How UNT Dallas Is Driving Southern Dallas Development

As UNT Dallas grows, so does the community that surrounds its campus. With multiple nearby sites now under construction or about to break ground, it’s clear that the university is a catalyst for real estate and business development in the Southern Dallas region.

UNT Dallas President Warren von Eschenbach, PhD, emphasized the university’s role as an anchor institution at a recent Bisnow event, The Future of Southern Dallas County. Before an audience of business, civic and education leaders gathered at the Library in the Park in Cedar Hill on Oct. 8, 2026, President von Eschenbach explained the importance of UNT Dallas being a stimulus for development.

“Our role is not only to educate students, but to ensure this region has the skilled professionals and leadership capacity it needs to grow,” the President said. “Every year we send hundreds of new teachers, accountants, social workers, attorneys, and other professionals into this region’s workforce.”

Access & Ambition In Tandem

The presence of UNT Dallas at Camp Wisdom Road and University Hills Boulevard, close to Interstates 20, 30 and 45, means the main campus is easily accessible. That’s one of the same reasons that developers, investors and entrepreneurs are focused on the region. They see opportunities more clearly than in the past, in part because of the university’s impact.

“A public university is one of the most durable anchors a community can have. We do not relocate when a lease expires, and our mission does not change with the business cycle,” President von Eschenbach said. “Every day, UNT Dallas brings thousands of students, faculty, staff, and visitors into this area—and that presence will continue to grow.”

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And so will the communities and neighborhoods within proximity of the university. Two large-scale, mixed-use developments are going up adjacent to different corners of the campus.

University Hills, on the southeast edge, is a 270-acre development will feature hundreds of single-family homes, 1,500 apartments, 1.5 million square feet of commercial space and more than 50 acres of open green space near the intersection of Interstate 20 and Lancaster Road. It will include a Marriott Hotel where UNT Dallas hospitality students will get real-world experience.

Rivulet, across the street from the northwest edge, will include six distinct districts with 565 homes, along with retail and office space, on 90 acres. Like University Hills, it will also offer generous green space and recreational spots.

“Things are changing. With UNT Dallas… we have to embrace the opportunity,” said Terrence Maiden, founder and CEO of Russell Glen, which envisioned the project and is spearheading development. “Our kids will have a brighter future.”

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Smaller-scale developments near the UNT Dallas campus include Airborne at University Hills, another mixed-use project, which will be built directly across the street from the main entrance to the campus.

Around the corner and a short drive east, the Pearl Ridge residential development will rise at the corner of Camp Wisdom and Lancaster Blvd.

The size and scope of current and future construction shows the influence of UNT Dallas on real estate investors and the attraction it has to homebuyers and business owners. “Education is the key to economic development,” said Frank Mihalopolous, owner and founder of Corinth Properties. “That’s the biggest opportunity with UNT Dallas.”

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Mihalopolous is a longtime developer in Oak Cliff who sees the benefits the university brings to the region. Fellow developer Michealla Ramler, founder of Stewarding Space, who revitalized downtown Lancaster, agrees. “People watch, and they follow,” said Ramler. “Investment by the city sways bankers.”

Partnerships for Progress

With bankers comes much-needed capital. President von Eschenbach acknowledged the collaborative effort among lenders, developers, entrepreneurs, community leaders and government officials. When they work in harmony, with a shared purpose, a lot can be accomplished. That’s what’s happening in an area that has been described as both a food desert (for a lack of grocery stores) and an education corridor.

“The momentum you’re seeing isn’t the work of any one developer, agency, or institution. It’s propelled by partnerships, the President said. “It is an emerging connected growth district—where higher education, housing, retail, health care, public safety, green space, and private investment are beginning to reinforce one another. UNT Dallas is the connective institution at its center.”

The Law Enforcement Training Center (LETC) at UNT Dallas, for which groundbreaking was recently held, and Halperin Park straddling I-35 between Ewing Ave. and Marsalis Blvd., are examples of unique partnerships involving the City of Dallas. Halperin Park opened this year, marking a milestone by connecting communities that were separated decades ago by the interstate highway. The LETC represents a one-of-a-kind collaboration where a new police academy will be located on a university campus. Cadets will receive credit toward a degree when they complete their training, while UNT Dallas professors and students will be embedded in a criminal justice center to provide instruction and receive hands-on learning opportunities.

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Whether it’s public, private, or a combination of both, President von Eschenbach encouraged investors, business owners and entrepreneurs to lean in and embrace UNT Dallas.  

“Our motivated students, dedicated faculty, and innovative Classroom-to-Career programs can help build and sustain your projects — as interns, as future residents and employees, and as facilitators and collaborators,” he said.