DART Opens EVIVA Trinity Mills Station TOD, Advancing Transit-Driven Community Growth

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and Integral Group recently celebrated the grand opening of EVIVA Trinity Mills Station apartments and the adjacent Esplanade Park in Carrollton, TX—unveiling the first phase of a long-term transit-oriented redevelopment effort centered on one of DART’s key rail stations.

The project transforms a 25-acre site that formerly housed a big-box home improvement store and the former Carrollton Transit Center into a mixed-use, transit-connected community. The redevelopment is the result of a partnership among DART, the City of Carrollton, and Integral, illustrating how coordinated planning between transit agencies and local governments can reshape underutilized land around high-capacity transit.

“Developments like EVIVA demonstrate exactly how we achieve the DART mission of being North Texas’ first-in-mind mobility partner,” said Nadine Lee, DART president and CEO. “This project goes beyond housing or commercial space, representing access and opportunity.”

Lee emphasized the broader benefits of transit-oriented development, noting that households located near transit often reduce vehicle miles traveled by approximately 15 percent, or roughly 3,500 miles per person per year. “Fewer cars on the road, less congestion, cleaner air, and a better quality of life,” she said. “Sounds like utopia.”

EVIVA Trinity Mills Station includes 436 studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments, a structured parking garage, and 10,000 square feet of retail space facing the three-acre Esplanade Park. The development connects directly to the city’s Furneaux Blue Creek Trail and offers amenities such as a pool with cabanas, a pet spa, and a dog run—features designed to support a walkable, transit-focused lifestyle.

Buildout of the full site will continue in phases. A second phase will introduce additional retail and entertainment uses, along with a 500-space parking garage. Construction on DART-owned portions of the property is expected to continue through 2027.

The project aligns with recent research highlighting the long-term economic impact of TOD in North Texas. A study published this year by the University of North Texas found that development around DART rail stations—such as EVIVA—has generated $18.1 billion in direct economic impact across the Dallas–Fort Worth region over the past 25 years (read more on Passenger Transport here).

EVIVA is one of several TOD initiatives underway across the DART system. In Dallas, Palladium USA recently broke ground on Palladium Buckner Station, while Trammell Crow Company is preparing to launch Mockingbird East at the SMU/Mockingbird Station. DART has also announced plans for the Addison Station TOD, timed with the October opening of the Silver Line regional rail.

Together, these projects underscore how transit-oriented development continues to support mobility, economic growth, and livable communities—reinforcing the role of public transportation as a catalyst for regional transformation.