Dallas, TX
Cothrum: A Far North Dallas office building gets its reckoning
The Preston Plaza office building at 17950 Preston Road is a 10-story office building of nearly 260,000 square feet built in 1985 with strange triangle floor plates. This building has the same chance of making a comeback as parachute pants, which were also all the rage in 1985.
“The building always struggled for occupancy,” former Dallas Council Member Sandy Greyson told me.
Preston Plaza is on the tax rolls for the moment for $35 million. It creates almost a quarter million dollars of taxable income for the city annually. In my estimation, the entire value of the property is the land, 6.3 acres, and, most important, a parking garage of more than 1,000 spaces.
The tax revenue won’t last in its current situation: the building and the tax base are in decline. Preston Plaza is a microcosm of what is happening all over North Dallas.
This is, however, good real estate. Everyone knows the intersection of Preston and Frankford roads. Dallas must make the most of its good sites. Unfortunately, the office building and the demolition cost hurt the value. The biggest challenge for redevelopment is how long it will take to get the leased tenants out of the building or how expensive it would be to buy them out.
I visited recently to see how dire the situation had become. It was so quiet it makes downtown on a Friday afternoon look busy. You could shoot a zombie movie in it. That said, it’s well cared for and clean; it’s just functionally obsolete.
Occupancy in the building is down to 35%. When you get to this level, it doesn’t support improvements. It’s not shocking that it went back to the lender and went to auction this week.
Nick Kelley, a tenant in the building with Dallas Petroleum Group, speculated that the previous owner paid too much for the building. He hoped the next owner would be an office operator, but he was dubious. “I hope the building finds a good buyer who gives it some love.” A lovely wrecking ball most likely. I called the building’s broker for comment but did not receive a response.
Kelley also observed, “I thought it was a little silly that ownership was putting money into the garage.” Not silly at all. The owner was protecting the part of the property that has value and matters. That’s where things are for North Dallas offices.
Aging office space
Preston Plaza is not alone. Far North Dallas has too many office buildings. These were built during the heyday of North Dallas being the engine that drove the city. I talked to real estate professionals who all agreed that the office market has moved. Tenants either want to be in Preston Center or farther north into Plano or Frisco. There is a giant surplus of aging office space in Far North Dallas.
Greyson, who served eight terms as the council member for District 12 from 1997 to 2005 and from 2011 to 2019, said she’s not surprised at the building’s fate. When the building opened, she was a neighborhood activist who warned there were too many offices being built and believed there would be a glut. Turns out she was right. “Now we have a lot of empty buildings,” she told me.
I also warned there would be an office reckoning. It has taken longer than I thought, with building owners desperately struggling to hang on. Finally, it looks like the office pruning has started, and it is being aided by Senate Bill 840. No longer do you have to worry about the underlying zoning and local politics. You can just get ‘er done. This is why I believe the path of redevelopment of the site is apartments.
“You must have a reset of the basis of the value for it to make sense to redevelop these assets,” Zach Sams, executive vice president with Kensington Vanguard, told me. “We will see more buildings going back to lenders. The good news is that it gives the property a chance to respond to the market with something forward thinking.”
The zoning for the site is General Office, or GO. In my office, our joke is, “G-O is a no go.” Simply put, it’s terrible zoning because it allows only office. Good news, the new state law allows multifamily to be developed on commercially zoned properties like this without a zoning change. In this case, it means a developer could build a tower of up to 270 feet. The new state rules do not set a maximum for developed floor area.
“This site could get really dense,” said Kevin Wallace, principal at Vision+Architecture. “It’s already walkable and connected to retail sites in the area. It has far better walkability than most conversion or demolition projects I’ve examined.”
Wallace envisions one midrise building and the rest being wood-frame construction with 650 apartments.
It’s a bit of an irony that people do not want to office here, but that the same location is good for apartments. Wallace points out that the site is ideal for commuters.
“The Dallas North Tollway is Main Street North Texas,” Wallace observed. “One person might work up near the Galleria or in Frisco and the spouse in Preston Center.” The site is also close to the Bush Turnpike.
Things have really changed: North Dallas used to be a destination — now it’s where you leave from.
From local to state politics
Without the new state legislation, this project would have no chance to redevelop as multifamily. I had pitched the idea of saving the parking garage and building apartments to current City Council member Cara Mendelsohn late last year.
She is one of the few council members with a conservative orientation. I admire her concerns about fiscal responsibility, crime and homelessness. I’m less fond of her focus on not expanding the amount of multi-family in her district; however, I believe she represents the wishes of her constituents.
When I asked her about repositioning the asset to multi-family, she killed it immediately. I appreciated she didn’t drag out the process — something that happens all too often in Dallas. This project died on its second day.
My client was a prominent local developer who liked the site and the value associated with the garage (full disclosure: I am no longer in business with this client). Mendelsohn was having none of it. Greyson and Mendelsohn don’t agree on much, but they’ve been aligned to ensure zoning changes will not allow more apartments. It’s what Far North Dallas voters want. “I know neighbors don’t want more multifamily,” Greyson told me.
Greyson bemoaned the loss of local control. “Senate Bill 840 took the ground out from under us,” she said. “The Legislature took away our voice. Cities know best what their folks need.” The state, however, wants more residents, density and tax base, and local politics have stymied growth.
One of the things that people fail to realize is that Far North Dallas has a lot of apartments. I’m often frustrated when my firm works on zoning cases in South Dallas, and I hear that all the subsidized projects are in the North. Mendelsohn has reminded me on multiple occasions her district has the most of these units.
There is no chance this property would redevelop without SB 840. It would have languished on the market with a declining value. Now, the site gets a chance to participate in the free market. The market seems to want more apartments in the north. Dallas needs more density — not less — and more activity.
Dallas, TX
Public frustration grows as Dallas leaders debate billion‑dollar City Hall fix or relocation
Cardi B, one of hip-hop’s most outsize personalities — and one of its most reliable hitmakers — is coming to Dallas.
The New York City-born rapper broke through in 2017 with the hit single “Bodak Yellow,” launching a chart-topping run that soon included “I Like It” and the blockbuster hit “WAP.” Her Grammy-winning debut album, Invasion of Privacy, cemented her as a defining voice in contemporary rap, blending brash humor, confessional storytelling and club-ready production.
The 33-year-old’s success helped boost the profile of women in a genre long dominated by men, encouraging record labels to sign more female rappers. She has frequently teamed up with rising female artists, including GloRilla, FendiDa Rappa and “WAP” collaborator Megan Thee Stallion.
Cardi’s stop at American Airlines Center is part of the arena run supporting her second studio album, 2025’s Am I the Drama? Recent shows in the “Little Miss Drama Tour” have leaned into spectacle, with elaborate staging, surprise guest appearances and a set list that spans her entire career.
Fans can expect a high-energy performance built around booming trap beats, pop hooks and Cardi’s signature unfiltered banter — the same mix that has helped her sell out dates across the tour and turn concerts into party-like events.
DETAILS: March 7 at 7:30 p.m. at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Tickets start at $334.10, but some verified resale tickets are cheaper. ticketmaster.com.
Pop legend Diana Ross performs March 7 at the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma.
Sarah Hepola
OTHER CONCERTS
Bluesy psychedelic rock band All Them Witches performs March 7 at House of Blues Dallas.
Travis Pinson
ALL THEM WITCHES March 7 at 8 p.m. at House of Blues Dallas. ticketmaster.com.
DIANA ROSS March 7 at 8 p.m. at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla. winstar.com.
RICH BRIAN March 7 at 8 p.m. at The Bomb Factory in Deep Ellum. axs.com.
TRACE ADKINS March 7 at 10 p.m. at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth. billybobstexas.com.
AFROJACK March 8 at 3 p.m. at It’ll Do Club in Deep Ellum. eventbrite.com.
LITHE March 8 at 8 p.m. at House of Blues Dallas. ticketmaster.com.
CONAN GRAY March 10 at 8 p.m. at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. ticketmaster.com.
MATISYAHU March 10 at 8 p.m. at the Granada Theater in Dallas. prekindle.com.
OUR LADY PEACE, WITH THE VERVE PIPE March 12 at 8 p.m. at Tannahill’s Tavern and Music Hall in Fort Worth. ticketmaster.com.
PAUL WALL March 12 at 9 p.m. and March 13 at 10 p.m. at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth. billybobstexas.com.
The fiercest legislative primary fights Tuesday in North Texas were inside the GOP.
In Dallas County, two moderate GOP incumbent representatives faced challengers after being censured by their own county party.
In Collin County, several Republican state House members were fending off rivals running to their right.
The Dallas Morning News will provide live election results this evening when the polls close at 7 p.m. Results will be updated throughout the evening for statewide races and Dallas, Collin, Denton, Ellis, Kaufman, Rockwall and Tarrant counties.
Dallas County, House District 108
Republican Morgan Meyer, first elected in 2014, was challenged by attorney Sanjay Narayan in a district that includes the Park Cities, Oak Lawn and Preston Hollow.
Narayan criticized Meyer for backing renewable energy expansion and for being censured by the Dallas GOP last year.
Meyer was among House Republicans targeted after disputes over the House speaker vote and chamber rules. He and other lawmakers called the censure effort unconstitutional.
In the campaign, Meyer focused on property tax relief and emergency preparedness after the Camp Mystic tragedy.
Small business owner Allison Mitchell is unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Dallas County, House District 112
Republican Angie Chen Button, who has represented the district covering parts of Dallas, Richardson and Garland since 2009, drew three primary opponents.
Button has highlighted her support for small businesses and public schools and her bipartisan record. A senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, she would play a key role in the state’s property tax debate if reelected.
Dallas-area delegation in the Texas House of Representatives on Sunday, May 30, 2021, showing State Rep. Angie Chen Button, R-Garland, in the chamber.
Bob Daemmrich / Bob Daemmrich/CapitolPressPhoto
Opponents Chad Carnahan and Tina Price attacked Button for being censured by the Dallas GOP last year, a move she and other lawmakers have criticized as an internal party power struggle.
Carnahan, a businessman, said he wants to lower property taxes and prevent Shariah in Texas.
Price said she would improve public schools and spur the re-use of old buildings. Also in the GOP race: Perry E. Barker Sr.
Democrat Zach Herbert was unopposed.
Collin County, House District 61
Two Republicans are seeking to represent the district that covers most of McKinney and parts of Frisco and Celina.
Incumbent Keresa Richardson, who was elected in 2024, and former state Rep. Frederick Frazier both support eliminating property taxes.
Richardson, an entrepreneur, said she would expand the Texas voucher-like program for education.
Frazier, a former police officer and McKinney City Council member, was more cautious about expanding the program.
Frederick Frazier speaks as Rep. Keresa Richardson looks on during a candidate forum for Republicans in Collin County ahead of the March primary election at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, Tuesday, February 10, 2026.
Anja Schlein / Special Contributor
Two political newcomers, Jackie Bescherer and Brittany Black, are running in the Democratic primary. Both oppose Texas’ voucher program and vow to increase public education funding.
Collin County, House District 67
Republican Rep. Jeff Leach, first elected in 2012, faces Matt Thorsen in a district that includes parts of Plano, Allen, McKinney and Melissa.
Leach has highlighted his conservative record, including legislation barring Shariah in Texas courts. He also served as a House impeachment manager during Attorney General Ken Paxton’s 2023 trial, a role he has defended amid backlash from activists.
Thorsen, a small business owner and former youth pastor, helped lead the effort to censure Leach last year. He has criticized Leach’s impeachment role and accused him of siding with Democrats on House rules.
Both support eliminating property taxes, expanding education savings accounts and oppose the development formerly known as EPIC City. Two Democrats are also running, though the district has leaned Republican.
Collin County, House District 70
Three Republicans are competing for the nomination to run against incumbent Democrat Mihaela Plesa, who is running unopposed in her party’s primary.
Democrat Mihaela Plesa responds to questions during a District 70 Candidate Forum hosted by Raise Your Hand Texas at Plano ISD Academy High School in Plano on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022.
Liesbeth Powers / Staff Photographer
George Flint, a former district judge and Collin County Republican Party Chair, emphasized eliminating property taxes and securing the border in his campaign.
Jack Ryan Gallagher, an attorney, said he would attract companies to North Texas, improve public schools and partner with local law enforcement if elected.
Michael Hewitt, an attorney, said he would gradually lower property taxes and work to keep Texas a business-friendly state.
The district includes parts of Plano, Richardson and Far North Dallas.
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