April 6, 2015
WFAA /
Another major redevelopment may be coming to Deep Ellum
Monday, the City of Dallas moved one step closer to a plan that would bring an $8-million redevelopment to Deep Ellum.
DALLAS – Monday morning, the City of Dallas moved one step closer to a plan that would bring an $8-million redevelopment to the Deep Ellum neighborhood.
Nathan Adamson, the owner of a local recording studio, is ready to welcome new neighbors.
"The building that I'm in was sitting vacant for almost 10 years," he said.
Running the boards at Ferralog Recording Studio, Adamson has heard Deep Ellum's redevelopment through headphones.
"I got some vibration when they were working on Elm Street," he said. "I would get this low-end vibration and be like, 'Where is that coming from?'"
Fans of the neighborhood — once known for a booming music scene — watched one venue after another shut down over the last decade, but in the last few years, a comeback began.
The City of Dallas Economic Development Committee signed off on giving Westdale Properties incentives worth more than $1.5 million on Monday. The money would go to redoing the city block intersecting at Malcolm X and Main Street.
"Some of the renderings that you are seeing here are just sort of common-seating areas," said Reid Mulligan, a project designer with Droese Raney Architecture, Inc.
The developer of the project scooped up six vacant lots and plans to transform them into 30,000 square feet of retail space.
"We're looking at ways to sort of stitch them together through pedestrian pathways and look at them through the scope of - not a footprint of a building - but an entire block," Mulligan said.
The project total cost is $8 million, but the city would pay to redo the streets and to help convert alleyways to walkways.
"This is just going to enhance [Deep Ellum,] by bringing in more restaurants, more retail, and at the same time [...] it's better for walkability," said Dallas City Council Member Adam Medrano. "People are going to be able to enjoy Deep Ellum a lot more."
While the project cleared committee, it still needs full City Council approval. That vote is expected at the end of the month.
Written by: Sebastian Robertson (WFAA)