Dallas-based JMJ Development has its sight set on replacing a bi-level French Renaissance-fashioned office building on Turtle Creek Boulevard with a luxury 21-story hotel and condominium tower. Located on more than two acres across the creek from the Perot family’s new corporate digs, the 25,000-square-foot property is among the last Turtle Creek sites available for high rise construction.

Luxury Condo Lifestyle With Hotel Services

Built in 2004, the original building has a lineage of real estate professionals. While the facility initially housed offices for the late John Eulich, a Dallas developer, Lincoln Properties purchased the building and underground parking garage about a year ago.

"Because of our long relationship with Lincoln, we were anxious to find a location for a luxury hotel and condo project," Timothy Barton, CEO of JMJ Development, told the Dallas Morning News. "We've been looking in this neighborhood for a property we could do. We felt the Turtle Creek area was the best location."

Barton is tapping into a successful trend in Dallas for merging upscale hotels and condos. In most cases, the fusion of a flagship hotel adds another layer to the luxury condo lifestyle by offering owners year-round access to guest amenities and services like on-site restaurants, room service, and housekeeping.

The Ritz-Carlton in Uptown, which has two companion condo towers, is a shining example of the trend. The opulent Hall Arts Residences that’s under construction in the Dallas Arts District will likewise have an adjoining hotel, and the W Hotel in Victory Park contains lavish dwellings on its upper floors.

Barton’s plan calls for 82 condos, 175 hotel rooms, a rooftop pool deck for residents, and an underground garage as well as a signature restaurant overlooking a half acre of oak trees and sloping green lawn. Fab Studio Architecture designed the sleek glass and concrete high rise.

While builders have already secured a high-end hotel operator, they’re waiting until proper height and density zoning is in place before making a formal announcement.

"We think what the condo market in Dallas needs is a hotel flag to be particularly special,"Barton concluded.

Uptown Dallas Setting Trends

Two decades ago, urbanist developers began buying up cheap land in an old forgotten neighborhood between Downtown and North Dallas. While they intended to capitalize on the North Central Expressway location by creating a walkable live, work, and play district, their brainchild ultimately changed Dallas and North Texas one parcel of land at a time.

Uptown grew from the “build it, they will come” philosophy. As upscale condos, townhomes, and apartments added a residential mix with existing historic homes, a variety of restaurants, bars, boutiques, offices, and hotels followed.

Downtown Dallas, which rolled up the sidewalks when the Central Business District closed at 5 p.m., took a page from Uptown’s playbook by progressively urbanizing most core neighborhoods with residential high rises, parks, and more restaurants, shopping, and nightlife.

Uptown was also the model for urbanizing forgotten neighborhoods in Dallas like Deep Ellum, Bishop Arts District, and The Cedars. On the regional level, Uptown’s success as the area’s first mixed-use development was the prototype for hundreds of master-planned and mixed-use communities in North Texas. In the process, the metro area shifted from traditional neighborhoods to an urban blend.

Also Trending in Uptown Dallas

Uptown’s propensity for setting trends is proportionate to it following trends. Dallas leads the nation in apartment building, and Uptown is a hotspot for luxury apartment towers. Dallas-Fort Worth is also the No. 1 office leasing market in the U.S., which supports the influx of companies relocating to Uptown. While the neighborhood’s residential population is less than 20,000, its workday census includes 150 percent more people.

A surge of chic hotels over the years has given Uptown an edge as a live, work, play, and stay neighborhood. Besides the Ritz-Carlton, the hospitality community includes Canopy by Hilton Hotel, Hotel St. Germain, Hotel ZaZa, Le Meridien Dallas-The Stoneleigh Hotel, and Hotel Crescent Court. While the JMJ hotel is awaiting zoning approval, two other hospitality venues are under construction, including an architecturally-dazzling 20-story hotel tower developed by Harwood International and a Marriott Hotel with 14 floors and 255 rooms.