Tyler Station is a 110,000-square-foot adaptive reuse of a 1920s factory on a formerly polluted site in Dallas’s Oak Cliff neighborhood, adjacent to a DART light rail station. The project brings a range of creative and productive uses to the site, contributing to a threefold increase in station ridership, according to the developer. 

Explains Dallas City Council Member Chad West: “Tyler Station is the model Dallas should implement citywide to bring neighbors together to work and play right next to a light rail stop. I can't think of a better example of organic placemaking and adaptive reuse in Dallas and I'm proud to have it in the heart of the community that I represent.”

Tyler Station calls itself a factory “where Oak Cliff entrepreneurs, creatives, and community leaders meet, work, and play.” The historic building, once occupied by the Dixie Wax Paper Company, engages positively with the public realm, providing visitors with shady outdoor space with food trucks and public art to hang out. The transformation of the site, indoors and outside, is dramatic. The building was closed for more than 20 years prior to its current adaptation.

Tyler Station is home to an impressive 85 businesses, including co-working spaces, and maintains a near 100 percent occupancy with a mix of retail, office, arts, industrial, restaurant, and brewery tenants. A biergarten adjacent to the craft brewery allows community members and tenants to relax, enjoy live music, and get a meal. 

“Tyler Station was fully funded by the private sector, without the benefit of tax abatements or grants,” notes to Options Real Estate Investments. “However, the City of Dallas played a pivotal role by assisting with the zoning and building codes, enabling the integration of manufacturing, retail, and office uses within the same building.”

Key project goals, according to the development team, included:

• Fostering collaboration and economic growth within the Oak Cliff community.
• Preserving the building’s industrial character and minimizing environmental impact through adaptive reuse.
• Creating affordable spaces for diverse tenants, including over 70 rentable units for small businesses, artisans, and start-ups.
• Supporting walkability and access to public transportation by improving pathways to the adjacent light rail.
• Reducing parking requirements to prioritize shared mobility and alternative transit options.

Tyler Station is committed to affordability, allowing small business owners to thrive in the economic environment. That approach contributes to the diversity and authenticity of the place. “By repurposing an industrial property surrounded by residential areas and enhancing connections to public transportation, it strengthens the neighborhood’s social fabric,” the team explains.

Options Real Estate Investments worked closely with local entrepreneurs and artisans in project design and implementation. The developer formed partnerships with two key tenants: Stash Design, specializing in custom interior design and furniture fabrication, and Wax Space, a coworking firm. 

Tyler Station is a story of transformation and renewal, the developer explains. “What was once an environmental challenge—a site that polluted the air, ground, and water—is now a thriving hub of activity and connection. After the property was purchased, a dozen monitoring wells that had been in place for 20 years were finally closed, marking the end of its industrial past.”

The 2025 Charter Awards will be presented at CNU33 in Providence, Rhode Island, on June 12.

Tyler Station, Dallas, TX: 

• Options Real Estate Investments, Principal Firm
• Monte Anderson, Primary Managing Partner / President of Options Real Estate
• Doug Klembara, Co-owner of Wax Space
• Grant Klembara, Co-owner of Wax Space
• Matthew B. Glenn, Attorney at D. Woodard Glenn, P.C.
• Gary Buckner, Owner of Stash Designs
• Woody Gandy & Susan Gandy
• Rosa Anderson
• Angela Alston

2025 CNU Charter Awards Jury

• Rico Quirindongo (chair), Director, City of Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development
• Majora Carter, CEO of Majora Carter Group in the Bronx, New York City
• Jake Day, Maryland Secretary of Housing and Community Development
• Anne Fairfax, Principal, Fairfax & Sammons in New York, NY, and Palm Beach, FL
• Eric Kronberg, Principal, Kronberg Urbanists + Architects in Atlanta, GA
• Steven Lewis, Principal, ZGF Architects in Greater Los Angeles, CA
• Donna Moodie, Chief Impact Officer, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
• Joe Nickol, Principal, Yard & Company in Cincinnati, OH