Officials Back Oak Cliff United Methodist Redevelopment Project With $10M TIF Funding
Share News:
The former Oak Cliff United Methodist Church is officially getting a new lease on life following a vote by the Dallas City Council on Wednesday, which approved a $10 million TIF agreement to redevelop the historic property.
Comprising around 45,000 square feet across three buildings on a 1.72-acre site, Oak Cliff United Methodist was the first church built in the neighborhood. The sanctuary was built back in 1915. It was designed in the Classical Revival Style by the architectural firm Sanguinet & Staats, which also designed the iconic Wilson Building downtown.
The church, designated by the city and the state as a historic landmark, has been vacant since 2015. Local developer Proxy Properties scooped up the site at the intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Marsalis Avenue in 2023, seeking to rehabilitate the buildings for residential and commercial use.
“We’re really preservationists first and developers second,” said A.J. Ramler, founder of Proxy Properties, speaking with CandysDirt.com. “The real difference between suburbs and cities is that preservation. You can’t manufacture authenticity with new construction, even though people do try very hard. It’s so important to save these buildings.”
Proxy Properties has been making a name for itself repurposing aging, abandoned structures in southern Dallas, particularly in Oak Cliff. The Madison Hotel was another adaptive reuse project of the company’s. It is also currently undertaking the redevelopment of the former icehouse at 900 E. Clarendon.
From the contractors to the money backing his projects, virtually everyone involved is from the neighborhood.
“We’re very engaged in making sure the projects we’re doing are in the southern sector and the money stays in the southern sector,” he said.
The city council signed off on the Oak Cliff Gateway TIF District funding as part of Wednesday’s consent agenda, but Council Members Jesse Moreno (District 2) and Cara Mendelsohn (District 12) expressed some displeasure with the share of taxpayer support, which amounts to roughly half of the project.
“We cannot do that for every building in the city, and there just has to be a little more discernment and a little bit more concern for preserving our dollars for the things that our residents have told us that we need to be doing,” Mendelsohn said, while noting she hopes the project succeeds and spurs more development.
For his part, Ramler said that the city has treated historic properties as liabilities, and when projects don’t pencil out, “the default outcome is demolition.”
“That process erased part of our city. So for me, I think today is a tone shift for the city, and I hope to see many other historic properties preserved over the years,” he said. “That’s really core to our mission.”
Preservation Dallas and Heritage Oak Cliff both backed TIF support for the project and celebrated the city council’s approval of the funding, as did historic preservation advocate and area resident David Preziosi.
“These projects have all been too small for the big developers and too challenging for first-time small developers, but Proxy Properties has the right experience and creativity to transform these spaces into something great,” Preziosi said.
Aesthetically, Oak Cliff United Methodist Church will be restored in accordance with landmark requirements, but the former house of worship will be converted into a mix of commercial spaces and 45 multifamily units. At least 20% of the apartments will be allocated for households earning no more than 80% AMFI for 14 years. Sidewalk enhancements, additional lighting, and new landscaping are also slated for the site.
Ramler said his goal is for work on the project to begin in the spring, with hopes that completion could be achieved 18 months after the start of construction.
