A new transit-oriented development could emerge in the Pleasant Grove neighborhood in southeast Dallas after city council members approved a $14.5 million incentive to support the project.

Apartment developer Palladium USA International, Inc. is working on a mixed-use TOD near Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s Buckner Station at 8008 Elam Road, which is currently a parking lot.

The estimated total cost of the project is $107.1 million, and the incentive agreement aims to make the project financially feasible, according to city documents.

City council member Jamie Resendez said during the May 14 meeting that this project would mark the “largest development in this part of southeast Dallas in decades.” The Pleasant Grove neighborhood, about 8 miles away from downtown Dallas, is an area that has long been passed over by developers in part due to the area’s security concerns and high crime rates.

The project is slated to include a new residential building consisting of 304 apartments — and about 244 of those, or 80%, will be income-restricted to households earning at or below 60% of area’s median income.

The site also plans to include two residential parking garages with at least 350 parking spaces as well as a publicly accessible promenade providing direct pedestrian connection to the DART station.

Additionally, some tenant amenities in mind include a clubhouse, community room, fitness center, courtyard, swimming pool, outdoor grilling area, dog park, playground and a sport court.

The agreement also sets a deadline for the developer to obtain a building permit by at least Sept. 30, 2026. It also says most of the project should be completed by the end of 2027, including all apartment units, parking garages and tenant amenities.

Maxwell Fisher, zoning consultant representing Palladium USA, said during a November 2024 city council meeting that this project is the first of five transit-oriented projects the developer is proposing in Dallas. They all aim to encourage ridership on the DART.

During the same 2024 meeting, Resendez said the project could encourage more public transit use and reduce the neighborhood’s reliance on cars. It could also improve access to job opportunities for residents in the area.

“This project marks a turning point for our district,” he said. “It’s about more than just housing — it’s about creating a safe, welcoming and vibrant community in a district that hasn’t seen new housing development in 20 years.”

Dallas-based Palladium USA has a few developments in the pipeline around North Texas, including a $30 million mixed-income multifamily project in Lewisville and a four-story retirement community in Cockrell Hill in South Loop 12.

Resendez and other council members added that Palladium is a reliable and highly respected developer committed to maintaining their properties long after construction is complete.