Not a Teardown, But a Build-Up: One Lot Brings Two Great Spots to Live in Downtown Carrollton

Have you ever driven by an eyesore property and thought about how it could be repurposed into something great?  It’s in a perfect location; it just needs a little TLC. That’s exactly what happened to Richard Robson, who regularly bicycles the Green Trail and Blue Trail to downtown Carrollton. The home at 1300 Francis St. caught his eye.

It was boarded up. It had been used by squatters. The grass was overgrown. It had been in foreclosure. So Robson bought it and tore it down. 

With the help of architect and general contractor Forrest Phillips, Robson rebuilt the property into a 3,000-square-foot, four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath house — or a three-bedroom with a studio apartment accessory dwelling unit, depending on who you ask.

“A lot of people believe ADUs are a good tool to create affordable housing, and downtown Carrollton is a walkable, transit-oriented neighborhood with a lot to offer,” he said. 

A Downtown Carrollton Demolition And Rebuild

It wasn’t quite as simple as it sounds. 

Robson, the founder of Outer Urban Properties, has been involved in commercial real estate for more than 20 years.

“Downtown is the crown jewel of Carrollton,” he said. “The city has invested millions downtown. Francis Perry Estates is back there, and Trammell Crow has invested in apartments in this area. I knew it was important, but no one had done it. There have been no tear-downs and build-ups.”

So he reached out to the City of Carrollton.

“They’re trying to do what Farmers Branch has done — throw some money at people who are renovating or tearing down,” Robson said. “They asked me to give them a budget. This was my first one, so I lowballed it. With post-COVID inflation and crazy lumber prices the project ended up costing a lot more than I originally told the city.” 

Robson was given a seven-year tax abatement and was reimbursed for the cost of demolition. Permit fees also were waived. Robson estimates he recouped about $16,000 of his costs, and he’ll pass on the tax abatement to the buyers. Carrollton’s Senior Community Development Specialist Meagan Tucker worked with Robson as he applied for the Single-Family Residential Demo Rehabilitation Incentive Program. 

“The city has been awesome to work with,” he said. 

He expects to list the home at 1300 Francis St. for about $949,000.

The Home at 1300 Francis St.

The late Walter Hawk was the last owner of the Francis Street home and died without a will, Robson explained. 

He found Hawk’s three daughters and got an attorney to help them settle the estate, which was in foreclosure and had some IRS tax liens, even though the mortgage was paid off. 

Robson began his process in February 2020 and it took about a year to close on the land. He started construction in October 2021 and got the final certificate of occupancy last week. 

“Everyone is really happy that the old house is gone,” Robson said. “The city is really happy about it because it was a big eyesore on their crown jewel, which is downtown.”

Robson originally planned to build townhomes on the lot but couldn’t get around the single-family zoning, so he decided on an accessory dwelling unit, which meets the need for missing middle housing. 

The additional dwelling could be an office, an Airbnb, a garage band space, or for those with a sense of humor, a “failure-to-launch” pad for an adult child,” Robson said. 

“It’s so flexible, with so many options, that space could easily rent for over $1,000 per month.” he said. “That’s how I see it. My passion is to create missing middle housing. We have a huge housing shortage, even in a city that’s pro-growth. The reason is supply-side and zoning. It’s really hard to get apartment land. Duplexes, quadplexes, cottages — all that stuff is practically illegal to build anywhere.” 

And now that Robson’s done it once, there’s no stopping him. 

His next project involves tearing down a home in Denton and building seven “little units.” 

“I don’t want to come in and gentrify a neighborhood,” Robson said. “I want to provide more housing in an already-great area.”