URBAN LIVING

Dallas’ urban residents have reclaimed the extra two hours a day [hat drive-time steals from them to spend more time with their families, linger over dinner with friends, or enjoy their evenings with a walk along Turtle Creek or the new Katy Trail. Whether your preference is a short commute, a loft within walking distance of your favorite restaurant, or living in close proximity to all of Dallas’ cultural attractions, urban living is all about convenience.

Dallas is no newcomer to urban living. The uptown and downtown areas of Dallas have undergone a tremendous revitalization in the past 10 years to become an authentic urban environment similar to that of cities like New York, Chicago, and Boston. Wherever you go in uptown or downtown, you’re either witnessing or dodging some sort of construction-a high-rise on Turtle Creek, the new West Village shopping center, the McKinney Avenue improvement project, or a new warehouse-tumed-loft apartment project. The list goes on.

“Dallas as an urban city is maturing,” says Al Coker, marketing director for The Mercer in Uptown. “This isn’t just an area; it’s a preferred way of living. We’re just seeing the tip of urban redevelopment. People have said this is just a phase, but the commitment from the developers and residents prove the urban areas of Dallas will become a vital part of the fabric of this city.”

Just three years ago, the biggest news in urban living was the conversion of old warehouses into Deep Ellum lofts and the construction of luxury high-rises in uptown. Today’s news is that many of these same properties are no longer rental, but for-sale properties-proving that Dallas is embracing in-city living again and calling urban Dallas home. Dallas residents and newcomers have had confidence in urban Dallas for a long time, Coker says. The developers are the ones who were skeptical of taking the risk. Therefore, only a handful of rental properties existed until recently. Because much of the new urban demographic is upscale professionals, more properties have been constructed and many of them are for sale. In-city residents not only want, but also can afford, to buy their homes. They’ve been renting only because few attractive purchase options existed. They no longer have to resort to the suburbs to get a luxury home. By choosing urban living, they can own the luxury home they want while taking advantage of everything urban Dallas has to offer.

“Dallas has so many upscale residents, from young, married professionals with no kids to empty-nesters who are looking for a low-maintenance lifestyle.” Coker says. “They want to feel part of a community, but don’t want to bother with home maintenance or yard work-much less a commute. They want to pick up and travel on a moment’s notice. Urban living is their answer. It’s an ideal situation-the ultimate cocoon.”

Perhaps the most notable feature of urban living is that the area itself is a built-in amenity. More than 65 restaurants (many of which are chef-owned) are situated throughout the area. The Arts District’s museums and art galleries, the new arena, antique stores. Farmers Market, Deep Ellum, and the West End are either a walk or trolley ride away. One-of-a-kind retail is tucked away in charming shopping villages. Dallas’ only claim to a true urban park-the Katy Trail-is a beautiful and thriving success. A common complaint about urban living used to be that grocery stores were few and far between. But they’ve become less of a necessity with home grocery delivery services such as GroceryWorks.com. And if in-city dwellers need to travel to North Dallas, they can still skip the traffic by taking the new Cityplace DART rail.

Urban residents are quick to enjoy this natural amenity, which is no surprise considering that a convenient location is the No. I reason for urban relocation, says Tracy Curts, executive director of Uptown, Inc. Every day he sees people walking to work, jogging along Turtle Creek, walking their dogs, or walking to restaurants or shops after work. “This is the closest thing Dallas has to a real city life.” Curts says. “Having mixed-use residential, retail, and commercial business all within walking distance from your front door is something you can’t find in the suburbs. I think what people like best is the sense of neighborhood identity.”

Another attraction to the area is its history. Many urban residents live or work in warehouse-style lofts inside of buildings that once housed major businesses important to the city’s early economy. Victorian homes that have been converted to offices are commonplace, as are historical landmarks. Soon, anyone walking down the renovated McKinney Avenue sidewalks will he walking on the bricks that were used to construct the original McKinney Avenue 150 years ago. “What’s great about urban Dallas is that it doesn’t look like a big plastic Disneyland just dropped from the sky like so much of the newer parts of Dallas look,” Curts says. “This is real. A lot of it looks the way it did 100 years ago.”

Although urban Dallas attracts young newcomers who are seeking an authentic urban environment similar to their home cities, it also draws in longtime residents who want to move for convenience as well as a bit of nostalgia. These empty-nesters are retired, upscale homeowners in north Dallas who don’t want the hassles of home maintenance and are tired of living in a neighborhood of young families. They’d rather be within walking distance to the activities they enjoy such as fine dining, browsing museums, and the symphony. They also enjoy taking a stroll down memory lane, says Art Lomenick, senior executive vice president of Post Properties, Inc., one of the original developers in urban Dallas. “It’s a different-but familiar-place for them,” he says. “They remember the shopping and entertainment in downtown Dallas and are pleased to experience that again.”

Now that urban living is back and apartments, townhomes. and high rises are being leased or bought faster they can be constructed, the question is, will it last? Urban revitalization efforts have occurred before in Dallas and have only been somewhat successful. Uptown Dallas was the place to be in the early 1980s, and even though new projects were started here and there, the neighborhood as a whole never meshed. People abandoned the idea of urban living and headed to the suburbs in search of security, home ownership, and stability.

This time it’s different, says Robert Shaw, president of Amicus Partners, developer of The Travis at Knox. The area is conducive to the way many people want to live. And for the first time, all of the developments are working in sync. Residents are in place just as projects like the Katy Trail, the new arena, more shopping and restaurants, and new cultural attractions are either completed or well underway. “This is real, it’s not a fad,” Shaw says. “People are believing in cities again. I think it will he even better in years to come. Developers and the city have agreed: Let’s do it right this time, Yes, it’s a work in progress, but in a few years, I think we’ll all step back and say. ’Wow. This is really neat.’”



Looking for a new in-city residence?

Here are some of the area’s

latest developments.



Bellaire Custom Homes

Bellaire is constructing 30 upscale, for-sale townhomes this year in the Oak Lawn and Knox Park areas. So that residents can feel part of a close-knit, authentic urban neighborhood, Bellaire Custom Homes’ townhomes are constructed in two- to 12-unit communities. Designed to suit the upscale homeowner looking for a traditional home in an eclectic atmosphere, each townhome is traditional in style that ranges from Country French to Mediterranean. Attached and detached townhomes range from 2,000 to 3,000 square feet. “Home buyers in this area are as diverse as the neighborhood, which is why you’ll see such a mix of residential products from urban lofts to traditional townhomes,” says Andrew Carnahan, vice president of Bellaire Custom Homes.



CityHomes

CityHomes constructs more than 150 townhomes annually, utilizing influences as far reaching as Italian Florentine piazza villas, cutting edge Contemporary European Bauhaus, and even walk-up Bostonian Brownstones. CityHomes has been instrumental in the development of the Knox Park area, resulting in an oasis of notable and sustainable architecture in a neighborhood where apartments built in the 1960s had once prevailed as North Dallas. CityHomes’ impact on the area has resulted in its win of the NAHB Builder of the Year award arid the national Best Townhomes Design award.

Andrew Adler. president and CEO of CityHomes, expects the company will build more than $50 million in new homes each year. Additionally, the company is constructing an exclusive gated community on Turtle Creek, Cascada, which provides luxury villa style living.

CityHomes creates unique architectural residences in the Knox Park and surrounding areas with homes ranging in price from the mid-$200s to over $1 million.



Gables Residential

Gables State Thomas Ravello near McKinney Avenue at Allen Street is a seven-story concrete building offering an uptown living experience with restaurants and shopping just minutes away. Features of the community include downtown views, insulated walls (you’ll never hear your neighbors), and upgraded features such as granite countertops, 10-foot ceilings and bay windows, a variety of floorplans, and a central parking garage where residents can park on the same level as their apartment homes.

Gables State Thomas Ravello offers residents Gables Litestyle Services where residents receive a debit card with a pre-set limit to use at participating restaurants and retail stores for discounts.

Gables State Thomas townhomes, located between State and Thomas Avenue at Ellis Street, are three-story townhomes, traditional in design, with a first-level two-car garage, a walk-up to the living area, and bedrooms on the third floor. Amenties include single-family home features, slate flooring, and extremely large closets.



The Mercer in Uptown

The Mercer in Uptown is the first for-sale. high-rise residential building developed in the historic State-Thomas area. The nine-story building houses one- and two-bedroom condominium homes with attached garages and private entrances, a garden deck, skyline views, 24-hour concierge service, fitness pavilion with state-of-the-art equipment, and rooftop infinity pool with private cabanas. Homes feature hardwood flooring, 10-foot ceilings, European spa baths, museum style walls for flexibility, granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances. The Mercer offers residents high-tech amenities such as a fiber-optic technology spine that provides lightning-fast Internet connections, advanced fingertip biométrie security features, and a building intranet that distributes news, information, and e-mail.



Mockingbird Station

While most urban loft projects have been developed in uptown and downtown Dallas, Mockingbird Station is situated slightly north in a converted telephone company warehouse on Mockingbird Lane adjacent to DART’s Mockingbird Station and SMU. The seven floors of apartment homes include lofts, flats, and two-level apartments. Because much of the building’s original features were left intact, no two lofts look the same. Amenities include granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, a rooftop pool with spa, a cardio center, exposed concrete columns and brick walls. 20-foot ceilings and windows, polished concrete floors, a parking garage, concierge service, and up to 2.700 square feet of living space. Unique to Mockingbird Station is ground-level retail including an eight-screen theater, bistros, a music and entertainment complex, and clothing and convenience stories. “This area is already so mature for neighborhood services,” says Ken Hughes, developer of Mockingbird Station. “The fact that it’s located adjacent to the Mockingbird Transit Station and in a real, true warehouse makes it an authentic urban living experience.”



Post Properties, Inc.

Block 588, one of Post’s latest debuts, features an authentic urban loft with 18-foot ceilings, exposed concrete columns, steel mezzanines, unique kitchen cabinetry, polished concrete floors, and floor-to-ceiling windows offering downtown views. Another popular property is the historic American Beauty Mill lofts, offering a blend of contemporary living in an eclectic, urban atmosphere. The mill is one of Dallas’ oldest landmark structures. Today, it features public galleries, a public darkroom, and a rooftop pool. Post’s historic Wilson Building, located in the heart of downtown Dallas, was built in 1903 and patterned after Paris’ Grand Opera House. It has been transformed into luxury apartment homes featuring the building’s original hardwood flooring, granite countertops recycled from the granite facade from the bottom of the building, and a rooftop terrace.



The Travis at Knox

The Travis at Knox, a development of Amicus Partners, is a 17-story luxury high rise condominium development located in the heart of the Knox/Henderson shopping district. The building includes 64 unique one- and two-bedroom townhomes. The high-rise is located near the Katy Trail but also offers a private outdoor living space with a swimming pool and other recreation activities. Townhomes feature granite tile or hardwood flooring, glass and metal French doors, stainless steel appliances, slab granite countertops in the kitchen. slab marble countertops in baths, whirlpool tubs with marble tile walls, and wiring for high-speed Internet access. Condominium homes are available from the high $200s.



TRADE-INS

When you move to uptown or downtown Dallas, you trade in one lifestyle for another. For example, you may trade in your



Garage for extra square footage or a rooftop pool.

Gym membership for relaxing jogs or walks along Turtle Creek or the Katy Trail.

Multiplex theater passes for season tickets to the symphony.

Yard work and home repair for concierge service

■ Crowded malls for leisurely shopping in the Knox/Henderson area.

Drive time for your time.

Time spent cooking for reservation.

WHO’S MAKING THE MOVE



The single tech professional. All of the new dotcoms calling Deep Ellum home have attracted a new resident to urban Dallas. Working long hours trying to build the next million-dollar Internet start-up calls for a convenient place to crash-preferably a loft just around the corner from the converted warehouse-turned-office.

Young married professionals, no kids, They have enough money to afford all of the conveniences and amenities of a custom home, but they want something more interesting than the standard offering in North Dallas. Plus, they’re not ready to be surrounded by neighbors with 2.5 kids. They want to be close to all of their favorite restaurants and bars and love the quick reverse commute north.

Upscale empty-nesters. They’re downsizing from their five-bedroom Park Cities home to escape yard work, home maintenance, and finding someone to feed the dog while on vacation in Europe. However, they’ve resisted moving until they could find a place that is as elegant as their longtime home, but still near their old neighborhood. They find the convenience and luxury they were looking for in a luxury high-rise townhome on Turtle Creek, complete with a full-time concierge service.