Leland Burk Shortens Proposed Preston Hollow High-Rise

In the face of local opposition, developers of a planned high-rise in Dallas shortened the design of the project.

Burk Interests and Greenway Investment Company submitted a new zoning proposal on April 24 for their $800 million mixed-use project at the southwest corner of Preston Road and Royal Lane, the Dallas Business Journal reported. The rezoning seeks approval for a slightly shorter building than originally proposed as a compromise with opponents of high-rises in the wealthy suburb.

Initial plans envisioned a 325-foot tall, 28-story high-rise with a hotel and condos and a 275-foot tall, 24-story apartment building alongside two office structures across from Central Market on a 7-acre site at 5924 Royal Lane. The rezoning request seeks a planned development designation with a maximum allowed height of 299 feet, which would shrink the plan to a 25-story tower and a 21-story tower, the outlet reported. The current maximum height for the area is 54 feet.

The taller tower will accommodate 150 hotel rooms and 100 condominiums, and the shorter tower will have an unspecified number of luxury apartments. Other elements of the project include office space, retail, dining and about 30,000 square feet of green space, according to the publication.

City staff are reviewing the project, and it may go before the City Plan and Zoning Commission as early as this month, according to District 13 planning commissioner Larry Hall. Dallas City Council will also have to approve it.

More than 2,600 locals have signed an opposing petition organized by Preserve Preston Hollow, a nonprofit group created to block the project. Critics fear approval could set a “dangerous precedent” for taller developments around Preston Hollow, according to the outlet.

The site is currently a parking lot. Most of the parking for the complex will be underground, Burk Interests president Leland Burk told the Dallas Morning News in October.

Ramrock Real Estate, Lincoln Property Company, HKS and Willow Bridge Property Management plan to start building a similar project about two miles south at 8300 Douglas Avenue. The mixed-use complex will include a 12-story office tower and a 17-story residential high-rise.

— Isaiah Mitchell