At StreetLights Residential,

Everything we do is built with purpose.

When Doug Chesnut and Tom Bakewell founded StreetLights Residential in 2011, they saw the potential to be a part of urban neighborhoods experiencing job growth. They focused on complicated mixed-use and high-rise multifamily properties with a design-first approach. StreetLights takes pride in crafting the details which create the place that someone will call home.

Doug and Tom brought some of the best leaders in multifamily development to join them on the StreetLights executive team, many of whom they had worked with for over 20 years. They saw their first of many successes in The Taylor. It started the trend for StreetLights properties returning the highest rents and sale prices in their submarkets and selling at significantly lower cap rates. Today, StreetLights Residential has 42 project starts and offices across the Southern United States.

Master Craftsman

Each of the StreetLights team members is an expert in their field. We encourage embracing innovation to maximize our value to the team.

Creative Spirit

Since there are many ways to solve a problem, we ask our team members to stay open minded and creatively problem solve to generate solutions.

Responsible Stewards

Team members are responsible for the care of the communities in which we build, our partners, our residents and each other.

Our Story

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Doug Chesnut and Tom Bakewell start StreetLights Residential, opening their first office in Dallas, Texas. Soon after, StreetLights begins plans for The Taylor, a 17-story high-rise in Uptown Dallas.
StreetLights brings on board Paige Close to lead the design team and Robert de Bruin to lead the construction team. The company then expands and starts the first project in Austin, The Kenzie at The Domain.
StreetLights expands to Houston to begin construction on the The James. The Taylor opens its doors with the highest rents in its submarket.
StreetLights wins Dallas Business Journal's Best Real Estate Deal for The Taylor. Soon after, StreetLights opens a San Diego office including a development and construction team. StreetLights then moves to a new Dallas office to accommodate for new hires.
StreetLights sells The Taylor for the highest ever price per square foot in DFW. The company then wins the DCEO Residential Real Estate Award for Outstanding Developer and crosses the 100 employee mark.
StreetLights continues to expand to new markets, opening a Phoenix, Orlando and Atlanta office. Later that year One Dallas Center wins the DCEO Trendsetter Award.
Doug Chesnut wins the DCEO Residential Real Estate Award for CEO of the Year. StreetLights then sells The Jordan, setting the state record for the highest ever price per unit. Continuing to break records, The McKenzie opens its doors with average rents over $5,000 per unit and is the first multifamily property in Texas to be Fitwel Certified.
NMHC names StreetLights the 11^th largest multifamily developer in the nation. The McKenzie wins DCEO’s High-Rise of the Year. As the company continues to grow, StreetLights moves to a new Dallas office.
StreetLights brings a full architecture team in-house to become architect of record for projects. StreetLights then continues to expand their capabilities, bringing interior design in-house.
StreetLights reorganizes teams around value streams and adopts a LEAN, Scrum framework for project management. The company then breaks ground on two Atlanta high-rises and is named the 7th largest multifamily developer in the nation by MHN. StreetLights sells The Angela in Phoenix for the highest ever price per unit in Arizona.
StreetLights successfully exits eight projects totaling over $800 million of proceeds and an average cap rate of 3.78%. Due to new project starts, MHN names StreetLights the fifth largest multifamily developer in the nation. The company then takes home the Pillars of the Industry award for Best Interior Merchandising of a Common Area for The Angela in Phoenix, securing the honor for the second year in a row.
Streetlights secures two national awards, a NAHB Pillars of the Industry Award for The Best Interior Merchandising of a Model Unit at The Hamilton and Best in American Living Award for 4-7 Stories for Rent at The Alastair. The company takes advantage of the growing Phoenix market, with five projects under construction in The Valley, causing the organization to pass the 200 employees mark.