A $130 million mixed-use project is set to shake up southern Dallas, with a team of Black women developers steering the whole thing. On an 11.4-acre parcel near the University of North Texas at Dallas, the Airborne at University Hills plan calls for about 240 housing units, retail space and a 33-room boutique spot called The Valor Hotel, with dedicated units reserved for students, seniors and veteran families. Developers say construction is scheduled to begin this spring, and a tree-planting groundbreaking on Arbor Day is expected to double as a fundraiser.
Women developers take the lead
Women Breaking Ground, which is also described online as Black Women Developers, is the nonprofit collective behind the project. Members say the effort is about putting women in charge of major developments in an industry that still skews heavily male. “When you go to construction sites and you see these high rises going up, you’re lucky to find a woman doing anything in a hard hat,” co-developer Rhonda Pratt said, according to The Dallas Morning News. Co-developers named by organizers include Valerie Ballard, Victoria Shepherd Burnett, Lorraine Love-Taylor and Keesha Moore of the local African American Real Estate Professionals chapter.
What the master plan includes
According to Airborne, the 11.4-acre site at 7303 University Hills Blvd. is slated for mixed-income housing, retail and community amenities. The developer group’s site, Black Women Developers, lists walking trails, a “Harmony Garden,” and a small events market geared to local entrepreneurs. The plan describes about 240 residential units alongside the 33-room Valor Hotel on the property.
Why organizers call it important
Organizers frame Airborne at University Hills as both a neighborhood investment and a training ground for women who want to lead major projects. As reported by The Dallas Morning News, a 2025 CREW Network benchmark study found women account for roughly 38 percent of the commercial real estate workforce, while a 2023 Grove Impact report put Black developers at about 0.4 percent of the industry. “I’m familiar with the area and I want to see the growth happen in the area that I grew up in,” co-developer Keesha Moore told the paper.
Next steps and a public event
Women Breaking Ground says construction is slated to start this spring, and the nonprofit plans to mark the moment with a ceremonial tree-planting on Arbor Day that will also serve as a fundraiser. Event listings and local outlets such as the Dallas Post Tribune show the Arbor Day groundbreaking scheduled for April 24, and the project’s site includes registration and contact details for volunteers and potential partners.
Local stakes and what to watch
Neighbors and city officials are likely to keep a close eye on permitting, affordable housing commitments, and how the project’s retail spaces are leased as Airborne moves from renderings to reality. For now, Black Women Developers frames the effort as a movement to “reimagine what’s possible” in southern Dallas and to deliver “inclusive economic growth” led by women with deep ties to the neighborhood.
