# Design District Apartment Locator | Free, Prices Checked Weekly
> Free help from our Design District apartment locator team: newer towers between Stemmons and the levee, with free weeks turned into one monthly price.
URL: https://apartmentlocatordallas.com/neighborhoods/design-district/
# Design District Dallas Apartment Locator: New Towers Between Stemmons and the Levee
The Design District is showrooms and galleries wedged between Stemmons Freeway and the Trinity levee, with newer midrise buildings and towers among them. Buildings still filling up hand out some of the biggest free rent offers in central Dallas, and they carry long lists of fees too. There's no rail stop inside the district, so most renters drive, though a bike path now ducks under I-35E to the Katy Trail.
## Design District apartments by size this week
We checked 10 places in Design District on November 6, 2026. Prices count any firm free rent, spread over the lease, and are before fees.
- Studio: $1,301 a month typical, from $935, 7 places with one available, 5 with a special
- 1 Bedroom: $1,420 a month typical, from $1,159, 10 places with one available, 8 with a special
- 2 Bedroom: $2,087 a month typical, from $1,510, 10 places with one available, 8 with a special
- 3 Bedroom: from $3,400, 2 places with one available, 2 with a special
## Design District rents this week
We check these numbers every week. Updated November 6, 2026. Where a place has a firm move-in special, its rent counts the free rent spread evenly over the lease. Rents are before fees. 10 communities in Design District had homes available; 8 listed a move-in special. Method: https://apartmentlocatordallas.com/rent-data-methodology/
Our read this week: The typical 2 bedroom dropped $132 since November 1. You get more space for your money with a 2 bedroom here: about $1.83 a square foot, compared with $2.21 for a 1 bedroom.
| Size | Communities with available apartments | Lowest rent | Middle half | Typical starting rent | Typical $/sq ft | Since November 1 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Studio | 7 | $935 | $1,051 to $1,564 | $1,301 | $2.46 | down $108 |
| 1 bed | 10 | $1,159 | $1,286 to $1,973 | $1,420 | $2.21 | down $114 |
| 2 bed | 10 | $1,510 | $1,661 to $2,909 | $2,087 | $1.83 | down $132 |
| 3 bed | 2 | $3,400 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Building class | Communities | Typical 1 bed | $/sq ft | With a special | Typical weeks free |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Newer (Class A) | 9 | $1,446 | $2.42 | 78% | 4 |
| Middle (Class B) | 1 | n/a | $1.55 | 100% | n/a |
- Cheapest 1 bedroom here: 1 bed listed from $1,159 (685 sq ft), Class B. Special: Up to 6 Weeks Free on Select Units with A 12-14 Month Lease
- Cheapest 2 bedroom here: 2 bed listed from $1,510 (1027 sq ft), Class A. Special: Up to 6 Weeks Free If Applied by November 30th
- Cheapest studio here: Studio listed from $935 (531 sq ft), Class A. Special: Up to $1,000 for Move-in; $1,000 Look and Lease (48 Hours) If Moved in By Thanksgiving; $500 Look and Lease (48 Hours) If Moved in By December 19th
- Cheapest 3 bedroom here: 3 bed listed from $3,400 (2209 sq ft), Class A. Special: Up to 6 Weeks Free on Select Units
- Most free rent here: Studio listed from $1,768 (500 sq ft), Class A. Special: 10 Weeks Free + $500 Gift Card. About $1,429/mo net effective over a 12 month lease
Rents are the lowest listed price for an available apartment of each size in our weekly check. We leave out income restricted, tax credit, 55+ and student communities. Prices can change any day, so get the final price in writing from the building before you apply.
## Areas we cover in and around Design District
- **Trinity Groves**: Across the river at the far end of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, Trinity Groves is a cluster of restaurants in West Dallas. Newer midsize apartment buildings have filled in around it, and Singleton Boulevard leads back toward Downtown.
- **Riverfront**: Riverfront Boulevard, once called Industrial Boulevard, runs along the Trinity levee on the district's south side. Converted warehouses and new apartment buildings sit near it, with the Trinity Strand Trail and downtown a short drive away.
- **Market Center**: The showroom strip off Stemmons Freeway (I-35E) toward the Dallas Market Center is where the area's wholesale trade still sits. Apartments here are newer midsize buildings among the showrooms, and freeway noise is constant near I-35E.
## Design District Apartments in New Buildings Still Filling Up
- Free weeks at towers still filling up turned into a monthly price, so a big offer gets compared fairly
- Garage, package locker and amenity charges added to the rent, since they can outweigh the free rent here
- Renewal rent asked about before you sign, since a new building's starting rent can jump in month thirteen
- Homes near the Hi Line Connector or the Trinity Strand Trail picked out if you'd rather bike to Uptown or the hospitals
## Getting Around: Stemmons, the Trails and the Nearest Trains
The district runs northwest from Downtown along the Trinity, with Irving Boulevard and Hi Line Drive as its main streets. Stemmons Freeway wraps the north and east sides, Victory Park and the arena sit just across it, and Oak Lawn is over the freeway to the northeast. The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge crosses to Trinity Groves, and Riverfront Boulevard heads toward the south side of Downtown.
No train stops inside the district. Market Center and Victory stations are just across Stemmons. Buses run through, but most renters keep a car. Parking is easier than Downtown, yet garage spaces in the newer towers still cost extra each month.
At rush hour, traffic on Stemmons can change a lot in 15 minutes. Dallas Market Center's trade weeks in January and June add to it, so test the drive at the time you'd really leave.
## New buildings: where the free rent math picks the better deal
Most of the housing here went up in the past 15 years, mostly midrise buildings and a few towers run by large management companies. Having so many new buildings in one spot is why the free rent offers run so deep: a building still filling up gives away weeks to get leases signed.
Weeks free isn't a percent off. The math in our [move-in specials guide](/move-in-specials/) turns six weeks on a long lease and a month on a 12 month lease into one number you can compare. The better offer often flips once you do.
Then check two more things. A new tower's amenity fee, garage space, package lockers and trash pickup at your door can cost more over a year than the special saves. And many buildings with big offers bill you for the free weeks if you move out early, with the terms tucked into an extra page rather than the main lease.
## Day to day in the Design District
The Design District is showrooms and galleries by day and a short list of dinner spots by night, packed between I-35E and the Trinity levee. Most errands take a car, but trails reach the river and Uptown.
### Getting in and out of the Design District
No DART train stops inside the district, so plan on a car. Leaving at 8am on a weekday, Downtown is about 11 minutes away and the Medical District about 8; DFW Airport takes about 23 and Legacy West about 30. On a bike, the Hi Line Connector is a 1 mile path from the Katy Trail by American Airlines Center, under I-35E and into the district. It meets the Trinity Strand Trail, which runs past the Market Center and Parkland stations to Inwood station.
- **Trinity Strand Trail** (trail): Our pick for a car free ride to the hospitals or Uptown; go early on a weekday before the sun gets on the concrete.
- **Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge** (landmark bridge): The white arch is the quick drive to Trinity Groves for dinner, and it lights up after dark.
### The river, the levee and a bridge turned park
The Trinity Skyline Trail is a paved path on the river side of the levee, with the downtown skyline in view most of the way. It ties into the Continental Avenue Bridge, an old car bridge turned into a park for walkers and bikes, with shade, seats and a splash pad. Park at the west end of the bridge; the east side has no way down to the floodway.
- **Continental Avenue Bridge** (park): A flat walk over the river with the skyline straight ahead; sunset is the time, and the west end has the parking.
- **Trinity Skyline Trail** (trail): Long, open and flat on the levee, so it works for a steady run or ride; bring water, there's little shade.
### Galleries, antiques and dinner nearby
Dragon Street is the gallery row, with art and antiques behind old warehouse fronts, and Slocum Street is the antiques strip. Restaurants and craft beer spots sit between the showrooms, so a night out here means a few blocks on foot or a short drive, not one long strip. For more dinner choices, Trinity Groves sits at the far end of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, and Victory Park is just over I-35E.
- **Dragon Street** (gallery street): Walk it on a weekday afternoon when the galleries and antique shops are open and the showrooms are busy.
### Art shows, games and market weeks
Dallas Contemporary fills a former warehouse on Glass Street with changing contemporary art shows. The Mavericks and Stars play just across I-35E at American Airlines Center. Twice a year, in January and June, the Dallas Market Center holds its big home and gift market.
- **Dallas Market Center** (trade center): Mostly open only to store buyers and designers, but it drives the traffic on Stemmons during market weeks.
- **Dallas Contemporary** (museum): Check what's showing before you go; the exhibits change through the year.
### What we tell Design District renters
Market weeks in January and June bring buyers from out of town to the Market Center, so expect heavier traffic near Stemmons those weeks. On Mavericks and Stars nights, the freeway exits by the arena back up before the game, so plan an evening drive around them. If you'd rather bike to Uptown than drive, ask how far the unit is from the Hi Line Connector; its lit underpass skips the freeway ramps.
## Design District questions
### Why are Design District specials so large?
So many new buildings opened in a small area that each one competes to fill its floors. A big offer mostly tells you a building isn't full yet. It doesn't tell you what the place is worth long term. Spread across the lease, those offers bring the district's typical one bedroom to $1,420 and its least expensive open unit to $1,159.
### What happens to a Design District rent at renewal?
Free rent covers the first lease only, so the rent can climb toward full price in month thirteen. Ask what the unit renewed at last year and whether the offer repeats.
### Can I walk to Downtown from the Design District?
It's a short drive more than a walk, with Stemmons in the way. By bike, the Hi Line Connector runs under I-35E to the Katy Trail, and the Trinity Strand Trail leads toward the hospital district.
### Does anything affect traffic here during the year?
Dallas Market Center's big trade markets each January and June bring buyers from out of town, and Mavericks and Stars games back up the exits near the arena. Plan evening drives around both.
### Is there an apartment locator who covers the Design District?
We do. We follow the towers still filling up between Stemmons and the levee, along with nearby Victory Park and Trinity Groves. We'll show you each offer as a monthly number before you choose.
## Near Design District
- [Uptown](/neighborhoods/uptown/): McKinney Avenue · West Village · State-Thomas
- [Downtown](/neighborhoods/downtown/): Main Street District · Arts District · Farmers Market
- [Oak Lawn](/neighborhoods/oak-lawn/): Turtle Creek · Cedar Springs · Medical District edge
## Looking in Design District?
Tell us the rent you're aiming for and your lease start, and we'll compare the Design District towers still offering free weeks. Read up on [move-in specials](/move-in-specials/), [new apartments](/new-apartments/) and [true monthly cost](/true-monthly-cost/).
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