The south side of Westchester Drive, between Westchester and Luther Lane, has been fenced off since spring. Wang's Chinese Cafe, Yolk and AT Bistro–Au Troisième are gone from the strip. According to People Newspapers, CVS and Target are expected to stay. Construction on the replacement began in March 2026, and the first phase is expected in late 2028.
For anyone who eats, shops or runs errands here, the question is what to do with the next two years. The answer is at the edges. In 2026, nearly every new table and storefront around Preston Center opened on the streets that ring the construction: Northwest Highway, Douglas Avenue, Berkshire Lane, Firefall Way, and across Preston Road at the Plaza. Even the green space the neighborhood has discussed for close to a decade is now coming from a private builder, not from the city garage plan most people remember.
The park everyone talked about, and the one getting built
The version of Preston Center that got the most attention was a city idea. At an April 10, 2024 public meeting, City of Dallas planners presented the preferred vision from the 2017 area plan. It called for an underground public garage with a neighborhood park on top. The concept could double the existing garage's 800 spaces. It also came with conditions. It needed a public-private partnership, and if financing couldn't be found within 24 months, the city would fall back to expanding or upgrading the existing garage. That window ended around April 2026. We found no reporting from 2025 or 2026 showing that the garage-and-park plan had been approved, funded or scheduled.
The project that is actually under construction is private. 8300 Douglas is a $200 million mixed-use development led by RAMROCK Real Estate, Lincoln Property Company and HKS Architects. According to People Newspapers, the plans include about 300,000 square feet of office space, a 147-unit residential tower, 24,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and dining, and a rooftop park. The city's Council District 13 Q&A says the project uses no public funding.
Sources don't agree on the details, and it's better to know that up front:
- Rooftop park size. People Newspapers reports 35,000 square feet. The project's own website says approximately 50,000.
- Timeline. People Newspapers says construction began in March 2026 and puts the first phase in late 2028. A June 24, 2026 release from Balfour Beatty said construction was set to begin that month and gave January 2029 as the expected completion. Balfour Beatty is building the project in a joint venture with ANDRES Construction.
- Tower height. People Newspapers describes a 17-story residential tower. The contractor's release says 16.
The office side is already leasing. D Magazine reported in May that Fifth Third Bank chose 8300 Douglas for its Texas headquarters. The bank will take 63,000 square feet on two floors for about 350 employees and plans to move in after the building opens in 2028.
So the timeline looks like this. The rooftop park may be finished in about two years, and the city park still has no funding or date. In the meantime, the openings have happened on the edges.
Northwest Highway: the biggest opening of the year
CRAFT Restaurant & Beer Market opened April 1 at 5974 W. Northwest Highway. It is the brand's first U.S. location. Local coverage named Dallas Stars owner Tom Gaglardi as a co-owner and described the space as 10,000 square feet inside plus a 5,000-square-foot rooftop patio.
The timing matters. CRAFT opened within weeks of the construction start on the other side of the center. It faces Northwest Highway, so the fencing isn't what you see on the way in. It's also the only rooftop dining at Preston Center until the 8300 Douglas roof opens.
Douglas Avenue: a different building, a different project
Scilla Coastal Italian opened for dinner July 17 at 8111 Douglas Avenue, and lunch service was set to follow. The restaurant comes from Duro Hospitality.
The address is easy to mix up with 8300 Douglas, but it's a separate project. Scilla is in Lincoln Property Company's mixed-use building at 8111 Douglas, on land owned by St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. People Newspapers placed the opening in University Park. Preston Center sits on the line between Dallas and University Park, and the city limit runs through the middle of this year's openings.
Berkshire Lane and Firefall Way: the small streets
The quietest opening may be the easiest one to get to right now. Cavero Café opened in April at 6009 Berkshire Lane, in the former Southpaw's Grill space. The menu includes coffee drinks, breakfast and lunch wraps, salads, smoothies, and desserts made with the café's own soft serve. People Newspapers' July review said the nearby construction was already affecting parking and business on that stretch of Berkshire and Douglas.
On Firefall Way, the Dallas Observer reported in July that Fortune House would open at 7825 Firefall Way, Suite 100, with lunch and dinner starting September 26. It's the chain's third location. We couldn't confirm the opening after the fact, so check before you go.
Across Preston Road: the Plaza fills in
The Plaza at Preston Center is a family-owned shopping center in the southeast quadrant of Northwest Highway and Preston Road, on the University Park side. It isn't part of the city garage site or the 8300 Douglas project. It has had a steady year:
- Maman Café was open by late January in the former Trova space. The Advocate called it less than two months old at the time.
- Jetset Modern Pilates opened in January at 4029 E. Northwest Parkway.
- Carla Martinengo moved within the Plaza in April, from its spot facing Preston Road to Suite 160 at 8383 Preston Center Plaza.
- SFERRA and its sister brand Pratesi were expected to open in November, according to a September 18 D Magazine roundup.
Swoozie's also came back to its Plaza address with a refreshed store in late 2025, so it's a familiar name rather than a new one.
What the edges lost
Not every nearby change added something. The 8300 Douglas site was the biggest subtraction. City materials listed the businesses along the south side of Westchester to Luther Lane as Office Depot, Yolk, Hollywood Nails, Salata, AT Bistro, Roti and Wang's. The same materials said the developer had relocation options for tenants that wanted to stay in Preston Center. We haven't found reporting on who took those options. AT Bistro owner Bobby Pollette told the Advocate the restaurant would close after service on December 24, 2025, and that a new location was in the works. No address has been announced. The Dallas Morning News reported that Yolk had closed at 8315 Westchester Drive by early November 2025.
A few steps away, Sevy's Grill at 8201 Preston Road planned to close June 27 after almost 30 years. By August, the Advocate was running reader memories of the place. One reader wrote that she and her husband had their first date there in December 1998. The PoBoy Shop at 8421 Westchester Drive closed after Christmas 2025, less than six months after it opened.
Parking while the fences are up
Parking is the least clear part of this. No current city bulletin we found lists lane closures, closure dates or temporary parking for the streets around the site. The most detailed information is the developer's answers from the District 13 Q&A, compiled after the April 2024 meeting. That was before construction began, so treat it as the plan, not a report on current conditions.
"Parking for retail uses will utilize surface parking in front of the property on Westchester Drive (approximately 38 spaces), the center garage, and valet. The property owner does not anticipate any permanent road closures as part of this development."
The same document says construction crews would park off-site during demolition and be shuttled in. Once the new garage was built, they would park on-site. When 8300 Douglas is finished, the main garage entrance will be on Luther Lane. There will be a service entrance on Westchester and a service exit on Douglas. The office parking will be open to the public on evenings and weekends. That's separate from the city-owned public garage, and we found no current update on the city garage's status.
For now, the practical approach is to plan around the edges. CRAFT faces Northwest Highway. The Plaza has its own lot across Preston Road. Cavero and Scilla are the places closest to the construction on Berkshire and Douglas.
If the work at Preston Center has you wondering what it means for your own street, Hunter Realty Group is glad to talk it through. We track the openings, the timelines and the questions that are still open around Preston Hollow and University Park. Let's get a coffee, maybe at one of the new spots on the edge of the fences.
