A billion-dollar development in southern Dallas is catching the attention of Elon Musk’s Boring Company, and hopes to bring other investments to the area.
Hoque Global’s University Hills project is among 16 other finalists for The Boring Company’s plan to construct a milelong tunnel, according to a Wednesday announcement from the city of Dallas.
If selected, the tunnel would connect the commercial side of the development to the University of North Texas Dallas DART Station. The project wouldn’t cost the city, according to the announcement, and would give a boost to an area that’s attracted far less attention from developers than other parts of Dallas.
Hoque Global CEO Mike Hoque said his company isn’t focused on what other people say is or isn’t be doable in southern Dallas as it develops its project in University Hills.
D-FW Real Estate News
“We feel like that anything that [is] happening in North Dallas, you can do it here,” Hoque said. “But you just have to have a willingness.”
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More companies are indicating that they have that willingness as Hoque Global’s University Hills project develops. Musk’s drilling venture is the latest company that could end up investing in the site.
Marriott International, D.R. Horton, and Lennar have already committed to parts of the development.
Excavators work on a University Hills construction site near East Wheatland and South Lancaster roads in Dallas on March 12, 2026.
The Boring Company constructs tunnel trafficways for cars and pedestrians. Musk’s portfolio also includes Tesla, SpaceX and the social media platform X.
Four other Texas locations were also listed as possibilities in an X post from The Boring Company. The winner of The Boring Company’s Tunnel Vision Challenge could also be a pedestrian tunnel in San Antonio, at a site in Waco, a loop in the Woodlands Township near Houston or a tunnel in Bastrop, where The Boring Company has its headquarters.
The Boring Company is expected to announce the winning proposal on March 23, according to the X post.
Regardless of whether the Dallas development is selected, the University Hills project will still connect to the nearby university campus, Hoque said. The development is also near the upcoming Dallas Police Academy.
The 270-acre University Hills project broke ground in May. Since that groundbreaking, the area — near Interstate 20 and Lancaster Road — has transformed from a forest to a construction zone.
Infrastructure work is underway and Hoque Global is delivering lots to home builders in early 2027, Hoque said. The homes will be built by D.R. Horton and Lennar, which bought the lots in 2024.
When completed, the site will include about 580 townhomes and single-family homes, 1,500 apartments, 1.5 million square feet of commercial space and a town center.
Hoque said the company is ahead of schedule and is moving forward with developing the commercial half of the development. Wheatland Road will run through the development, separating an area that will mostly be residential homes from a mostly commercial area.
City Council members approved amended plans in late 2024, giving Hoque Global up to nearly $36 million in city subsidies.
One of the commercial developments in the project will be Hotel Local — the firm’s hotel brand — under the Marriott’s Autograph Collection Hotels brand, Hoque said.
The development also includes plans for a stadium, office space and retailers. Hoque said he is in discussions with other companies about those sites.
The 270-acre University Hills project broke ground in May. Since that groundbreaking, the area — near Interstate 20 and Lancaster Road — has transformed from a forest to a construction zone.
As the development progresses, people are starting to believe in the project, Hoque said.
“I believe a lot of people want to attend the circus but don’t want to create the circus,” Hoque said. “They will buy the ticket when the circus tent is up. We put the tent up. Now people will come to us, and it’s happening.”