Developers have lofty goals for area south of downtown
Project in Cedars neighborhood to blend homes, workspaces
11:21 PM CST on Monday, January 24, 2005
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
Two business owners in the Cedars neighborhood are planning a combination workspace and residential project just south of downtown.
Partners Zad Roumaya and Kevin Parma want to build about 35 of their Dream Lofts along Akard Street at Griffin.
The project is a block across Interstate 30 from downtown Dallas in an area that is seeing redevelopment. The new Dallas police headquarters complex and huge Southside on Lamar loft apartment project are a few blocks away.
"The workspace will be on the first floor and serve as a storefront," Mr. Roumaya said. Above that, the buildings that front Akard will have two floors of townhomes.
"The location allows us to have great views of downtown," Mr. Parma said. "And the Akard Street bridge across I-30 is a direct pedestrian connection" to the central business district.
Mr. Roumaya began renovating small commercial buildings in the Cedars district about seven years ago.
He operates the Change Chamber Studios out of a remodeled garage on Akard. It provides facilities for design and fabrication of artwork and is used for temporary shows.
"We get a lot of pride out of saving some of these old buildings," he said.
Much of the neighborhood has been cleared and has caught the eye of potential developers.
Development sites in the Cedars area trade for $10 per square foot or less, compared with more than $70 per square foot on the north side of downtown.
The lofts, which Mr. Roumaya and Mr. Parma plan to start in the next few months, will range from about 900 square feet to 1,500 square feet and will start at around $120,000.
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