Almost three blocks of construction is underway in Downtown Garland. Parts of the Trammell Crow Fifth Street Crossing multi-use building have already reached its three stories. The parking structure that will be in the center is partly constructed. The complex will be so close to the DART light rail station that a DART train can be seen crossing Fifth Street. The Richland College Garland Campus can be seen in the background with yellow insulation and red brick. It will be much more visible when the glass walls are installed. Not seen to the left are townhouse-style units being simultaneously being constructed as part of the Fifth Street Crossing project.

 
Downtown Garland is quickly changing. New businesses are shopping for space and 180-some apartments will keep crews from rolling-up the sidewalks at five. A recent Garland News article gave helpful information on the current status downtown and a subsequent article offers a glimpse to future changes.
 

From the Garland News, Oct 9 issue:

Slow, but Steady: Garland’s Downtown Projects

By Linda Jaresh, Staff Writer, and Jay Jones, Editor
Linda@thegarlandnews.net
 
It seemed like it took forever for the utility work to be completed on Trammel Crow’s multi-use project in downtown Garland. But those in the know say the project is on schedule.
 
The development is known as the Fifth Street Crossing, and is located at the corner of Fifth and Austin Streets and extends west to Sixth Street and north to the DART rail line. It will include multi-family residential as well as retail-office space.
 
Becky King, the city’s director of organizational development, said the Trammell Crow development should be completed in January 2009, while the GP&L renovation of 217 N. Fifth Street – the multi-story former police department building – and the construction of the city utility department’s drive-in payment facility are supposed to be completed in Jan. 2010.
 
The drive-in facility will be located at the corner State Street and N. Glenbrook [vehicles will enter on State Street and exit on Austin Street]. The facility will be built where the former Texas Power & Light building is located.
 
The utility work at the Trammell Crow apartments has been completed, and the framing is underway. The townhouse apartments that are being constructed on the southeast corner of Austin and Sixth Street are also part of the Trammel Crow development.
 
The completed project will include 189 residential units – 136 one-bedroom and 53 two-bedroom units. Leasing starts on March 6, 2009, with a move-in date of May 6, 2009.
 
The ground floor will have approximately 11,400 square feet of retail-office space. Leasing is underway on the retail-office space, with a move-in date of May 6, 2009.
 
Trammell Crow’s expects to spend approximately $21 million on their downtown project. This includes the construction of a parking garage that will be used by Trammel Crow’s tenants, as well as Garland Power & Light employees, and others. The garage will be owned by the city.
 
The estimated cost of remodeling the former police department building, including a new facade, and the utility department’s drive-in facility is $19 million.
 
Voters approved the money for the redevelopment of Garland’s downtown square in the 2004 bond election. The estimated cost is $1.4 million. Work is supposed to begin next year.
 
Ron Young, a city of Garland budget department employee, said replacing the reflecting pool with a central fountain and raising the grade of the plaza to street level will create a more flexible and functional space.
 
The last component of the downtown redevelopment project is extending Sixth Street, from where it dead-ends at the DART rail line, across the tracks and Walnut Street into Richland College’s Workforce Training Center, which is now under construction. Note: Sixth Street is on the east side of the Nicholson Memorial Library, which fronts on Austin Street.