Construction set to start on first phase of mixed-use project near downtown.

More than three years after making a first investment in the neighborhood, businessman Mike Hoque is ready to kick off one of the most ambitious redevelopment projects in Dallas.

Construction is set to start on the first phase of the SoGood mixed-use development along South Good Latimer Expressway and Cesar Chavez Boulevard just south of downtown.

Hoque Global has bought up about nine blocks of land in the area south of Interstate 30 and plans to build apartments, retail, offices and townhomes.

The first phase of construction will be a 266-unit apartment community next to the former Pilgrim’s Pride plant on Cesar Chavez.

Called the Chloe at SoGood, the rental community is being built with Corsair Ventures, a Dallas apartment builder.

“Hoque Global partnered with Corsair Ventures in 2020, as both groups share a passion for bringing significant investment to the city’s southern sector and building projects that can ignite growth in an underserved community,” Hoque said.

The $45 million apartment project is just the first phase of construction at the SoGood development that will include repurposing parts of the former Pilgrim’s Pride chicken processing plant.

Hoque Global bought the vacant plant and about 15 acres on Corinth Street at Cesar Chavez Boulevard in 2017 for redevelopment. The plant closed in 2011.

The rental community will include a rooftop pool deck with views of downtown, a community clubroom and courtyards. Commercial space is planned on the ground floor of the apartment block.

“The Chloe will bring a significant investment to this area that is ready for new development,” David Gunderson, CEO of Corsair Ventures, said in a statement. “We are enthusiastic about the project’s location at SoGood, as The Cedars’ Opportunity Zone proximity to the urban core is critical in launching Dallas’ next urban development hub.”

The Opportunity Zone just south of downtown was established in 2018 as part of a federal program to help stimulate economic development, job creation and investments in underserved neighborhoods. Developers receive preferential federal tax treatment for projects in these areas.

“The Chloe will launch building as we continue to expand with a unique district that the entire community has sought in southern Dallas,” Hoque said. “SoGood will be the catalyst that connects Farmers Market, Deep Ellum and downtown Dallas to communities to the south in authentically beneficial ways.

“We are looking forward to announcing more about SoGood in 2021.”

The developers hope to open the first of the new SoGood apartments next year. Architect Domus Studio and Ink+Oro designed the Chloe at SoGood apartments, and TBG is the landscape architect.

Hoque Global is planning a linear park running south from downtown through the middle of the SoGood project. The developer has proposed repurposing old rail bridges to connect the development to the nearby Farmers Market.

“SoGood is in an area that we see as ripe for redevelopment,” said Kourtny Garrett, president of the economic development group Downtown Dallas Inc. “It’s closely connected to downtown and Deep Ellum and the Farmers Market.”

Garrett said that with the planned rebuilding of the I-30 freeway between downtown, the Cedars neighborhood and SoGood, Downtown Dallas Inc. is working with the North Central Texas Council of Governments and the Texas Transportation Department to come up with designs that would better connect the areas — including a potential deck park.

“It’s an exciting time to be looking south,” said Garrett, who lived in the Cedars neighborhood for more than a decade. “As a former resident of that area until we moved to the Farmers Market, I’ve seen firsthand the incredible transformation.

“I appreciate their vision for the SoGood project and building that neighborhood as an area for innovators and creators.”

The SoGood development is one of two huge properties Hoque Global is making plans for on the south side of downtown.

Hoque and Omaha, Neb.-based Lanoha Real Estate also are working on a 20-acre mixed-use development called Newpark, to be built on Canton Street near City Hall.

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