plan falls under the agency’s long-range 2030 rail expansion plan. The work in Lake Highlands could fit within the agency’s fiscal year 2008 budget, according to DART spokesman Morgan Lyons.

“Lake Highlands is not an extension,” he said. “It’s already on the blue line. This is just changing a ‘deferred’ station to a ‘nondeferred’ station.”

The DART board of directors voted in late October to commit $10 million to the proposed project. The amount hinges on a firm deal secured by a real estate developer to construct what Dallas City Councilman Bill Blaydes called a “transit-oriented” development at the rail stop.

“Think Mockingbird Station,” he said. “That’s the example of the development, with residential, commercial, and office space that is driven by that station. People can live there, play there, and get to wherever they want to go. They might not need their cars until the weekend.”

Blaydes said a commercial developer has placed a buyout bid on the Whisper Creek I and II apartments at the northeast quadrant of the Skillman-Walnut Hill intersection, although he declined to reveal the developer because the contract has yet to close.

Richard Aguilera, chief executive officer of Cash Investments of El Paso LP, said the same developer placed a bid on the Bella Palms apartments near the intersection. Jack Wierzenski, director of economic development and planning for DART, said the proposal to build a mixed-use station hinges on financial triggers executed by the developer and infrastructure additions made to the area by the city. As “certain triggers” are initiated, he said, DART will allocate the $10 million.

“We’ve had three different proposals submitted in that area, but they never went anywhere,” he said. “During the last three years, demand has bubbled to the surface, and Bill Blaydes has brought in the developer to justify our investment.”

Ray Washburne, president and chief operating officer of Charter Holdings, the commercial real estate firm that renovated Kingsley Square near the proposed station, said the construction process would require heavy lifting in terms of demolition and redevelopment.

“The names I’ve heard bandied about are big companies that can handle that type of job,” he said. “I’m pretty confident it’s going to happen.”

Wierzenski said that if the proposal comes to fruition and construction were to start on the rail platform section of the station, the job would present a new set of problems previously not faced by DART.

“The complication of this platform is that we’ll be building it with an operating train on the line,” he said. “This would be the first time we’ve done this.”

Blaydes indicated a firm belief that the deal will go through, partly because the company that placed the bid and prepared the proposal “is a well-known local developer” with other properties close to or along light-rail lines.

The new rail station should be completed within five years, he said.

Lyons said DART’s planned cash commitment would remain in place for the foreseeable future, whether the existing proposal emerges, gets delayed, or falls through and another developer comes in with a new proposal.

[KBilly]

Gotta love it! :Banana09:

[LH_Newbie]

This is indeed VERY good news for Lake Highlands! The plans look wonderful.

Additionally, with the decreased apartment density, apartment occupancy rates will go down, allowing the owners to be pickier with who they rent to - run background checks and such - and drive down crime rates. This could be a much needed shot in the arm for that whole corridor!

I commend DART and the City of Dallas on their focus on this area - it has so much potential!

Are there any estimated ground breaking dates? Would this begin in '07 or '08?

[LakeHighlands]

A sneak Peak of the LHTC
http://home.att.net/~lha/LHTC_15.jpg

[rantanamo]

What happened to that one of a kind in Dallas project?

[txRNGr]

What happened to that one of a kind in Dallas project?
I think I remember that being located at the Skillman/LBJ DART Station, but LH will have to clairify.

LakeHighlands, thanks for the updates...I'll keep my fingers crossed.