Coming Soon to The Cedars
NEW MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS
The plethora of current city-sponsored and privately funded developments coming to the neighborhood make buying a home in The Cedars a great investment for years to come. The focus and commitment for all of these developments is to create unique gathering places which will serve tourists and locals alike, providing extreme walkability for work, entertainment, or leisure, as well as to provide new green spaces for all to enjoy. All of the developments being planned promise pedestrian-friendly access, bike trails, green spaces, restaurants, and retail, as well as new jobs for the downtown area. Here are just a few of the exciting developments already underway or starting soon in The Cedars and South Dallas, all within a mile of 1805 Browder Street.
The Dallas City Council has approved plans to build a new convention center, which will expand across I-30 and better connect The Cedars to downtown. The $2 billion project is slated to begin in 2024 and will be paid for through a hotel tax, rather than through property taxes. With it, the city plans for an entertainment and amenities area surrounding the convention center, which is missing in its current environment. The city plans to work with minority and women-owned businesses to bring new and unique concepts for dining, entertainment and shopping to the streets that will surround the convention center and connect it to its neighboring areas. Expected to be complete in 2026, the new convention center will replace the existing one, which will be torn down to make way for more a more welcoming and pedestrian-friendly gateway to South Dallas and The Cedars.
The City of Dallas, in partnership with TxDoT, are planning to better connect The Cedars and South Dallas with downtown with some major new developments. New deck parks, similar to Klyde Warren Park, would connect The Cedars and Old City Park, home to Dallas Heritage Village, to the Farmer’s market and downtown. Browder Street, which was dissected by I-30 just before reaching downtown, would be extended across the I-30 canyon as a beautifully-landscaped pedestrian zone which would come out near City Hall and the new convention center, with all it will have to offer.
SoGood, whose name derives from South Dallas and Good-Latimer, is a massive new project being developed by Hoque Global at the site of the old Pilgrim’s Pride plant in The Cedars. It will be a major innovation district, which will bring new creators, entrepreneurs, investors, and jobs to the area. It will be a full-on live-play-work area, with plans for office space, residential units, entertainment venues, restaurants, and retail, and it will be anchored by GSV Labs Innovation Center, an incubator for innovation.
The legendary Longhorn Ballroom sits on Corinth Street in The Cedars in an area known as Rock Island. Built by Dallas millionaire O.L. Nelms in 1950 for country music legend Bob Wills, The Longhorn Ballroom has played host such diverse acts as Nat King Cole, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, B.B. King, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Sex Pistols. After sitting idle for many years, the venue was recently purchased by Edwin Cabaniss, known locally for revitalizing the Kessler Theater in Oak Cliff. He plans to renovate the ballroom and the original motel building on the Riverfront side of the property, as well as add The Longhorn Ballroom Backyard, an outdoor music venue with a capacity of 5,000.
According to D Magazine, “The 17-acre Dallas Water Commons will transform what today is essentially an inaccessible ditch between Cadiz and Corinth streets, just east of Southside Music Hall. It’s at the northern edge of the Trinity Forest, an empty plot of land that developer Jack Matthews donated to the city for this effort. The project isn’t just about education; organizers say the new wetlands will help control flooding, particularly involving runoff from the concrete-covered downtown and Uptown neighborhoods directly north.
A series of new stormwater ponds will work in tandem with the existing wetlands and the nearby Able Pump Station to cleanse and filter up to 650 million gallons of runoff stormwater before it reaches the Trinity River. Surrounding the spine of wetlands will be a public park that will also serve as a “living classroom” where students and adults can learn about nature-based conservation and flood management.” - Ian Kayanja | September 9, 2022