New Smart District to Bring Towering High-Tech Skyscrapers to Dallas

There’s yet another big change coming to the ever-evolving landscape of Downtown Dallas. Hoque Global and KDC recently revealed plans for the Dallas Smart District, a huge urban development to take shape along Canton Street, between the Dallas Convention Center and the Farmers Market.

The neighborhood will include more than 20 acres of Class A office, residential, retail, hospitality and outdoor spaces. And if all goes as planned, the Smart District will also be home to Dallas’ tallest skyscraper.

More than eight million square feet of office space have been master planned for the area, including an eye-catching 78-story tower. The new skyscraper would beat out Bank of America Tower (72 stories) as the tallest building on the Dallas skyline.

Over the last three years, Mike Hoque has been strategically buying up land in the area with the idea of creating a gentrified new business and residential hub on the edge of downtown. Last year, Hoque Global partnered with KDC (the developer behind the $3 Billion Legacy West and other large projects), and Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects to produce a master plan.

“The Dallas Smart District development is situated in an exciting location at an exciting time for Downtown Dallas,” Kourtny Garrett, president and CEO of Downtown Dallas Inc, said in a statement. “Sitting in the southern area of Downtown, the sites will feed off of the energy of projects like the AT&T Discovery District and Dallas Farmers Market, and will contribute to the efforts to better connect to the central core of Downtown with the Cedars.”

The first phase of eight-block development will include between 600,000 to 1 million square feet of office space, a major urban grocery store, a food hall with a culinary incubator and other concepts, a boutique hotel and residences, and a park and greenspace with recreation areas.

What makes this district so Smart?

It’s going to have a digitized infrastructure, allowing corporate tenants to operate in a highly efficient, connected community. Through a next-generation cloud digital platform, the district’s infrastructure will encompass communications as well as day-to-day operational systems – such as parking, water, lighting, waste management and so forth.

“Dallas is perfectly poised to take an international leadership position in genuinely next-generation technology and infrastructure for business,” Hoque said in a statement. “Our Dallas Smart District will provide innovation and flexibility that will endure for generations, which is exactly what major brands are seeking in their regional hub and headquarters facilities.”

Perhaps a major brand like Amazon could find its second home in Dallas’ techy new hood? The Smart guys are already on it.