Officials from Trammell Crow, the City and DART celebrate groundbreaking of Mockingbird Station developments on Jan. 22, 2026. Photo by Madelyn Edwards.
Trammell Crow Company held a groundbreaking ceremony on the chilly morning of Jan. 22 for the new developments at Mockingbird Station.
With shovels in hand and hard hats on, officials from Trammell Crow, the City and Dallas Area Rapid Transit shoveled dirt onto the concrete with the work zone backdrop behind them. This is where, between Mockingbird Lane and Worcola Street, a new parking garage is being built with about 500 spaces and four floors underground.
“That garage is freeing up an underutilized surface parking lot that sat here for over 30 years, and with that, we’re going to create new jobs; we’re going to increase ridership, all of which is going to really strengthen the backbone of the region’s transportation network,” Trammell Crow Company Managing Director Joel Behrens said in a speech at the ceremony.
The parking garage will be owned and operated by DART and open to the public, according to our previous reporting.
“It’s really important for all of us to be working together in this moment right now because we have so many opportunities, so many open spaces and undeveloped lands that we can actually pull together and create the fantastic spaces that DART has talked about in our Point B Strategic Plan,” DART President and CEO Nadine Lee said at the groundbreaking. “We love working with our development partners. We love working with the cities because we know that if we work together, we can activate these spaces and make them productive, both socially and economically, and make sure that we create places that people want to be and great if they love being around transit.”
DART President and CEO Nadine Lee at groundbreaking for Mockingbird Station’s new apartments and parking garage. Photo by Madelyn Edwards.
Not far down Worcola Street, a new apartment building is being erected with 394 units. The apartments and garage are being built simultaneously and are expected to be completed in about two years.
“Today marks an official launch of a key development site, a project that has been years in the making,” Behrens said at the ceremony. “I’m not going to make too many jokes about this, but it’s been nine and a half years for us, and it’s probably one of our longer pursuits, but we are really thankful that we made it, and it took a lot of y’all to help us get here. So thank you. We don’t do groundbreakings often, but when we do, they’re for projects that take this long, so we had to celebrate, but it’s a lot of hours, a lot of dedication, a shared vision by many, all for a more connected Dallas. This project stands as a testament to what can be achieved when public and private sectors unite with a common vision. For the City of Dallas, this development is a catalyst for growth, innovation and opportunity. It will enhance mobility, invigorate our urban landscape, and provide much needed and affordable and market rate transit-oriented housing. For DART, it represents a leap forward in transit-oriented development.”
Behrens thanked many players involved in these developments, including District 14 Council member Paul Ridley, whose territory used to cover Mockingbird Station. Ridley became involved with the project when he was on the City Plan and Zoning Commission, and Behrens said he “endorsed our (Tax Increment Financing) request and championed our cause in 2022.”
Ridley also attended the groundbreaking and spoke highly of the project, saying that it will aid efficient and sustainable growth in Dallas.
“While the site now sits outside District 14, although not far outside, it was previously within the district and remains a project we often point to as a model for transit-oriented development,” Ridley said at the groundbreaking. “This new development builds on that legacy by placing housing in a location with direct access to transit. This is exactly where density belongs, near rail and bus lines, jobs, shops, schools and trail systems. Importantly, this project reflects a shift in how we think about mobility and land use. It replaces underutilized surface parking with housing, allowing more people to live where their daily needs can be met without relying exclusively on a car.”
District 14 Council member Paul Ridley said the parking garage and apartments at Mockingbird Station will aid efficient and sustainable growth in the city. Photo by Madelyn Edwards.
Because Mockingbird Station is in District 9, Council member Paula Blackmon attended and spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony as well. She echoed Ridley’s comment about people who want to use their cars less.
“What we’re seeing now is people want to get out of their car, hit the trails, hit mass transit,” Blackmon said in her speech. “Your generation, which is my kids, they don’t want to drive. They don’t want to get in a car. They’d rather Uber and somebody else take them. If we want those individuals to live in our city, we have to give you what you want.”
This project was funded in conjunction with the City’s TIF, DART and North Central Texas Council of Governments.
“What we’re seeing now is people want to get out of their car, hit the trails, hit mass transit,” District 9 Council member Paula Blackmon said at the Mockingbird Station parking garage and new apartments groundbreaking ceremony. Photo by Madelyn Edwards.
