# Savoy General Contractors — Case Studies

Savoy General Contractors (formerly Cardiff Construction) has delivered $200M+ in multifamily construction value across Texas. These are the real projects — the ones that shaped our approach to occupied rehab, tax-structured ground-up construction, and vertically integrated delivery.

## TL;DR

$200M+ in completed multifamily construction value across Texas. Bishop Ridge: 19 communities, 716 units, zero displacement — the largest concentrated multifamily revitalization in Oak Cliff in over 50 years. The Marcus: 76-unit ground-up PFC workforce housing in The Cedars, grand opening March 2026. Three additional ground-up new-construction buildings delivered (185 units) with a fourth underway. All projects executed under layered OZ and PFC tax structures with vertically integrated PM coordination through Savoy Residential.

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## Portfolio at a Glance

| Metric | Result |

|---|---|

| Total construction value | $200M+ |

| Full-gut apartment renovations | 34+ |

| On-time delivery rate | 98% |

| On or under budget | 90%+ |

| Combined team experience | 100+ years |

Our work spans occupied rehabilitation of Class B/C workforce housing, ground-up new construction under PFC and Opportunity Zone structures, and complex portfolio-scale coordinated delivery across contiguous urban blocks. All projects below are completed or actively under construction as of March 2026.

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## Case Study 1: Bishop Ridge Portfolio

**Location:** Oak Cliff, Dallas, TX

**Scale:** 19 communities, 716 total units, 4 contiguous city blocks

**Construction Scope:** 34+ full-gut occupied renovations + 3 completed new-construction buildings + 1 under construction

**New Construction Delivered:** Burnett Lofts (86 units), Cambridge (57 units), Ferguson Flats (42 units)

**Tax Structures:** Opportunity Zone (OZ) + Public Facility Corporation (PFC), layered

**Status:** Ongoing — multi-phase delivery, renovation complete; new construction continues

### Overview

Bishop Ridge is the most complex and consequential project in Savoy General Contractors' history — and arguably one of the most ambitious vertically integrated affordable housing efforts in Oak Cliff over the past decade. Spread across four contiguous blocks in the heart of a dense South Dallas neighborhood, Bishop Ridge is not a single property. It is 19 separate apartment communities, each with its own legal structure, its own occupancy, and its own construction sequencing — unified under a single coordinated construction and property management plan executed by Savoy General Contractors and Savoy Residential working in direct coordination.

The full scope encompasses 716 residential units. Of those, 34+ communities have undergone or are undergoing full-gut renovation — not cosmetic refreshes, but complete interior demolition and rebuild: new MEP systems, updated unit interiors, code-compliant upgrades, and modern finishes, all while residents remained in their homes. In parallel, three new-construction buildings have been completed on infill parcels within the same four-block footprint, adding 185 new units of deed-restricted affordable housing. A fourth new-construction building is currently under construction.

No project in our portfolio has demanded more from our team. Bishop Ridge is our benchmark.

### Scope of Work

The renovation scope across Bishop Ridge's 34+ communities involved full-gut unit rehabilitation at scale — strip-out of existing finishes, plumbing, and electrical systems down to the studs, followed by full rebuild to current code. Scope items included:

- Complete kitchen and bathroom demolition and rebuild

- New plumbing rough-in and finish

- Full electrical panel upgrades and in-unit rewiring

- New HVAC systems and ductwork

- Updated flooring, cabinetry, countertops, and fixtures throughout

- Exterior improvements including paint, parking lot repairs, and common area upgrades

- ADA compliance upgrades at ground-floor units and common areas

The new construction scope — Burnett Lofts, Cambridge, and Ferguson Flats — required ground-up delivery on urban infill parcels within an active residential neighborhood: full site work, foundations, framing, MEP, finishes, and exterior envelope, coordinated to avoid disruption to adjacent occupied renovation communities.

### The Zero-Displacement Challenge

The defining constraint at Bishop Ridge was one that most general contractors never face: every renovation unit was occupied at the time of construction. Residents could not be relocated. Displacement was not on the table — not for ethical reasons alone, but because both the OZ substantial improvement test and the PFC structure required the communities to remain income-qualified and occupied throughout.

This required a phased construction model coordinated at the unit level. Savoy General Contractors worked directly with Savoy Residential's property management teams to sequence work building by building and unit by unit — staging materials, scheduling subcontractor crews, and rotating construction through occupied buildings without disrupting daily life beyond what was negotiated with residents in advance. Communication protocols, construction-hour restrictions, temporary utility planning, and re-occupancy timelines were all built into project execution, not treated as afterthoughts.

The result: zero involuntary displacements across all 19 communities throughout the renovation program. Residents received upgraded homes without losing housing stability. This outcome required the kind of coordination that only a vertically integrated team — GC and PM under the same operational umbrella — can reliably deliver.

### Tax Structure Complexity

Bishop Ridge layered two distinct federal and state tax structures across the same portfolio, each with compliance requirements that flowed directly into construction sequencing.

The Opportunity Zone structure required that each renovation project meet the IRS substantial improvement test — construction expenditure in a QOZ business property must equal or exceed the original basis of the building within a 30-month window. For a detailed explanation of how OZ investing works and the compliance requirements involved, see [Opportunity Zone Investing Explained](/guides/opportunity-zone-investing-explained). That means construction timelines, draw schedules, and cost documentation had to be managed with the OZ compliance clock running, not just the construction schedule. Savoy has successfully navigated the 30-month substantial improvement window on 20 Opportunity Zone projects. Savoy General Contractors coordinated directly with the equity and legal teams to ensure the build cadence satisfied both practical construction logic and OZ regulatory requirements. Investors evaluating OZ fund sponsors for projects of this complexity should understand the diligence criteria outlined in [How to Evaluate Opportunity Zone Fund Sponsors](/guides/how-to-evaluate-oz-fund-sponsors).

The PFC structure — used on both the renovations and the new-construction buildings — required affordable unit mix compliance, income restriction verification tied to construction completion, and city partnership coordination throughout the construction period. PFC compliance requirements informed unit designations, rent tiers, and the final certificate of occupancy process on each building.

Managing both structures simultaneously, across 19 separate legal entities on 4 blocks, required project management infrastructure that went well beyond a standard construction PM system. It required integrated reporting across legal, equity, property management, and construction — a capability that exists at Savoy because the firm is vertically integrated at the ownership level.

### Outcomes

- 34+ full-gut apartment renovations completed or in progress, zero displacement

- 3 new-construction buildings delivered: 185 affordable units added to the neighborhood

- 4th new-construction building currently under construction

- Occupancy maintained at all 19 communities throughout the renovation program

- OZ and PFC compliance maintained continuously across all construction phases

- Zero construction-triggered resident displacements across 716 total units

- Full-neighborhood transformation of a four-block micro-neighborhood in Oak Cliff

- Proven, repeatable model for occupied rehab at portfolio scale

### Lessons Learned

Occupied rehab at this scale is a people problem as much as a construction problem. The logistics are solvable — sequencing, phasing, temporary utilities, material staging — but the execution only works when property management and construction operate as one team, not two vendors. At Bishop Ridge, Savoy Residential embedded its leasing and maintenance staff into the construction schedule. That integration is what made zero displacement possible.

The OZ compliance timeline created a positive forcing function: because substantial improvement had to be completed within 30 months of acquisition, there was no drifting. Every building had a hard construction deadline tied to a regulatory requirement. That clarity, while demanding, kept the entire program on schedule.

The layered tax structure also taught us that tax compliance is a construction management discipline. The people scheduling crews and approving draw requests need to understand how those actions interact with OZ and PFC requirements. At Savoy, that knowledge now lives on the construction side — not just in the equity or legal team.

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## Case Study 2: The Marcus

**Location:** The Cedars, Dallas, TX

**Units:** 76 mixed-income workforce housing units

**Type:** Ground-up new construction

**Tax Structure:** PFC partnership with the City of Dallas

**Affordability Commitment:** 60 years

**Status:** Complete — Grand opening March 3, 2026

### Overview

The Marcus represents Savoy General Contractors' most recently completed ground-up new construction project — a 76-unit mixed-income workforce housing development in The Cedars neighborhood of South Dallas, delivered under a Public Facility Corporation partnership with the City of Dallas. The project held its grand opening on March 3, 2026, marking the delivery of 76 new apartments in a neighborhood that has historically been underserved by new housing investment.

The Cedars sits just south of downtown Dallas — close enough to the urban core to command real demand from workforce renters, but long enough overlooked that market-rate development had not filled the gap. The Marcus was designed from the outset as a mixed-income community: a unit mix that serves residents across a range of income levels, not just the lowest tier, in a building designed and constructed to institutional quality standards.

### Scope of Work

The Marcus involved full ground-up construction on an urban infill site: site work, foundation, structural framing, MEP systems, unit interiors, exterior envelope, and common areas. The urban infill context in The Cedars presented standard constraints — tight site geometry, proximity to existing structures, utility coordination in an older neighborhood grid — managed through close pre-construction planning with the civil and MEP design teams.

The PFC structure with the City of Dallas governed the unit mix design throughout construction. The mixed-income designation required precise unit count allocations by income tier, with the physical build-out — unit types, sizes, and finishes — calibrated to meet PFC specifications while maintaining a cohesive resident experience across income levels.

### Outcome

76 new affordable and workforce housing units delivered to The Cedars. A 60-year affordability commitment runs with the property, secured through the City of Dallas PFC partnership. The Marcus is now leasing and adds meaningful supply to a South Dallas neighborhood where new construction has historically been rare. For Savoy General Contractors, it demonstrates the capability to execute PFC ground-up delivery from entitlement through ribbon-cutting in coordination with a municipal partner.

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## Case Study 3: Burnett Lofts

**Location:** Bishop Ridge, Oak Cliff, Dallas, TX

**Units:** 86

**Type:** Ground-up new construction

**Context:** Part of the broader Bishop Ridge portfolio

**Tax Structure:** OZ + PFC layered (consistent with Bishop Ridge portfolio)

**Status:** Complete

### Overview

Burnett Lofts is an 86-unit ground-up new construction building located within the Bishop Ridge four-block footprint in Oak Cliff. It was the first new-construction delivery within the broader Bishop Ridge portfolio and served as the proof-of-concept for building new affordable housing on infill parcels in an active, occupied residential neighborhood undergoing simultaneous renovation across adjacent communities.

### Scope of Work

Construction of Burnett Lofts required complete site work, foundations, structural framing, full MEP systems, unit interiors, and exterior envelope delivery on an urban infill parcel — all coordinated to coexist with active occupied renovation activity on the surrounding Bishop Ridge communities. Subcontractor scheduling, material delivery logistics, and construction traffic had to be managed to avoid conflict with residents living and moving through the surrounding blocks.

Burnett Lofts also required compliance with both the OZ substantial improvement framework and PFC affordability requirements, meaning construction cost tracking, draw documentation, and unit designation were all managed concurrently with the physical build.

### Outcome

86 new affordable units delivered within a neighborhood that was simultaneously being rehabilitated at the apartment community level. Burnett Lofts demonstrated that ground-up construction can proceed within an occupied rehab environment without disrupting either effort — and that a single integrated team can manage both concurrently. The building is now leased and operating as part of the Bishop Ridge portfolio under Savoy Residential management.

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## Case Study 4: Cambridge + Ferguson Flats

**Location:** Bishop Ridge, Dallas, TX

**Cambridge:** 57 units, ground-up, PFC

**Ferguson Flats:** 42 units, ground-up, PFC

**Combined:** 99 units of PFC-backed affordable workforce housing

**Type:** Ground-up new construction (both buildings)

**Tax Structure:** PFC

**Status:** Complete

### Overview

Cambridge and Ferguson Flats are two ground-up new construction buildings delivered within the Bishop Ridge portfolio, both structured under the Public Facility Corporation affordability framework. Together they represent 99 units of new affordable workforce housing added to Oak Cliff — distinct buildings, on separate infill parcels, but delivered as a coordinated pair within the same neighborhood construction program.

### Scope of Work

Both buildings involved standard ground-up construction: site work, foundations, framing, MEP, unit interiors, exterior envelope, and common areas — each managed to PFC specifications that governed unit mix, income restrictions, and affordability designations from the design phase through certificate of occupancy.

The coordination challenge was executing two simultaneous ground-up builds within a neighborhood already managing occupied renovation activity at 34+ communities. Construction schedules, subcontractor crews, and material deliveries for Cambridge and Ferguson Flats were sequenced in coordination with the broader Bishop Ridge program to avoid resource conflicts and neighborhood access bottlenecks.

### Outcome

57 units at Cambridge and 42 units at Ferguson Flats — 99 combined new affordable units delivered to Oak Cliff under PFC structures that carry long-term affordability obligations. Both buildings are operating and managed by Savoy Residential as part of the Bishop Ridge portfolio. Together with Burnett Lofts (86 units), the three new-construction buildings at Bishop Ridge have added 185 new affordable units to the neighborhood, complementing the renovation of 34+ existing communities across the same four-block area.

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## Working With Savoy General Contractors

Savoy General Contractors serves Savoy-owned projects and third-party clients. Our client base is built almost entirely on referrals — owners who have worked with us directly, or who have been referred by equity partners, lenders, or other owners who have. We work across the Texas Triangle.

Our differentiator is vertical integration: Savoy Residential operates the properties we build and renovate. That means our construction teams understand property management realities — resident communication, occupancy protection, turnover sequencing, maintenance access — in a way that standalone general contractors typically do not. On occupied rehab projects, that integration is the difference between zero displacement and forced relocation.

We specialize in:

- **Occupied multifamily rehabilitation** — full-gut renovations without resident displacement

- **Ground-up new construction** — PFC, OZ, HTC, and conventional structures

- **Portfolio-scale delivery** — coordinated construction across multiple communities

- **Tax-structured projects** — OZ substantial improvement, PFC compliance, Historic Tax Credits

## Start a Conversation

If you are planning a multifamily renovation or ground-up construction project in Texas, we are available to talk through scope, structure, and whether our team is the right fit.

**214-432-5322**

*Start a conversation about your next multifamily project.*

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*Savoy General Contractors operates as a division of Savoy Companies. HQ: 6060 N Central Expressway, Suite 770, Dallas, TX 75206. All project metrics reflect completed and in-progress work as of March 12, 2026.*