The 435-Unit Community at 5550 LBJ Freeway: What It Means for Connectivity
Project announced October 2026
What's happening
Bisnow reported in October 2026 that High Street Residential broke ground at 5550 LBJ Freeway, on a former office site along Interstate 635. The more than 5-acre community, structured as a Dallas Public Facility Corp. development, will include 217 market-rate and 218 affordable apartments. Acram Group is co-general partner. WDG Architecture is the architect, OHT Partners is the general contractor, and Schmidt & Stacy is the MEP engineer. Completion is expected by summer 2028.
Source: Bisnow (October 2026)
What this means for connectivity
When an old office site becomes housing, the network is often planned from scratch. Any carrier service that reached the old buildings may not fit the new layout. A building-wide plan, with bulk or managed Wi-Fi delivered over a shared backbone, gives market-rate and affordable units the same baseline service.
- A primary fiber circuit, ordered early. Carrier builds to new sites take the longest of anything here. Lock in the provider and the building entrance during site work.
- A property-wide network. Bulk or managed Wi-Fi gives residents service on move-in day. It's easier to plan equipment rooms, cabling and access points into the drawings than to add them later.
- A backup path. A Starlink failover link at the main equipment room keeps the leasing office, access control and resident Wi-Fi up during a fiber cut.
- Low-voltage for building systems. Gates, smart locks, cameras, package lockers and amenity areas each need a planned connection on their own network segment.
- Voice and life safety. Elevator and fire-alarm lines need survivable service, and E911 location data has to match the real unit and floor.
Install considerations & timeline
| Stage | What to settle |
|---|---|
| Site work / foundations | Order primary fiber. Lock in building entrances and conduit routes. |
| Structure / MEP rough-in | Walk pathways and equipment rooms. Pick roof and mount locations. Confirm backup power for network rooms. |
| Pre-turnover | Certify cabling. Set up Wi-Fi, firewall, failover and E911. Run a live cutover test. |
| Turnover / occupancy | Hand over as-builts and labeling. Set up monitoring for both links. |
Related
Commercial Starlink installation in Dallas · Dedicated fiber in Dallas · Starlink for property developers · Construction connectivity
Frequently asked questions
What is being built at 5550 LBJ Freeway in Dallas?
A 435-unit mixed-income apartment community from High Street Residential, with 217 market-rate and 218 affordable units, on a former office site along I-635. Completion is expected by summer 2028.
What is bulk or managed Wi-Fi in apartments?
It's one property-wide network that serves every unit from move-in, instead of each resident ordering separate service. It's planned during construction, with equipment rooms, cabling and access points designed into the building.
When should connectivity be planned on a new building?
Early, during site work or foundations, because fiber circuits have the longest lead times. Pathways and equipment rooms are easiest to settle by MEP rough-in, and failover should be tested before turnover.
Can Starlink be used as a business internet backup?
Yes. A Starlink terminal connected to a firewall with automatic failover takes over when the primary fiber drops. Because it doesn't share buried infrastructure, it protects against cuts and local carrier outages.
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