West Village:The Monterey Apartments

[CTroyMathis]

Criterion Property Company, L.P. (Criterion) plans to build a 5-floor structure over 2
parking levels providing a minimum of 370 multi-family luxury rental units averaging 950
square feet located at 3925 N. Central Expressway in the Cityplace Area TIF District.
The residential development will have 579 structured parking spaces, 23 on-site surface
parking spaces and 3 street parking spaces. The minimum private investment is
approximately $60,000,000.

The development represents one of the last four tracts remaining for high density
development in Cityplace, to implement the Cityplace Area TIF Project Plan.

ESTIMATED SCHEDULE OF PROJECT
Begin Construction December 2007
Complete Construction October 2009


More at: http://www.dallascityhall.com/council_briefings/agendas/agendas_0607/FinalAgenda_06272007.pdf (Agenda Nos. 15 & 16. . .)

[AeroD]

Is there a club on top floor of the Cityplace Tower? I noticed Friday (or Saturday) evening that there were flashes of green lights from the top floor.

[jsoto3]

More at: http://www.dallascityhall.com/council_briefings/agendas/agendas_0607/FinalAgenda_06272007.pdf (Agenda Nos. 15 & 16. . .)
Wrong thread Troy. This is for a new project on the large empty parcel just north of the Mondrian. I don't think there is yet a thread for this proposed project.

http://img4.shareavenue.com/thumbnails/9/2/a/c/92acb93849516e5c68e6a3ad27eb90b67b99f7fc.jpg (http://img4.shareavenue.com/image.php?file=92acb93849516e5c68e6a3ad27eb90b67b9 9f7fc)

[Kelley USA]

I've noticed a few stakes out on the proprty... They just took down an old fence along McKinney Ave a few days ago- probably so they could put up a new one at some point...

[CTroyMathis]

Didn't think it was the right thread, I guess it can go in the generic WV thread.

Edit: Or on it's own. . .

[JohnMcKee]

Criterion Property Company, L.P. (Criterion) plans to build a 5-floor structure over 2
parking levels providing a minimum of 370 multi-family luxury rental units averaging 950
square feet located at 3925 N. Central Expressway in the Cityplace Area TIF District.
The residential development will have 579 structured parking spaces, 23 on-site surface
parking spaces and 3 street parking spaces. The minimum private investment is
approximately $60,000,000.

370 units averaging 950 sqft at a estimated $60,000,000. That's $170.70~ per sqft finished out if you don't include common amenities and infrastructure costs. When did the idea of "luxury" living become so perverted, didn't the word "luxury" used to mean something beyond a view of Big Lots, Target, Ross, and a finish out on par with a mid-priced mobile home?

[dallastophoenix]

you're insane if u think that area won't change in a few years. i see target getting a MAJOR overhaul (like the medallion location) within a couple years.

[msutton]

I guess they feel retail at this point would be too disconnect from the rest of the neighborhood? Too bad... I think that side needs more retail density to give it a fighting chance against the main strips of the WV.

[Kelley USA]

The Target just got an overhaul about 2 years ago...

[crescentboi]

Is there a club on top floor of the Cityplace Tower? I noticed Friday (or Saturday) evening that there were flashes of green lights from the top floor.

That is a location for catering events. One of my dear friends is a catering manager at Cityplace Tower and she had her wedding reception there last October. Talk about amazing views!

[carousel]

More at: http://www.dallascityhall.com/council_briefings/agendas/agendas_0607/FinalAgenda_06272007.pdf (Agenda Nos. 15 & 16. . .)


any pics?

[jsoto3]

any pics?
Just the site plan I posted above. Again, this is a different project than the Cityplace Tower Redo. A new thread will be started soon.

[frankchitown]

When did the idea of "luxury" living become so perverted, didn't the word "luxury" used to mean something beyond a view of Big Lots, Target, Ross, and a finish out on par with a mid-priced mobile home?

I would be too busy being amazed by the view of the skyline downtown and uptown to notice the big boxes below me.


The Target just got an overhaul about 2 years ago...

I was disappointed in their "overhaul", I thought they would expand to a Super Target with more of a grocery selection. After the West Village and Cityplace grows I hope they plan something more ambitious like the Icon Center.

[Kelley USA]

I would love to see a SuperTarget at City Lights... They have 2 Targets in the Lake Highlands area about a block away from each other- so why not here!!!

[Kelley USA]

I know this is still listed in the wrong thread- but the site work started yesterday. They have been clearing the property, removing trees etc...

[DallasMan]

Yep, they have been working on this site already. Is there going to be retail on the bottom of this one, or just residences?

[tamtagon]

DMN: West Village is about to get 6-story apartment building (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-westvillage_30bus.ART0.State.Edition1.35a913a.html )


11:13 PM CDT on Sunday, July 29, 2007
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
stevebrown@dallasnews.com

Developers are about to break ground for the biggest apartment building yet in Dallas' West Village neighborhood.

The six-story, 371-unit Monterey complex will be constructed on McKinney Avenue just north of Blackburn Street. The vacant site is adjacent to the 20-story Mondrian apartment tower.

Criterion Property Co. is constructing its Monterey building in a Spanish-Mediterranean style with stone, stucco and tile exteriors.

The project is a high-profile local development debut for Criterion, which has offices in Dallas and Boston.

The builder has been working on the McKinney Avenue project for almost a year, said Jason Leeds, vice president and Texas region partner.

"The momentum and excitement about the location has continued to grow," Mr. Leeds said. "When we tied the site up, some people were scratching their heads."

With the recent expansion of retail space, the West Village area has become one of Dallas' most popular dining and shopping districts. Developers also have flocked to the market with new apartments and condominiums.

Criterion Property is marketing its new rental community as a resort hotel-type project with amenities including a waterfall pool, outdoor kitchens and fireplaces, courtyards with fountains and outdoor plasma televisions. There's also going to be free wireless Internet access.

"It will help us compete in an incredibly competitive marketplace," Mr. Leeds said. "We took a lot of imagery for the architecture from the Santa Barbara area of California."

The first units will be ready in late 2008 and will rent for close to $1.80 per square foot.

KeyBank Real Estate Capital has provided financing for the project.

Humphreys & Partners is the architect.

The land was acquired from Cityplace Development Co. Unlike other apartment projects near West Village, the Monterey will have no ground-floor retail space. "We're not retail guys – we are sticking to what we know best," Mr. Leeds said.

Since the West Village opened in 2001 with 170 rental units, apartment developments in the area have grown steadily larger.

The Mondrian has 218 units. And the Bryson at Cityplace building contains 232 units.

hum... "We took a lot of imagery for the architecture from the Santa Barbara area of California." Jason Leeds said about an apartment building called Monterey.

[freewaytincan]

I assume this will not be one of Humphreys & Partners' new building concepts?

[txdore]

Yep, they have been working on this site already. Is there going to be retail on the bottom of this one, or just residences?

Certainly no alcohol because of the proximity (300') to the high school and the church. :(

[Kelley USA]

No retail in this building... But a stream of trucks were on site today hauling dirt away etc... Very busy this morning!

[clipper]

From DMN blog:

[vman]

From DMN blog:
Anyone else getting tired of the "Spanish-Mediterranean" building boom in Uptown. Too many projects are looking alike.

[AeroD]

Anyone else getting tired of the "Spanish-Mediterranean" building boom in Uptown. Too many projects are looking alike.

I really don't care for stucco. It's wrong.

[AZDallasite]

I really don't care for stucco. It's wrong.

Amen! I used to like stucco and thought it equated it to quality and great taste. After having spent the past 2.5 yrs here in Phx metro, I wish I could never see that shit again.

[slfunk]

Its not nearly as bad as Gables Villa Rosa. That one is over the top. To make it worse the second phase details are close to the first phase, but not quite the same. Its as if someone took a snap shop in their head then went away to draw with out an actual picture, but wanted it to match.

[AZDallasite]

Just looking at my last post, I realized that my avatar is a house cladded in stucco. Lol. That was one of the first homes I built when I moved here and has special meaning. Anything that you can kick your foot through should not be used as an exterior veneer to a home.

[DallasMan]

Certainly no alcohol because of the proximity (300') to the high school and the church. :(


Yes, I guess today's article answered my question about the retail.

And as for the alcohol, the school nixes the drinks I suppose, but not the church - after all, it is the EPISCOPAL Church of the Incarnation...we Episcopalians certainly have no problems enjoying a good drink or two, sometimes at church. :) Praise the Lord.

[carousel]

I really don't care for stucco. It's wrong.

Stucco is great if done right. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the projects in the metroplex that use stucco look ridicuously cheap.

[Lakewooder]

Don't y'all know? Tuscan is out, Santa Barbara is in...(or in other words, change the paint). Personally, I don't remember anything in Santa Barbara which looks like this..

[JohnMcKee]

I am really disappointed as well to see the lack of retail in the development, but am glad to see more residential units being built. I feel like Uptown is so close to hitting the critical mass of residents where it can self-sustain and people never leave for work, entertainment or their basic needs.

It's really an exciting time to live/own down here and see all these distinct entities (West Village/Turtle Creek/Oak Lawn/Arts/Victory/LoMac) all expand, connect and becoming a true and great walking neighborhood.

[sogod]

I am really disappointed as well to see the lack of retail in the development...

Only the west side facing McKinney looks like it would really support retail. While it would have been nice to see one or two stores on that street, I dont think its a big deal that we won't.

[palchik]

There are pleanty of empty storefronts in West Village as it is...the area needs more people, not more storefronts right now...same goes for Downtown.

[msutton]

I kind of like the design... different from what's in the rest of the WV, but still fairly complimentary.

And while more retail would have been nice, I have to agree that at this point, it would have almost certainly been a bad decision. Particularly if the buildings coming in on Hank Haney are going to have all of the retail that they were planned to. For some reason, it seems hard for people to leave the original development, except for Borders and Brooks Brothers which look so closely in on the rest of it. Hopefully increased density in the area will encourage people to wander around more.

[vman]

Wrong thread!!! Why doesn't this forum have a delete post option?

[slfunk]

Only the west side facing McKinney looks like it would really support retail. While it would have been nice to see one or two stores on that street, I dont think its a big deal that we won't.

I'd agree with you on this that it won't be a big deal. The Mondarian starts the transition from retail to residential when you go north on McKinney. The northern most units open to the ground. With this new project, it would make sense to continue that transition as you move north with the High school across the street, the park and townhomes further north. In my opinion, keeping the retail concentrated around the core area of West Village would work best. I fear if you were to stretch it out up north along McKinney, those shops would have far less foot traffic to support the retail they have been developing.

[Kelley USA]

Plus, the Mondrian still has retail that has yet to be leased since the building opened... Perhaps having a few more residents on this side of the street will help!

[rantanamo]

Perhaps someday developers will figure out that Dallas is no different than the rest of America and realize that for most of these areas, you need lots of everyday J6P retail, especially when the development is flashy. No one is mistaking the WV for Bishop Arts where people are specificially looking for lesser known retail.

[mexila]

:2baffled:

awesome news..."Criterion Property is constructing its Monterey building in a Spanish Mediterranean style with stone, stucco and tile exteriors." - DMN

That is going to look wicked Kick Ace next to the Mondrian.

[rantanamo]

like those townhomes on Cole?

[amshepar]

this is such valued land. i don't see why we don't see more height on these buildings. i know this could spot could probably sustain an additional 2-3 floors of apartments, and the demand will definitely be there for people to lease them.

[msutton]

I don't know that the demand will be there. And as we have said time and again on this forum, it's much more important that we start filling these empty lots with at least moderately nice mutli-story buildings than that each new building builds to the full potential of the area.

If the demand really is there, then we'll see hank haney and the site SE of the Bryson go to condo buildings sooner rather than later. If, after those developments, the demand is still as high as you claim, then we will see Albertsons, CVS (or is it Walgreens?) and the strip mall across Lemmon from WV get redeveloped, finally making the district contiguous with the rest of Uptown. Which, IMO, is much more important than having a 12 story building north of the Modrian.

[Kelley USA]

I live in the Mondrian and I can tell you there is definitely demand! Despite the problems we've had at The Mondrian- most of those issues seem to have been resolved and the place is in good shape and full now. Also, look at the 2 new Gables properties. Both of those leased up in a hurry. I went by both several months ago just to look around before I signed my renewal- neither property had anything available with the exception of some higher priced 2 bedrooms...

[amshepar]

I wish Walgreen/CVS had apartments above it, like at 1001 ross downtown. what a waste of a prime corner of real estate. More buildings should be the 7-10 stories though in that area. at least the outskirt buildings. i can appreciate the uniformity within WV of all the buildings being similar height, but i think it looks real cool having surrounding buildings taller.

[txdore]

this is such valued land. i don't see why we don't see more height on these buildings. i know this could spot could probably sustain an additional 2-3 floors of apartments, and the demand will definitely be there for people to lease them.
Somewhere I heard that it was a wood frame buiding, but I thought stick only goes up to 4-stories. I also heard somewhere else that some 5-story frame buildings have gone up using some special provisions found in the building or fire code (in Austin I think). Then the article said 5 to 6-stories. Confusing. Does the city docs say anything about the construction? Has a building permit been pulled? It should list the building type.

Usually they stop at 4 because the jump in cost of construction from wood framing to concrete and steel is so big, it's hard to justify. Unless you are going condo, lots of retail, or really high end (read expensive rents like Ashtons).


Stucco is great if done right. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the projects in the metroplex that use stucco look ridicuously cheap.
Agreed. Depending upon the manufacturer and the contractor it can look great or really, really bad. It fulfills the masonry requirements in many cities (like Frisco, Plano, ...) If you can kick through the stucco, it was a cr@ppy job, or they cut corners.


Anyone else getting tired of the "Spanish-Mediterranean" building boom in Uptown. Too many projects are looking alike.
Just wait, they never, Ever look like the eary artist rendering.
And frankly, these designs are so loosly insprired the difference between Santa Barbara and Miami beach inspired is overlooked by most people. I think it's more marketing than anything.

[clipper]

Indeed, I know for sure this will be five stories of wood construction on top of a one-story concrete base. Cheapest way to build. I notice they are using wood structure at the Park Lane apartments, too.

[Kelley USA]

^ Clipper, you took the words right out of my mouth... Which I guess makes my post pointless. But let's not forget- this is a $60 million project so I think the quality will be good.

[Kelley USA]

This site is in full gear. Construction trailer is on site, fencing has gone up and they have been taking away truck load after truck load of dirt. They've probably gone down a good 5' to 10' already....

[crocodile_hunt_er]

I also noticed that the property just north of the church on mckinney has a for sale sign on it. Just 2 blocks from this construction site. That space there is prime for some really nice residential since it faces the park.

Its the propery where the church bought that really ugly pink apartment building a few years ago and knocked it down. I think they are trying to turn a profit on it now by selling.

[DallasMan]

^ I'm not sure, but I believe the lot w/ the for sale sign is a separate tract from the one the church owns. The church's long-term plans are for a school on that site.

[mrpipeline]

DMN: West Village is about to get 6-story apartment building (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-westvillage_30bus.ART0.State.Edition1.35a913a.html )

McKinney Avenue just north of Blackburn Street.


permit address: 3930 Mckinney Ave