STEVE BROWN/DMN

The Newport apartments were converted into the Veneto condominiums.

Developers are tying up building sites and knocking down block after block of older apartments around Matilda Street and Lovers Lane. A half dozen or so major projects are in the works.

JOHN F. RHODES/DMN

Recent graduate Preston Hodges is a project engineer for Beck Group.

The construction industry has continued to add jobs this year as commercial work has filled a void left by homebuilding. In Dallas-Fort Worth, 20.6 million square feet – picture nearly nine NorthPark Centers – of industrial and office space is under construction.
Hot industries keep Dallas-Fort Worth employment outlook bright

Billingsley

Two Arts Plaza will be just north of One Arts Plaza at Routh and Woodall Rodgers Freeway.

Developer Billingsley's second high-rise, Two Arts Plaza, will include more office and retail space, condos plus loft-style residences on the lower floors and an urban park.
Photos: Plans for the project

JOHN F. RHODES/DMN

Cisterns at Toyota of Rockwall collect rainwater and air conditioner condensation, which the dealership uses to water its eco-friendly native landscaping.

Pat Lobb Toyota and Scion in McKinney is the first new-car dealership in the U.S. to be certified as a green building.
More Green Living

COURTNEY PERRY/DMN

Pioneer Natural Resources has added 70,000 square feet in Las Colinas this year. “The Mustangs of Las Colinas” is a landmark in Williams Square Plaza.

The drilling rigs dotting the Dallas-Fort Worth landscape aren’t the only signs of the oil and natural gas boom. Look at the office expansions by energy companies to house their growing employee ranks or increase their profile.

GUY REYNOLDS/DMN

During the first half of 2008, downtown Dallas had more office leasing than all of the suburban areas combined.
Commercial real estate report

Apparel Group builds for the future

G.J. MCCARTHY/DMN

The Apparel Group's emblem – a stylized cotton loom – was poured in concrete at the front entrance to their North American headquarters.

The Apparel Group's new North American headquarters and distribution center at the Austin Ranch community in Lewisville can be expanded without causing major disruptions to the existing structure or operations. The company also owns 12 adjacent acres for additional expansion.
Photos: Behind the scenes

FILE

AT&T is relocating about 700 people from San Antonio to downtown Dallas as part of its big move.

AT&T is selling the 37-story One AT&T Plaza to Icahn Enterprises, the New York-based investment firm, but plans to stay in the building on a long-term lease. AT&T is currently remodeling the skyscraper at 208 S. Akard St. to house its corporate executive offices, which are moving from San Antonio.

Peloton Real Estate Partners

Planned office tower at Park Lane and North Central Expressway.

Park Lane developer Harvest Partners – which is building the 33.5-acre mixed-use project across from NorthPark Center mall – just signed the major office lease with Kosmos Energy.

ASHLEY HENSLEY/DMN

Brandi Pollock and daughter Alexis live in a no-smoking complex in Fort Worth.

FORT WORTH — Virginia transplant Brandi Pollock thinks her new home is a breath of fresh air. The smoke-free setting at Monterra Village in North Fort Worth — from inside the apartment to the pool area to roads — was a major attraction. “The neighbors at my Virginia apartment smoked, and it came through the vents into my apartment,” said Ms. Pollock, who moved last month with 8-year-old daughter, Alexis. “My clothes smelled like smoke. It was awful.” Welcome to the latest no-smoking frontier: private homes. Smoke-free housing could become as common as no-pet policies.

G.J. McCARTHY/DMN

The Savannah College of Art and Design is considering the vacant West End Marketplace and an adjoining office building for the site of a possible downtown Dallas campus. .

It’s been more than a decade since the first light-rail trains started running through downtown Dallas. But the West End Station won’t open until late this month. This “station” at Lamar Street and Ross Avenue, is bringing 146 high-end apartments and ground-floor retail space to the West End entertainment district. The rental community sits next to DART’s busy commuter rail stop.