TA24-J F-Pages - Flipbook - Page 94
Mature trees shade the interior courtyard.
their proposed design without a major retool of the heavily inclined site. “The
regrade made turning the buildings inward possible,” Henry says. “Selling
businesses on the idea of a storefront whose signage is inwardly focused instead
of facing the highway was a di昀케cult sell at 昀椀rst, but the complex is much
richer for it.” Citing The Camp in Costa Mesa, California, as an in昀氀uence, the
design team at LRK chose to 昀氀ip the traditional formula for shopping centers.
The jewels of the site are the mature trees that are scattered throughout, predominantly around the courtyard. Despite construction and the challenging
regrade, LRK was able to keep all the trees. Much like with the buildings, a
little trimming and pruning went a long way. Though the project’s funky palette and stately trees contribute to the overall character, it’s the inward focus
of the complex that makes this shopping center special.
Not all The Hill’s shopping and dining experiences are housed in brick
and mortar. Cypress Equities left space in the parking lot for a farmers market,
which is still in planning, and the courtyard hosts other outdoor markets once a
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month. Although the complex is surrounded by a mammoth parking lot, parking
minimums still drive the tenant functions. For example, there is currently not
enough parking to add another large restaurant to the lineup. (And if that sounds
absurd to any Dallasites reading this, remember to vote in your local elections.)
When I asked Henry about the third spaces in this project, his mind
immediately went to the alleys that connect the courtyard to the exterior
parking lot. “We created nodes at the ends of alleys that lead you into that
green space,” he says. “Visit on a weekend and observe how people use the
space. They pose for photos in front of the murals and just hang out there.”
Taking his advice, my site visit began by hanging out in the courtyard
for a while, using a restaurant’s complimentary Wi-Fi and reclining on a
bench under the shade of an oak. I wanted to see if the shopping center
was still a comfortable place to be if you weren’t actively being a customer
(it was). Then I relented and bought a bowl of sesame noodles from Hello
Dumpling.
