Can Downtown support multiple large retail stores?

[grneyedmustang]

Originally Posted by UpstateBooster

I don't know how it is in Dallas, but in most other cities I've been to (and even here in Greenville, SC with a vibrant downtown and lots of downtown living) downtown condos and townhomes are NOT cheap; here in G'ville, downtown is much MORE expensive than equivalent square footage in the suburbs. Therefore, logic dictates that those living in/near downtown are not on the lower end of the economic scale.

I would agree. In my own experiences, living in Downtown Dallas is NOT cheap, despite what some may think, and my neighbors appear to be middle/upper middle class. Not to mention that the cost of parking is also added to living expenses.

[BigT3x]

Originally Posted by ggolf

My wife and I agreed that the dumbest thing Dallas did was not help Jerry "evil" Jones build a new stadium downtown.

Okay, first of all Fair Park is NOT downtown. This thread is about the area enclosed (strangled, really) by the downtown freeway loop.

Second of all, Jerry Jones was never going to build in Dallas. Never. There wasn't anywhere near enough room in Fair Park. Additionally, Jerry was never going to build on a rail accessible area. He specifically made sure Arlington couldn't join DART (used up their sales tax authority) as a condition of building there. Rail access = less parking revenue. The whole Dallas thing was a bargaining ploy.

Third, Jerry promised a lot of development and revitalization around all the proposed sites. In Arlington they even had elaborate renderings drawn up. Do you see any ground being broken? It was another scam. Just like Texas Stadium and the Ballpark, you will never see any redevelopment in the area. Just parking lots. Lots and lots of parking lots. It would NOT have helped Fair Park.

[ggolf]

Originally Posted by Dallaz

You couldn't build all of those structures in Fair Park because there isn't enough space and it's a national historic landmark. Fair Park is already a jewel of the city. Fair Park has the most Art Deco buildings outside of New York City.

I meant Fair Park the area, not the park itself. I agree, the park is quite the jewel with all the art deco and greenery, fountains, history, etc. The neighborhood is very run down and with its proximity to downtown could be ripe for redevelopment. Now has DART rail too.

[Lakewooder]

Jerry's leviathan was too large for Fair Park and would have ruined the historic flavor of the park (a national historic landmark) and we would have lost our treasured gem, the Cotton Bowl.

If it could have been built nearby, say at the old Ford Plant (I-30 at East Grand), I might have supported it. Another good location would have been overlooking the Trinity River Project near Southside on Lamar. However, as BigT3x states, I don't think he ever really wanted to build in Dallas. He did not come back to negotiate with the county commissioners after they made new overtures.

IMO it really hasn't done much for Arlington - the nearby areas seem to be deteriorating. Besides, the national media and general public thinks it's in Dallas and Arlington picked up the tab.

The bigger prize will be a new ballpark and its many games, which I believe we will get someday.

[Lakewooder]

Headington recruits high-end retail near The Joule - Dallas Business Journal

"Along with its $78 million expansion of The Joule, Headington Cos. is looking to transform the retail landscape on Main and Commerce streets between the hotel’s historic building and Neiman the Marcus flagship store"

"The Dallas-based company is recruiting high-end, contemporary and couture brands to fill five tenant spaces it would like to open in conjunction with 31 new guest rooms, a new spa and a second Charlie Palmer restaurant planned to be completed by the end of 2012"

[talkispoison]

I copied this off what I posted on another board so sorry if a few parts don't make sense

I think Dallas needs to keep on working on building up density around downtown to support these stores. I'd like to see more of the older building be developed for more office space (I do understand that it is not in high demand right now) but what I have noticed in other cities, especially now that I live in Chicago, is that downtown isn't super dense with people living there. It is the area around downtown, and downtown is used pretty much just for office space. A lot of stuff in the core of downtown Chicago closes almost just as early as downtown Dallas. My girlfriend used to live in the loop, and it was hard to find different bars to go to without having to go to other areas like West Loop, River North, Gold Coast, etc. You can't really tell the difference on where downtown actually starts because the areas around have been so built out with towers. That's how so much stuff survives here. With the rate of development going on in Uptown and East Dallas, I think that in a few years, some big box stores might be able to start looking. But the main point of my post is that I think we really need to concentrate on the density of the areas that surround the CBD first. That in turn will create more of a demand for more centrally located jobs, more office space will be needed, and hopefully downtown could get some much needed density.

I'd like to see the Cedars area keep developing and more of west dallas. Design District I think is going to have a huge impact on West Dallas. I posted a thread a few weeks ago trying to find the threads for the south side and west dallas master plans but I wasn't successful in locating them. If those plans are actually executed, I think that could really help the CBD turn around.

[Dallaz]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

Headington recruits high-end retail near The Joule - Dallas Business Journal

"Along with its $78 million expansion of The Joule, Headington Cos. is looking to transform the retail landscape on Main and Commerce streets between the hotel’s historic building and Neiman the Marcus flagship store"

"The Dallas-based company is recruiting high-end, contemporary and couture brands to fill five tenant spaces it would like to open in conjunction with 31 new guest rooms, a new spa and a second Charlie Palmer restaurant planned to be completed by the end of 2012"

That's great news but we don't need more upscale retail.