The almost 40-story tower would be the first phase of 20-acre mixed-use district.

Developers are showing off plans for a new skyscraper proposed on downtown Dallas' south side.

Dallas-based Hoque Global and Lanoha Real Estate of Omaha are planning the Newpark mixed-use tower to be built on Canton Street near City Hall.

The almost 40-story high-rise would have a combination of office, retail, hotel and residential space in a rapier-thin tower. The lower levels of the building would have retail and lobby areas with parking underground.

The building was designed by Merriman Anderson Architects and Pickard Chilton. Moss Construction has been selected as the general contractor.

The developers hope to break ground on the project in 2021.

The proposed tower project is planned to include 225,000 square feet of offices, a 245-room hotel, 268 apartments and ground-level retail.

“I have been working with the city behind the scenes to create something different,” said Hoque Global CEO Mike Hoque. "It’s a transformative project. We want to create a project that will change south Dallas forever.”

The high-rise would be the first phase of a 20-acre district of new buildings along Canton and Cadiz streets on the south side of downtown.

The Newpark Dallas district that includes the new skyscraper is planned to include more than a million square feet of office space, 200,000 square feet of urban retail space, thousands of residential units and a four-star hotel. The Newpark “Smart District” would also have a 1 million-square-foot educational campus.

“During the Amazon pursuit, I learned the importance of education,” Hoque said. "Since Amazon left us at the altar, it opened our eyes. We have an opportunity right now to be ready for the next Amazon that is looking at our city.”

The now-vacant property is one of the development sites that was pitched to Amazon when it was looking for regional office locations in 2017. The e-commerce giant decided to put its HQ2 operation in suburban Washington, D.C.

“The proposed development will occupy existing surface parking lots,” the developers said in their design presentation. “The new district will combine office, residential, retail and educational uses to create an exciting, vibrant district in an area that has long sat vacant and underutilized.”

Dallas businessman and restaurateur Hoque began buying up land in the southern section of downtown in 2014.

“I have been working tirelessly for the last six years since I bought the land,” he said. "This is the kind of project that doesn’t happen overnight with one guy. When the pandemic goes away, we have to come out with guns slinging.”

Dallas officials say they support the idea of redeveloping the southeast corner of downtown.

“Hoque Global’s Newpark project is imaginative and exciting, and it would have a significant impact on an important segment of downtown Dallas,” Dale Petroskey, president and CEO of the Dallas Regional Chamber, said in a statement. “In recent years, we’ve felt the positive impacts of several transformative new developments all around downtown Dallas, and we appreciate Hoque Global’s vision and commitment to making downtown even more attractive for companies looking to locate here and people looking to work and live here.”

Hoque has also invested in properties next to Dallas' Cedars neighborhood just south of Interstate 30.

Lanoha Real Estate is a more than 30-year-old developer that does commercial and residential developments. Hoque said he teamed up with the company after talking to developers around the country.

“One Newpark is the shared vision of a talented team with a belief in community and collectively driven by the opportunity to make a difference,” said Jason Lanoha, managing partner of Lanoha Real Estate Company. “Not only is the opportunity to play a role in developing a transformational building rare, but when we consider that we get to do it while making a positive difference in the community while working with a great team of talented and civic-minded people, we feel quite fortunate.”

If you would like to visit this article on the web, please follow this link.