Rendering of Bloc House on Willow Street near Santa Fe Trail. Courtesy of Bloc House.
Last year the Advocate first reported that Dallas developers Jon Hetzel and Alex Lowe wanted to rezone a piece of land on Willow Street between Fitzhugh and Carroll, right along the Santa Fe Trail, for apartments.
Seven months later, as rent prices continue to increase and housing demand shows no sign of slowing, their development, Bloc House, and its micro-apartment concept featuring 350-square-foot floorpans outfitted with modular furniture, is getting some buzz.
Hetzel and Lowe told NBC 5 this week that Bloc House is just getting started and that they are eyeing other parcels in Dallas and Fort Worth on which to build more micro-apartment communities, something that’s common in New York City but quite innovative for our city.
Back in December ’22, the duo shared their vision for the 72-unit project with neighboring homeowners.
“What we want to do is build a community of the future and build them in a smaller space and give people a place where they can love where they live,” Lowe told them. “The pillars we have are community, health and wellness and environmental sustainability.”
Hetzel said that a lack in personal square footage would mean more community green space and other shared amenities. The proximity to the hike and bike trail is a major plus as is the potential savings — they said they would aim for $200 below the average Dallas monthly apartment rents, which is about $1,577 for a one-bedroom today, according to RentCafe.
The project enjoyed unanimous approval from the City Plan Commission in January — no neighbors appeared to oppose or support the project, reported the Advocate‘s Sam Gillespie, an unusual circumstance for rezoning cases in East Dallas.
Patty Simon, the president of the nearby Peak’s Addition Neighborhood Association and Jim Anderson, the vice president, supported the rezone based on the early meetings, Sam reported.
Have a look behind the planning-and-design scenes from the Bloc House Instagram page.
