The owners of a 93-year-old West Dallas business site want a zoning change that would allow it to be redeveloped into apartments, while preserving a historically significant office building on the property.
The site of Atlas Metalworks could become a 5-story multifamily development with about 400 homes, plus shops or restaurants facing Singleton. The property’s owner, H&R REIT, has requested the creation of a new planned development district that would allow multifamily and retail at the southwest corner of Singleton and Sylvan. Adjacent land that Atlas once owned already has been redeveloped onto Trinity Green.
Toronto-based H&R reported the following in its 2020 annual report:
In December 2020, H&R acquired 5.4 acres of land in Dallas, TX for U.S. $9.7 million, which is expected to be developed into approximately 414 residential rental units. The site is located within close proximity to Downtown/Uptown Dallas and is also located near Dallas Love Field Airport.
The property is planned as Lantower Singleton, according to the zoning request filed with the Dallas City Plan Commission.
“The property also includes a retail tract located on the north side of the site and is proposing to preserve the existing structure,” the request states.
Photo of the Atlas Metalworks office courtesy of Preservation Dallas.
The plan below shows the 1929 art-deco Atlas Metalworks office building adjacent to a new retail building on the corner facing Singleton. Behind that would be a new road, and south of that would be the apartment building and open spaces.
The property currently is zoned for heavy industrial uses.
From City of Dallas staff’s analysis of the site:
The proposed rezoning would limit uses to multifamily uses, with the addition of some retail and personal service uses, which are unlikely to have a negative impact on surrounding properties. Generally, zoning and uses in the area are shifting away from industrial uses to residential uses. An established pattern of homes in the area being rezoned from IR to planned development districts for multifamily has been established in recent years, which makes the subject site more appropriate for a Mixed-Use District, rather than the current IR District.
Staff recommends that 10% of units be set aside for those earning 51-60% of the area median income, or about $30,600-$36,000 a year.
Atlas Metalworks was placed on The Advocate’s “Architecture at-risk” list in 2018 as well as Preservation Dallas’ “Most endangered historic places” list in 2020.
City Plan Commission will consider the request at its meeting Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
