Factors leading to Las Colinas becoming a downtown (Houston, Dallas: mover, airport)

[Mister Nifty]

What are drawbacks to Las Colinas developing into a downtown:
1. Lack of significant retail and entertainment venues.
2. The area's traffic infrastructure has the urban center cut off in the direction of the northeast.
3. There is going to be ample amounts of freeway contruction going on in the future both to the northwest of it towards the rebuilding of a massive interchange entering into DFW airport and to the southeast of another enterchange involving the freeways Loop 12, 114, and 183.

While the entertainment and retail venues are being addressed as we speak, the rebuilding of the interchanges will enhance Las Colinas eventually.

In comparing the Las Colinas urban core with the potential of the Uptown urban core in Houston, the number of freeways serving them and their lead-in developments are interesting to note:

Uptown Houston and its lead-in developments:

1. 59 Southwest Freeway
2. West Loop 610
3. I-10

Las Colinas and its lead-in developments:

1. Loop 12
2. 114
3. 161
4. 635
5. Spur 348

While the freeways serving the Uptown Area of Houston are more modern and wider, the more numerous freeways in and around the Las Colinas urban core and its lead in developments give it a better potential to develop into a true downtown. As lead-in developments exist on the other side of 610 from Houston's Galleria area, it also has lead-in developments north stretching to I-10, to the east along the 59 Southwest Freeway, and further south along the 610 West Loop South into the city of Bellaire.

Meanwhile, lead-in developments exist along every freeway leading into the Las Colinas core with fuirther development expected to commence and finish up in the area of the demolished Texas Stadium cite to coincide with the completion of the Loop 12 interchange.

As Uptown Houston could be said to be part of a massive urban core developing along with downtown Houston and The Texas Medical Center, Las Colinas is seperated by the Trinity from central Dallas being clearly by itself and part of another urban center developing around DFW airport.

When the numbers of workers working at DFW airport, Las Colinas, and in other parts of Irving and Grapevine are added up, impressive numbers of employees are reached.

To go along with its freeway system, an elevated people mover already exists in Las Colinas along with the three DART light rail stations expected to open in 2011. Needless to say, all these factors have a lot of potential for creating a lot of synergy.

As I pointed out in a prior post, as Uptown Dallas is served by a street car system and downtown Dallas is served by a light rail system, the urban core of Las Colinas will be served by both an elevated people mover as well as a light rail system.

In regards to attracting development, this is uncharted waters in the state of Texas.