In an interview with Midland Times, Adam Cunyus reveals the inspiration and vision behind The Preserve – a 173-acre development coming to Midland that will focus on sustainability and innovative design. From green spaces and outdoor trails to dining, retail, and entertainment, Cunyus discusses his motivations and the future impact of the project.
MT: Tell us about yourself.
I grew up north of Dallas and went to Texas Tech, where I got my Petroleum Engineering degree. After that, my wife Alison and I moved around a little bit. We’ve been in Midland for almost 15 years now, and as soon as we got here in 2010, we knew it was our home.
After settling, I worked for smaller companies over the years, but I always knew that at some point I would like to do something on my own by building my own company. I started well site and drilling consulting and spent about 2-3 years doing that while deciding what I wanted to do on my own. I eventually partnered up with a friend who was on the land side of things, and we decided to start an operating company. We put together some prospects in the 2013 time frame, sold a few around town, and it was going great before things crashed in 2014-2015. We wound up selling all of that just around the end of 2015, and in the meantime, I helped co-found a service company that was downhole oriented for drilling. When I co-founded that, it was the same time I met Ian, my co-founder in Dahlia Development.
My father was in real estate in different facets throughout his career, so I’ve always had an interest in real estate. Dahlia bought its first 36 acres off of 1788 and 191, and that's where we started by building our first built-to-suit OFS building. Through our relationship with NRG Realty Group, we leaned into the industrial side of real estate development by building both spec and build-to-suit buildings. After years of doing that, we evolved into office space and then took the plunge by buying Nueva Vista and planning The Preserve at Midland.
MT: What initially inspired you to embark on the development of The Preserve?
We knew the owner of Nueva Vista was trying to sell the land for a few years. There were two prior unsuccessful attempts to purchase before we began engaging with the owner. We got it under contract in January of 2023. At the time, we had no idea what we were going to do with it – We just knew that it was a totally unique piece of property and it was irreplaceable, so we went ahead and bought it.
When exploring what to do with the land, we were certain of one thing – Midland families needed more things to do. I’ve got three children whose ages range from 7 to 14, and there are only a handful of things to do here for entertainment. For a town of this size, there's a lack of family friendly things to enjoy.
We began our search for an anchor of our future development, and around that time, we heard that Zoo Midland was searching for the perfect place to build. We engaged with the leaders of Zoo Midland, and they agreed to acquire a piece of the property. We knew that Zoo Midland would wind up being a major regional attraction, so with that, we decided we wanted to do a mixed-use development that creates a synergistic experience for the zoo patrons. We want Midlanders and out of town zoo patrons alike to come enjoy new restaurants and shopping options that make a trip out to The Preserve and Zoo Midland that much more enjoyable.
MT: Were there any specific experiences or moments that played a crucial role in shaping your ideas for The Preserve?
When our friends at Moriah Realty mentioned Allen Ridge in Abilene to us, a light bulb went off regarding what we wanted in terms of design. At Allen Ridge, they have what is essentially a drainage basin that they improved to hold a constant level of water and then developed restaurants and shops along the edge of it. When you look at Nueva Vista, it has a huge drainage basin, so we focused on utilizing and harnessing that to create a water feature that will, in our opinion, wind up being one of the main attractions.
Not only is The Preserve a maximized, enhanced version of Allen Ridge, we went to the extent of hiring the same architects who designed it. The pond at The Preserve is expected to be around 15-16 acres in size, with about 8 restaurants along that pond, and a park feature in the center of the development. The Preserve will cover a total of 173 acres, which includes all of the open green space and hike/bike trails.
MT: Can you provide more details on the completion of The Preserve and its phases?
Our first vertical phase should be complete by Q2/Q3 of 2026. That will consist of 2-3 restaurant boxes, our office building, and a couple of retail locations.
The way we have this set up, we intend to pull well over 70% of the amenities forward. That means we’re going to have most of the trails, central green, the boardwalk, and most of the parks and play spaces open to the public when the zoo is opening.
As for the projected completion of The Preserve, that is dictated and driven by demand – We are willing to move as fast as tenants and/or buyers have the appetite. We’ve had such great responses from businesses already.
Practically, it will take 5-10 years for the project to be completely finished.
MT: How do you envision The Preserve evolving over the next decade?
We envision The Preserve becoming a place of live, work, and play. Over the next decade, we hope for it to improve the quality of life in Midland and to become a premier destination where people want to be, whether that's officing there, coming out for lunch, or just bringing the family out to stroll around the public spaces.
In terms of filling out The Preserve, we tend to think of Midland businesses first. Although we will welcome midland businesses here first, we also want to bring in regional names. Hopefully, over the years as we collect actual demographic data, it will demonstrate what we already believe, which is The Preserve being a great home for some of the national brands that we all would like to see have a presence here. We are going to be selective on who we bring in and how we place businesses to give every patron of The Preserve and Zoo Midland the best experience.
MT: What has been the most rewarding aspect of developing The Preserve?
The most rewarding aspect of this journey is when I have conversations with people that don’t know we’re responsible for The Preserve, and they provide such positive feedback about the project. It's been such a fulfilling aspect of planning and developing The Preserve. I think residents are going to be really happy with the development and what it will offer.