In Development for a Decade, the Garden District is Taking Shape in Southlake

Going on 10 years, The Garden District Residences continues to take shape.

In the latest update, the Southlake City Council approved the proposed site plan for 58 residences and open green space inside the Garden District last month.

The Garden District has been in development since 2011. It started with a proposed 140 units (130 residences and 10 brownstones). In 2013, the concept plan was revised, reducing the number of units to 93, including 33 brownstones, which are now nearly completed.

By a 6-1 vote last month, the council gave the go-ahead for two four-story residential buildings to be built along tree-lined Central Avenue, steps away from the heart of bustling Town Square. The site plan also includes a public park with walking trails and a private amenity deck adjacent to the existing Brian R. Stebbins Memorial Park.

The Garden District also includes the Parkview Residences, a condominium development on the west side of Central Avenue.

Southlake developer Frank Bliss of Cooper & Stebbins told the council that the residential units will appeal to the city’s affluent and active population through “world-class architecture.”

“[The site plan is] substantially in conformance with the concept plan, while at the same time allowing us to step up the quality of what we can deliver to this neighborhood.”

The 58 residences will include two- and three-bedroom units and range in size from 1,500 to 2,000 square feet.

Residents and council members had expressed opposition to the project’s density. But because the property was zoned as downtown in 2003, the council did not have discretion on whether residences could be built on the property. The zoning allows for the construction of residential developments.

The developers have not determined the timeline for the project’s completion. Once completed, Cooper & Stebbins projected the Garden District Residences to be valued at more than $60 million, or $1 million per residence.