UP commutes/ condos/ homes (Dallas, Plano: low income, townhomes, neighborhoods)

[masaro1]

We are considering a move to Dallas, my husband will be working at UTSW and at the VA if so. We are very used to living in a somewhat walkable area and short commutes and would like to re-create that if possible. Not yet sure if we will actually accept the position, but finding a lifestyle that suits us would be part of the decision to move. I see that the UP area might work. We have two children under the age of 4, and the school district looks great. I look online to find townhomes and condos there within our budget, with a plan to move to a house in the neighborhood in a few years. I have a few questions:
1) are there kids in any of these townhome/ condo communities or only SMU students?
2) it looks like property values are well maintained in the UP area, but are townhome/ condo values also maintained?
2) are there Asians/ Indians at all living in the UP area? I realize from forums that there is limited diversity in that area, and we accept that, so its not a deal breaker, but just curiousity.
3) what is the commute to the VA like from that area? From the map, it looks like a DART line from Mockingbird station goes to the VA. Is there a park and ride type carpark area at Mockingbird station? Is the DART to the VA generally reliable? I may be completely not accurate on this (all this is data from the computer, no real life experience in Dallas doing this), so please just correct me if driving is the only way to get to the VA. His hours would be pretty regular.
There is a lot of time to make decisions, therefore, if we hear/ decide that this neighborhood does not work, I will be asking about other nearby ones over the next 1 year, in case we consider this move seriously.

[TurtleCreek80]

1. Yes, families do live in townhomes/condos/duplexes in HPISD. The only ones where you really find SMU students are the ones right by SMU's campus. If you look at the ones closer to HPHS (just south of Lovers Lane east of the Tollroad) or at the souther end of HP (streets like Westway & Fairway), or the ones tucked between HPMS & the Dallas Country Club (streets like Asbury, Binkley), you'll be less likely to have SMU kids as neighbors. Also, SMU is now requiring freshmen AND sophomores to live on campus so there are fewer SMU kids living off campus in HPISD than before this policy went into effect.

2. Yes, most all properties - single family and multi family- in HPISD are well maintained and hold their values well. I grew up there and it's one of the most "manicured" neighborhoods I've seen anywhere in the world.

3. Yes, some, but nowhere near as many as in Plano or other suburbs. HPISD's student population is almost 10% non-white, with the largest minority population being Asian (though more Koreans/Chinese/Japanese than Indian). Several of my good friends from HPHS weren't white and got along just fine- one of the most popular boys in my grade was the Hispanic son of a HPISD janitor, fwiw.

4. The DART station at Mockingbird has a pretty small parking lot for park & ride. Not sure what time you'd need to get there to ensure you have a space each day. Not sure about the commute time to the VA but think DART stays on schedule for the most part. The VA is in a pretty bad neifhborhood so you may feel more comfortable driving yourself?

[masaro1]

Thank you.
Good to know.
Can you tell me how far a drive it would be to the VA? Also is there any other neighborhoods you would suggest that are safe that would make getting to the VA and UT southwestern campus? We are small lots (we would rather have kids play in parks playgrounds than a backyard swing set), not too large a house kind of people and like to be outdoors (when possible if course: I know it's hot). I have read through similar posts and see Lakewood, Preston Hollow as candidate neighborhoods. Any others?

[JTC Mom]

TurtleCreek80's advice is great as usual. I would add thst i have two young children in hp and each has two close indian friends in their class. There are also two Indian families on my block.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by masaro1

Thank you.
Good to know.
Can you tell me how far a drive it would be to the VA? Also is there any other neighborhoods you would suggest that are safe that would make getting to the VA and UT southwestern campus? We are small lots (we would rather have kids play in parks playgrounds than a backyard swing set), not too large a house kind of people and like to be outdoors (when possible if course: I know it's hot). I have read through similar posts and see Lakewood, Preston Hollow as candidate neighborhoods. Any others?

It's about a 15 mile drive so around 30 minutes in rush hour would be my guess. The DART trip estimator says its 35 minutes via DART from Mockingbird to the VA station - add in 10 minutes to get from your home to Mockingbird Station and then 0-20 minutes to wait for a train and you're looking at about an hour using public transit.....easier to just drive, IMO.

20% of the Park Cities' land was set aside for public park space so you'll see tons of kids playing at the parks. Each town also has a very nice public pool for the town residents - you have to buy a pass each summer but it's pretty affordable. People are always out in their yards or biking, walking, etc.

Lakewood is also a great place to live. It's much further east of 75 so even thought it's a bit south of the Park Cities, you're still looking at same commute times to the VA, whether by car or by DART. Not as many parks throughout Lakewood compared to the Park Cities, but it does sit on the bank of White Rock Lake (a non-swimming, non motor boat man-made lake with a 9-mile loop around it) which has lots of park space. Lakewood Elementary is more diverse than HPISD but the diversity is mainly Hispanic (21%); only 2% of students are Asian. About 20% of the students are low income vs 0% in HPISD - that may be a plus or minus depending on your viewpoint. The big negative is that it is a much longer commute to UTSW compared to the Park Cities. Park Cities, your commute to UTSW could be 10-15 minutes. From Lakewood, it could take 30. Getting cross-town in Dallas is a PITA; our most efficient highways were built as north/south routes, not east/west.

Preston Hollow is a great place to live (much larger lot sizes on average compared to Lakewood or HP/UP) but most families use private schools as most of PH is not zoned to DISD schools that are of Lakewood Elementary's quality. It also adds 10-15 minutes to the VA commute so probably not worth exploring for your relo.

[masaro1]

thank you both for the quick responses. It sounds like he should drive to the VA and that UP/HP seems to be the place to live. I am glad to know that its not completely crazy to try to to raise kids in a townhome there, atleast for a few years. The parks sound beautiful. We will see how everything works out from a job perspective and go take a look at the neighborhoods if it all works out.

[masaro1]

Last question: any montessori preschools in the UP/HP area that are non-religion affiliated?

[masaro1]

Asking again, incase anyone can reccomend some montessori schools in the UP/HP area, not religious affiliation? we like the montessori approach starting from preschool, therefore asking...

[nothermom]

Look into Alcuin - its in Preston Hollow, just north of UP.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

I work near the VA on Lancaster. It is not a bad area but is lower middle class. Newish cars, small old houses mostly neatly kept, not a bunch of bums wandering around. Not sure the DART station is right in front of the VA but it should be.