PHOTO BY RACHEL STONE
Zang Triangle is the first new multifamily property built in Oak Cliff in some 12 years.
And if you’ve noticed it’s under construction, don’t be alarmed. That ugly gray building jutting out of the ground on Zang near Colorado is just the five-story parking garage. The 260-unit apartment complex will be built around the garage.
The project is from Lang Partners, and they’ve been at it about three years now. The partners, some of whom are from the now-defunct Incap Fund, took on the project just as the economy tanked. And it was “a real bear to get lending,” principal Dirik Oudt says.
But since the project has taken time, and the partners have had to be patient, they’ve put a little more creativity into it than is typical for an apartment complex.
Here are the basic stats. The 260 units will lease for an average of $850 a month. Most of the units will have one bedroom, but there are a few two-bedrooms and efficiencies. It’s a 3-acre property, and the buildings will be four and five stories. There will also be 4,000 square feet of space on the ground floor facing Zang that will be set aside for “flex space”. It could be leased for professional services, office, retail or live/work space.
And here are the extras. Lang has commissioned artist Larry Whiteley to create four or five custom metal art pieces throughout the project. The main piece is a 20-foot metal tree inside the leasing office. MK Semos and Hugo Garcia Urrutia, who owned the former Decorazon Gallery, are creating 8-foot paintings on wood panels.
And there are some green features. Zang Triangle is the first construction project built under the city’s new green building ordinance. The buildings are expected to be energy efficient enough to qualify for LEED certification, although Oudt says he doubts they will apply for the expensive certification.
Zang Triangle is expected to open at the end of the year.
