There once was a time when Uptown was not the desirable Dallas neighborhood it is today. For many years, people feared their cars breaking down in the neighborhood because the area was considered unsafe. But as a recent story in Bisnow explains, creating a neighborhood where people wanted to be was the result of careful planning.

The area known now as Uptown first began as Cityplace 28 years ago. The 130-acre, $1 billion development only has five more acres left to develop. According to Cityplace Co. President Neal Sleeper, the key to successful development is attracting the right mix of tenants. However, it’s taken some time for Dallasites to wake up to the potential of city living.

CityPlace in Uptown Dallas

“High density mixed-use works in Dallas, and it’s taken a long time for people to get that,” Sleeper said at Bisnow’s recent Construction & Development Forum. “Having the proper mix of uses is important. Retail is often the most difficult use, but it’s the most important.”

Choosing the right retail tenants that are in demand by the mostly-millennial residents of Uptown has been key to the neighborhood’s development. Uptown has an attractive mix of nightclubs, cult-status fitness clubs like SoulCycle, upscale grocers like Whole Foods Market, and farm-to-table restaurants. 

Mill Creek Residential Trust Senior Managing Director Rick Perdue agreed that it’s important to understand the amenities in demand among millennials. “Our package lockers have been a slam dunk,” Perdue said in Bisnow. “Uber is another one we know is real. We designed that [designated pickup location] space very early on and also get it geocoded to where the Uber will pick up [residents]. Co-working is another demand we see. We’re mimicking that a bit in all our communities.”