See an interactive map of these projects here
Want to buy a house in East Dallas? You better move quickly. Many properties are being snatched up as soon as they hit the market.
Bucking recent trends, more and more people are forgoing the suburbs in favor of the city’s rich urban core.
“Dallas is a sprawling suburban metroplex, and people are really wanting to contract back into the city, not spend their lives on the tollway and 75 for an hour every day,” says Meridith Brewer, a representative of the Austin-based homebuilder PSW Real Estate.
Which is why developers such as PSW have set their sights on buying up vacant or underutilized properties in East Dallas to flip them for higher density use, also known as “urban infill.”
Anthony Mignon with LeComte Homes explains:
Patio homes imply a complex of several houses attached to each other. In the case of Post Office Park, LeComte’s patio homes do not share a wall. Also, exterior maintenance and landscaping is provided through an association fee.
Townhomes are an attached row of units, Mignon says, generally three or more stories with shared walls, also sharing a homeowners association for exterior maintenance.
Single-family is a standalone traditional home that sits completely detached.
Density, simply put, is the number of people living in a given area. High-density often denotes apartments, condos or lofts, but it also can refer to townhomes, “patio” homes with scant yard space, or even single-family homes on smaller lots, spaced closer together. Such projects not only maximize space but also give former ’burb-dwellers the luxury of new construction in traditionally older neighborhoods.
“People haven’t really been able to afford new construction in the urban core,” Brewer explains. “There was a void here in the market, which is why urban infill is such a great opportunity for people who appreciate the efficiencies of new construction.”
Rapid growth in the suburbs has pulled the city’s middle class out of the urban center, leaving Dallas with the cost of caring for a higher percentage of impoverished people. Residential infill projects not only attract more upwardly mobile residents; they should bolster the City of Dallas’ coffers with added tax revenue.
The recent boom in the city’s population isn’t expected to slow down any time soon. In 2012 Forbes listed Dallas as the No. 1 area to which Americans were moving before naming it the best city for job seekers in 2014.
This massive growth added 528,000 residents to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex between 2010 and 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and has put a high demand on housing near the city center.
Throughout East Dallas, builders are finding various ways to maximize the somewhat limited space by tearing down older housing units or commercial buildings, or by repurposing oddly shaped vacant lots. Some larger properties are developed or redeveloped into apartments, condos and lofts, and East Dallas, with its sought-after amenities and proximity to downtown, will continue to see more of such construction.
Not everyone wants to live in units, however, so developers are tapping into a market of homebuyers who want something in between a Lowest Greenville apartment and a typical single-family home.
Here are several examples of urban infill projects planned in our neighborhood.
1000 Emerald Isle
Who: PSW Real Estate
Where: 1000 Emerald Isle
What: The future site of 16 single-family homes and 14 townhomes ranging from 1,700-2,200 square feet with 3-4 bedrooms and 2.5-3 bathrooms
When: Medical offices were demolished last month and construction is underway
How much: Mid-$300,000 to high-$400,000
Key feature: Modern architecture featuring open spaces and large windows on 2.03 acres of rare developable land that overlooks White Rock Lake
What was there before: Medical offices
Who else wanted it: The site once had a proposal for a $50 million 25-story high-rise condominium tower. It was proposed in 2005 and ultimately nixed
For more: pswdallas.com, 214.299.8700
The Grove at Lovers Lane
Who: PSW Real Estate
Where: 6536 E. Lovers
What: The future site of 19 single-family homes with four different floor plans ranging from 1,800-2,200 square feet with 3-4 bedrooms and 2.5-3 bathrooms
When: Framing is underway
How much: Mid-$300,000 to mid-$400,000
Key feature: All PSW homes are Energy Star certified and will have solar systems and spray-foam insulation
What was there before: Duplexes
For more: pswdallas.com, 214.299.8700
5300 Glencoe Park
Who: PSW Real Estate
Where: 5300 Glencoe
What: The future site of 68 single-family homes with three different floor plans ranging from 2,000-3,000 square feet with 3-4 bedrooms and 2.5-3 bathrooms
When: Construction begins this month
How much: Around mid-$500,000
Key feature: Across the street from Glencoe Park with walkability to Mockingbird Station and Katy Trail
What was there before: Duplexes
Who else wanted it: Tramell Crow Residential seriously considered this location for a 330-unit, high-end apartment complex, but the neighborhood didn’t want it
For more: pswdallas.com, 214.299.8700
Post Office Park
Who: LeComte Homes
Where: 5650 Belmont
What: The future site of 15 contemporary patio homes with four different floor plans at around 2,200-2,800 square feet with 3-4 bedrooms, 2.5-3 bathrooms and two living areas
When: Expected completion for the first building is end of October
How much: Mid-$400,000 to high-$500,000
Key feature: In a desired location on Lowest Greenville, these homes were built to help fill “the void in the market” between townhomes and single-family homes, LeComte Homes says
What was there before: A post office
For more: postofficepark.com, sales@cambriaservices.com, 214.404.6453
Summit Townhomes
Who: LeComte Homes
Where: 1901 Summit
What: The future site of 20 townhomes with a single floor plan at around 2,000 square feet with 3 bedroom, 3 bathrooms and 2 living areas
When: The construction on the first phase has begun and is targeted to be complete by the end of the year
How much: Low-$400,000 to mid-$400,000
Key feature: Ultra modern, energy efficient townhomes a short walk away from Lowest Greenville
What was there before: Duplexes and empty lots
For more: sales@cambriaservices.com, 214.404.6453
The Moderns at Ash Creek
Who: New Leaf Construction
Where: 1400-1500 block of Oates
What: The site of six single-family homes averaging around 2,500 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms
When: Half the homes are finished and sold; construction will begin on the second half this month and should be completed within the year
How much: Around $525,000
Key feature: Designed for smaller families or working professionals, these mid-century modern style homes feature bright colors and were designed to bring the outdoors in
What was there before: Empty lots
For more: newleafdfw.com, scott@newleafcustom.com
Kensington Gardens
Who: Megatel Homes
Where: 1124 Shadyside
What: The future site of 59 single-family homes with six different floor plans ranging from 4,500-5,000 square feet with 3-4 bedrooms, 3-5 bathrooms and a two-car garage
When: Phase one is under way and construction on phase two across the street is slated for August or September of 2016
How much: High-$500,000 to high-$600,000
Key feature: New two-story, English Tutor-style homes within a conservation district located minutes from White Rock Lake.
What was there before: An empty lot (and long before that it was section 8 housing)
For more: megatelhomes.com, 469.275.6005
Flora Street Townhomes
Who: Megatel Homes
Where: 3015 Clamath
What: Four buildings of four to six townhomes each, averaging at 2,500 square feet. The floor plan features 2 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms with an office
When: Construction started a couple years ago and is being finished in stages; some move-in options are already available
How much: Around $450,000
Key feature: High-end finishes with granite countertops, hardwood floors and a private front yard
What was there before: An empty lot
For more: megatelhomes.com, 469.275.6005
Pine Tree Court
Who: Cambridge Homes and Durham Builders
Where: 3896 Pine Tree Court
What: The future site of 16 patio homes with four different floor plans ranging from 2,200-2,5000 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 3-3.5 bathrooms
When: Construction is underway and expected to be finished by the end of the year
How much: Mid-$500,000 to $600,000
Key feature: This fenced-in community of ultra-modern homes is within walking distance from Mockingbird Station
What was there before: A church parking lot
For more: cambridgehomes.com, 972.535.2537, info@cambridgehomes.com
The Enclave at Northcliff/Ten201
Who: Welch Architecture Inc.
Where: 10201 E. Lake Highlands
What: The site of 3-4 uniquely designed, single-family homes from 2,000-4,000 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths
When: Two homes are complete; the final site has been purchased but construction has not yet begun
Key feature: The project took a leftover, non-conventional plot of land and transformed it into a park-like cluster of modern homes
What was there before: An empty lot
For more: welcharchitecture.com
