A half-acre park and some affordable housing are part of the deal that a Texas-based developer is bringing to West Dallas.
Austin-based StoryBuilt has big plans for this odd-shaped 11-acre tract between Trinity Groves and the Chicken Scratch.
The land backs up to the railroad tracks and has some frontage on Fort Worth Avenue at Guest Street.
The Park at West Main will include a mix of apartments and townhomes plus retail and restaurants, all anchored on a central park.
The first phase calls for a five-story building on Fort Worth Avenue/West Commerce with 290 apartments. More apartments totaling 176-188 units, would come in two subsequent phases.
As part of a zoning-change request the City Plan Commission approved recently, 10% of the rental units would be reserved for affordable housing for 20 years. That’s as many as 47 income-based apartments: half for those making 51-60% of the area’s median family income, and half for those making 61-80%.
The current “adjusted median income” for Dallas is $60,340. Eighty percent of that is $48,272, and 51% of that is $30,773.
The project also includes another 59 townhomes, which could be for sale or for rent or a mix, says Eduardo Garza, StoryBuilt’s director of acquisitions and development.
Besides that, a total of 19,000 square feet of space for restaurants and shops is planned in “block 5” (see map below), the first phase of development. That first building, planned as five stories, would face an interior park totaling about half an acre. In all, the development includes more than an acre of green space.
The development is expected to have a total of about about 30,000 square feet of for-lease commercial space.
The current zoning doesn’t require an affordable housing component, but this property came with a previous owner’s development agreement that did require it. The city’s new housing policy also demands affordable components when zoning is relaxed for new development.
“We are striving to deliver a community that will be home to a wide range of people, where there will be a mix of ages and income levels,” Garza says.
The zoning-change request, which City Council will consider in January, would allow for the five stories on Fort Worth Avenue/West Commerce, where current zoning allows a maximum height of three stories. The project’s tallest building would be on West Main at Guest, where 11 stories is allowed in the current zoning.
The development centers on a portion of Main Street that continues west of the Trinity River, and “The Park on West Main” would include 11-foot sidewalks, plus landscaping, street lighting and parallel parking.
“We love that it is still ‘Main Street,’ as it represents exactly the type of environment we are seeking to deliver,” Garza says. “It’s much more like a small-town Main Street that is walkable and pleasant to visit.”
StoryBuilt, formerly known as PSW Real Estate, built a few single-family developments in Oak Cliff, near Stevens Park and Kidd Springs Park, about six years ago.
The developer purchased the parcels for this project about two years ago. If City Council approves the request, which has been hammered out with the guidance of City Plan Commission member Deborah Carpenter, then StoryBuilt plans to break ground as soon as next summer.
“The park is really important to us,” Garza says. “It’s really open to the entire community. It’s not just for our residents. It’s an amenity for all of West Dallas, and Oak Cliff fas well.”
