Office & commercial space in downtown Dallas

Downtown Dallas packs its office towers inside a tight loop of freeways. The central business district runs along Main, Elm, Commerce and Akard streets, with DART's light-rail mall along Pacific Avenue and Bryan Street, and a line of large towers climbs Ross Avenue towards the Arts District. North of Klyde Warren Park, Uptown and Victory Park have become a second office core of newer, amenity-rich towers, while Deep Ellum, east of the freeway, mixes converted warehouses with new mid-rise creative offices.

The Dallas–Fort Worth market is driven by corporate relocations and expansions, a deep financial-services sector and a business-friendly reputation. That has produced a clear split: tenants with the budget have moved towards Uptown's trophy towers and the newest downtown buildings, while older CBD towers from the 1970s and 1980s have been renovated, offered at a discount or converted to apartments and hotels. Dallas is also a polycentric region, and downtown competes with strong suburban office markets in Las Colinas, Plano, Frisco and along the LBJ Freeway, so landlords downtown sell transit, culture and walkability as much as floor space.

Where the offices are

Retail and restaurant corridors

Downtown's retail is built around three different crowds. Weekday office workers support lunch spots, cafés and services in the CBD, especially in the Main Street District, where a large residential population in converted buildings adds evening and weekend trade. Deep Ellum's music venues, bars, tattoo studios and independent shops peak in the evenings and at weekends, and Uptown's McKinney Avenue combines restaurants, nightlife and boutiques with steady resident demand. Event days at the arena in Victory Park, the Arts District's concert halls and Fair Park's State Fair bring sharp peaks, and the Dallas Farmers Market's food hall draws a weekend crowd.

Before signing for a restaurant or bar, check the zoning carefully: much of downtown and Deep Ellum is covered by planned development districts with their own rules, and some uses need a specific use permit. Alcohol requires the right permit from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, and kitchens need city health permits. Our restaurant space checklist and guide to opening a downtown storefront walk through the rest.

Coworking and flexible space

Flexible operators are spread across the CBD's towers, Uptown, Victory Park and Deep Ellum, with some landlords running their own flexible suites and amenity floors. Uptown's spaces tend to attract financial-services and professional firms, while Deep Ellum's skew towards startups and creative teams. Typical terms are monthly memberships for hot desks and dedicated desks, private offices on agreements of a few months to a year, meeting rooms by the hour and virtual-office addresses for companies registering in Texas. Flexible space is a common first base for companies relocating to Dallas while they search for a permanent office. Compare the numbers with our coworking versus lease calculator.

How commercial leases work here

Dallas follows standard American conventions. Office rent is quoted per rentable square foot per year, including a load factor for the building's common areas. Most multi-tenant towers quote full-service gross rent, where the landlord covers operating expenses and property taxes up to a base year and you pay your share of increases above it; some quote a net rent plus estimated expenses, and retail and industrial space is nearly always triple-net. In downtown, special improvement district assessments that fund extra cleaning, safety and marketing are usually passed through as part of operating expenses.

With plenty of competing space, landlords offer generous concessions to the right tenant: a tenant-improvement allowance per square foot, several months of free rent and occasionally moving or cabling allowances, all of which grow with the length of the term. Small or newer businesses are often asked for a personal guarantee, a larger deposit or a letter of credit. A tenant-representation broker, paid in most deals by the landlord, can be worth having in a market this large; see tenant rep brokers explained.

Conventions vary by building and landlord. Treat this as orientation, not legal advice, and have a local lawyer review any lease.

Getting your team there

Downtown is the hub of DART's light-rail network: the Red, Blue, Green and Orange lines all run through the CBD, the Orange Line continues to DFW Airport, and the Trinity Railway Express links Union Station with Fort Worth. The free M-Line trolley connects the Arts District with Uptown, and the Dallas Streetcar crosses to Oak Cliff. Even so, most staff will drive, using I-35E, I-30, US 75 and the Dallas North Tollway, so commuters from the north may want a toll tag. Garages are plentiful, and the downtown tunnel and skybridge network links some of them to office towers. The CBD core is easiest for rail commuters, Uptown for drivers from the north, and Deep Ellum for staff who live in East Dallas.

What to check before you sign

• Parking ratio and cost. Confirm how many spaces come with the lease, reserved versus unreserved, visitor arrangements and how monthly rates can rise during the term.
• The base year and pass-throughs. Make sure the base year is grossed up to full occupancy, that district assessments and tax increases are shared fairly, and that you have audit rights.
• Property-tax protests. Texas landlords routinely protest appraised values; ask whether refunds are credited back to tenants who paid the original bill.
• Severe weather. In older or low-rise buildings, ask about roof condition and hail damage history; in any building, ask about storm procedures and backup power.
• Zoning and signage. Check the planned development district and any specific use permit your business needs, and confirm signage rules before you commit to a brand presence.
• Construction around you. The convention centre rebuild, new towers and freeway work bring closures and noise; ask what is planned next door during your term.
• Older-tower upgrades. In renovated 1980s buildings, check elevator modernisation, HVAC age and after-hours cooling charges.

Hosting events downtown

The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center is in the middle of a multi-year rebuild, so check which halls are available before planning a large conference. Hotel ballrooms across downtown and Uptown handle most corporate events, and the Arts District's concert halls, the museums and the Perot Museum offer striking settings for receptions. Fair Park's Art Deco exhibition halls suit large expos and parties, Klyde Warren Park can host outdoor events with permission from its operators, and Deep Ellum's music venues and rooftops are popular for launches and after-parties. Street closures need permits from the city's special-events office, and alcohol at temporary events requires state permits. Spring and autumn are peak season; avoid the State Fair and the Red River Rivalry weekend unless you want the buzz, plan summer events for the evening, and build in a plan B for spring storms.

Is downtown the right base?

Downtown Dallas offers the region's best transit access, a large and varied office stock with real value in renovated towers, and the Arts District and Klyde Warren Park on the doorstep. Uptown costs more but wins on restaurants, newer buildings and appeal to younger staff. Las Colinas suits firms that need both airports, while Plano and Frisco put companies close to the northern suburbs where many employees live. If you want a central, connected address that works for clients across the metroplex, start downtown; read the downtown Dallas guide to see what the area offers beyond the office.