Fort Worth / Arlington (Tarrant County)

[Geographer]

I think it would be good to start a new thread specifically for projects and discussion related to the western side of the Metroplex in Fort Worth, Arlington, and the rest of Tarrant County.

[Geographer]

http://www.theshorthorn.com/news/cit...03b09bdcb.html

City/University Officials Share Vision for Thriving Environment

The past and future success of Arlington and UTA are intertwined with one another.

Arlington business leaders and politicians met with UTA administrators during the downtown Arlington meeting and luncheon in the University Center Bluebonnet Ballroom Thursday. This year’s event focused on UTA’s growth and dedication to community engagement, urban planning and the university’s future.

For UTA to continue thriving, President Vistasp Karbhari said the city must work with businesses to provide an environment around the school that meets their needs.

“I’d love to have public transportation, or some form of transportation, that students can use,” he said. “I’d love to see more restaurants, more places where students can relax and have recreation outside of the university. I’d love to have more places where students can get more jobs.”

The university, city and students can all benefit from more choices of retail and living spaces downtown, Karbhari said.

Campus construction projects for new academic space and housing options are an important part of UTA’s future, said John Hall, Administration and Campus Operations vice president.

“It’s certainly the economic driver,” he said. “As we add more and more students and more housing, the relationship between the university district and the downtown district becomes even more important.”

Arlington can help serve UTA students by providing additional housing options outside of UTA-owned properties, Karbhari said.

“We’ll increase the options on campus, but there needs to be a variety of apartment complexes and places were students can rest, relax, grow and continue to be a part of the community,” he said.

City Mayor Jeff Williams said focusing on housing and adding new locations for recreation is important, but was surprised to not hear about the possibility of bringing a grocery store closer to campus.

“Without a doubt, the number of students coming here and then who stay and live in Arlington is a tremendous opportunity,” he said. “That opportunity to build downtown to meet those needs is important.”

Williams said work on the new library, which he sees as a center for both the community and students, and the 101 Center mixed-use development are both steps to fulfilling those needs.

“We’ve got a whole circle of things we need to do, and the good news is we’ve got a lot of businesses and developers looking at downtown Arlington,” he said.

[Geographer]

http://www.fox4news.com/news/206684585-story

Rangers won't knock down Globe Life Park; Texas Live! to open in 2018

The change in plans for Globe Life Park may have happened after the city got blowback from Arlington residents and fans, but Mayor Jeff Williams says he has faith in the project developers. If it happens it would be the first successful repurposing of a major league stadium.

The Rangers also released more details about the Texas Live! development that will be built adjacent to Globe Life Park and would be immediately next to the new ballpark.

Construction on the entertainment venue will begin as soon as the Rangers season ends and is scheduled to open in time for Opening Day 2018 at the current site of Rangers Lot A at the corner of Nolan Ryan Expressway and Randol Mill Road.

The 200,000 square foot space would include three venues: Arlington Backyard (a covered area lined with bars/restaurants), Rangers Republic (a two-story building with restaurants), Live! Arena (a large indoor venue with restaurants and event space).

A hotel and convention center space would open in Fall 2018.

The cost of Texas Live! is now an estimated $250 million, with Arlington chipping in $50 million of the cost. The Rangers and the developer are paying for the rest.

[Geographer]

http://nrn.com/operations/stadium-cl...s-cowboys-home

Stadium Club restaurant opens at Dallas Cowboys home

Fans and visitors to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home to the Dallas Cowboys professional football team, now have the option of finer dining.

On Monday, a new 19,000-square-foot, 650-seat Stadium Club restaurant opened to the public for lunch and dinner on non-game days. On game days, the restaurant will be closed to everyone except members-only season ticket holders and suite owners.

“This is our first public snapshot of what we demand as culinary presence here,” said Anthony Sinese, executive chef at AT&T Stadium with Legends hospitality. “This is seven years in the making, so we’re pretty excited about this.”

The Stadium Club is operated by Legends, the sports and entertainment company owned by the New York Yankees and the Dallas Cowboys. Legends operates concessions in other stadiums, as well as a number of venues, such as One World Observatory at One World Trade Center in New York City, and the observation deck at the US Bank Tower in Los Angeles.

The restaurant will be open daily from 11 a.m. to midnight, serving a variety of shareable appetizers, sides, soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches and flatbreads. The bar will serve beers and barrel-aged cocktails.

“We’re showcasing a lot of items that take advantage of what they have here, such as a big smoker on site,” said Anthony Van Camp, Stadium Club executive chef and former chef at such fine-dining Dallas restaurants as SĒR Steak + Spirits at the Hilton Anatole Hotel and its predecessor, Nana. “Fan can come in here and relax before or after a tour of the stadium.”

The Stadium Club menu consists of a variety of appetizers, sides, soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches and flatbreads. Photo: Ron Ruggless
Stadium Club menu items range from chicken wings and chicken-fried quail to brisket cheesesteaks and mesquite-grilled ribeye steak with tomato chutney. Appetizers start at $7, and the steak is priced at $45.

“We think this is a better, neater and more complete Stadium Club,” said Stephen Jones, chief operating officer of the Dallas Cowboys, referencing the storied Stadium Club at the team’s old Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. The Cowboys moved to the new stadium in 2009. “We think our fans will really enjoy,” Jones said at a preview of the new restaurant.

The Stadium Club has 20 flat-screen televisions throughout the restaurant, as well as a video wall behind the host stand. It occupies space next to the Cowboy’s Pro Shop that had once been considered for a Hall of Fame, which has since been created at the team’s headquarters building. Mementos such as footballs and awards are featured in glass cases throughout the restaurant.

Greg Merkel, project design director from the New York-based firm iCrave, said the Stadium Club’s design elements, which feature a sculptural five-point star in the ceiling motif, was inspired by “the Cowboys and what they stand for.”

“Our goal for this project, in all honesty, was to not mess it up,” Merkel said at the restaurant preview. “Our goal was to design a space that was bold and beautiful and striking.”

[Geographer]

Developer buys land for first apartments at Fort Worth’s Panther Island

FORT WORTH

A Dallas company has bought nearly 2.5 acres on what will be Panther Island for a 300-unit apartment community, marking the first private development planned for the $909 million Trinity River Vision project north of downtown Fort Worth.


The planned $55 million residential community, called Encore Panther Island, will be situated along the first segment of canal that will run through the interior of the island, at Fourth and Main Streets, just north of the old TXU power plant and south of Panther Island Brewing.

Encore Multi-Family Llc., a division of the Dallas-based Encore Enterprises real estate development firm, said a portion of the canal will accommodate a water taxi stop as well as places for kayaks, canoes and standup paddle boards to launch. Some apartments will feature waterfront balconies. Construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2017 and be completed a year later, the developer said.

“We carefully studied the Riverwalk in San Antonio and worked closely with the Trinity River Vision Authority Design Committee to combine the organic feel beloved in San Antonio with Fort Worth’s distinct culture to create a one-of- a-kind living experience,” said Bradley Miller, president of Encore Multi-Family, in a statement. “We have designed community spaces along the Riverwalk to give our residents a true outdoor living room experience that will promote the active outdoor lifestyle that’s central to Panther Island.”

We carefully studied the Riverwalk in San Antonio and worked closely with the Trinity River Vision Authority Design Committee to combine the organic feel beloved in San Antonio with Fort Worth’s distinct culture to create a one-of- a-kind living experience.

Bradley Miller, president of Encore Multi-Family

J.D. Granger, executive director of the Trinity River Vision Authority, called Encore’s project magnificent and its design inspiring.

Encore Panther Island “is exactly what Fort Worth has been wanting to see,” Granger said in a statement. “The section of riverwalk that winds through the middle of Encore’s project will connect beautifully to Fort Worth’s most progressive mixed-use high-density district and is a great snapshot of our future.”

The land was initially bought by the Tarrant Regional Water District for the canal system that’s part of the flood control portion of the Trinity River Vision project. The land, sold for about $2.3 million to Encore, is surplus property created following the canal system design, the water district said.

Riverwalk is exactly what Fort Worth has been wanting to see. The section of riverwalk that winds through the middle of Encore’s project will connect beautifully to Fort Worth’s most progressive mixed-use high-density district and is a great snapshot of our future.

JD Granger, executive director of the Trinity River Vision Authority

The 233,198-square-foot community will feature “creative solutions to connect the streetscape to the Riverwalk environment planned for the district,” Encore said. Amenities will include an infinity pool with cascading waterfalls, a fitness facility and a top floor lounge with views of downtown.

“As the first development within the district, we have carefully designed our project to fully integrate into this special high-density mixed-use district,” said Bharat Sangani, Encore Enterprises chairman, in a statement. “We are dedicated to creating a special pedestrian-focused experience that allows our residents to walk out their front door and walk along the canal to enjoy the boardwalk along Fort Worth’s future town lake.”

Encore Panther Island will consist of 32 efficiencies, 199 one-bedroom and 69 two-bedroom units, ranging in size from 555 square feet to 1,321 square feet. Rents will range from $975 to $2,500 a month, Encore said.

“We are excited to be the first of many projects on Panther Island,” Miller said. “It very much reminds me of the Harbor Island project in Tampa, which is situated across the bridge from downtown Tampa and now fully developed with mixed-use. I see many similarities between Panther Island and Harbor Island and believe the project will sustain similar success.”

More than 10,000 residences are planned for the Panther Island District, which will feature 12 miles of urban waterfront.

Encore Multi-Family, which owns and operates its developments, was founded in 2008. It has 16 multifamily developments in several states. Locally, it owns Encore Alsbury in Burleson, Encore 6162 and Encore Swiss Avenue, both in Dallas.

Encore Enterprises, which has done $1.9 billion in real estate transactions, also has retail, hotel and office developments, according to its website.

Locally, those include the 20-acre Marketplace at Craig Ranch in McKinney, multitenant office towers at 5005 LBJ Freeway and Two Forest Plaza in Dallas, The Tower at Frisco Square in Frisco, and the Fairfield Inn & Suites north of Dallas-Fort Worth Airport in Grapevine.

Once called Trinity Uptown, the Trinity River Vision project, planned to include thousands of residences and businesses, a town lake and river bypass channel, was conceptualized in the early 2000s and received Army Corp of Engineers approval by about 2004. The project includes the construction of three bridges at Henderson, North Main and White Settlement. Those are to be completed in 2018.

Despite meeting some opposition from lawmakers who said they viewed the project as a boondoggle, the project earlier this month received key support in Congress when it authorized the funding of up to $526 million for the project. The project was included as part of a $5 billion water projects authorization bills for the Army Corp of Engineers. The Trinity River Vision project is expected to get final Congressional funding later this year.

The remainder of the funding comes from Fort Worth, Tarrant County and a tax increment finance district established for the project’s area.

[Geographer]

Construction starting next week on $250 million Texas Live! entertainment complex next to Globe Life Park

After more than two decades of thwarted optimism, construction is finally scheduled to start on a major commercial development next to the Texas Rangers ballpark.

Work on the $250 million Texas Live! — featuring restaurants, sports bars, a hotel and convention space — is set to begin next week. Other more ambitious developments have been proposed since at least 2000, but each one failed. None made it this far.

"This announcement marks an important milestone for the city of Arlington, Texas Live! and its development team," Mayor Jeff Williams said in a written statement. "The Texas Rangers and The Cordish Companies are delivering exactly as announced last month in their ongoing commitment to bringing a world-class, sports-anchored destination to Arlington in 2018."

The work next week will include confirming utility locations, setting up perimeter fencing and other basic site work.

The city is chipping in $50 million toward construction, and the project could also receive as much as $50 million more in tax abatements. The cash contribution is coming from the Arlington Tomorrow Fund, which was created with the city's gas drilling proceeds.

City officials and the Rangers previously said the development would go forward no matter what happened with the Nov. 8 vote on a new baseball stadium. Arlington residents will decide whether to use a portion of the city's sales, hotel and car rental taxes to pay for half of the $1 billion stadium. That vote would also authorize parking and ticket taxes to help fund the Rangers' share.

Rangers co-owner Ray Davis said in September that construction would start in November after the team won its first World Series. The Rangers finished the season with the league's best record but was swept by the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Division Series.

"We were obviously hoping that a few more October games would delay this for a little longer," said Rob Matwick, Rangers executive vice president for business operations, in a written statement.

The development is expected to include 200,000 square feet of restaurants, bars and other entertainment venues. That piece of the project is expected to open in time for Opening Day 2018.

Here are the first tenants announced:

Rangers Republic, a 30,000-square-foot restaurant and sports bar with a baseball theme.
Live! Arena, a 35,000-square-foot restaurant and entertainment venue with a performance stage and beer garden.
Arlington Backyard, an outdoor event pavilion for 5,000 to 7,000 people.

Space will also be available for a dozen more bars, restaurants and other businesses.

A 300-room hotel with 35,000 square feet of convention space is expected to open in fall 2018.

Texas Live! is planned for Rangers Lot A at the southwest corner of Nolan Ryan Expressway and East Randol Mill Road. That would be across the street from Globe Life Park, or potentially connected to a new Rangers stadium.

In a September news conference, the development said Texas Live! could eventually expand into a $3 billion project. But there are no guarantees.

Expansion would happen only if the first phase is a success and there is more demand. A future phase could include reusing parts of Globe Life Park if the stadium funding proposition passes.

The anti-stadium campaign criticized that news conference as an attempt to sway voters.

Arlington city leaders have long said the Rangers' stadium would act as an anchor for a major development that would create a new downtown. Those hopes and plans have been discussed since before the Rangers' current stadium opened in 1994.

Over the years, there have been proposals for a San Antonio-style riverwalk, planning for a single-family subdivision, renderings of luxury condominiums and comparison to Dallas' Victory Park.

Each time, lack of financing and a sour economy were blamed for the failure.

The most recent failed project was the $500 million Glorypark development planned by then-Rangers owner Tom Hicks. That effort was officially pronounced dead in 2008.

There had been no other serious public proposals until the Texas Live! project was introduced in December.

[Geographer]

TV personality Guy Fieri to open restaurant at new Texas Rangers complex in Arlington

This restaurant will be located in Texas Live!, highlighted in the above article.

[Sic'EmBears]

According to the Star-Telegram, The Shops at Clearfork has tentatively signed several luxury boutiques:

- Burberry (DFW's second)
- Louis Vuitton (DFW's fifth)
- Tiffany & Co. (DFW's third)

Neiman Marcus plans to open 2017.

Project Location

[Sic'EmBears]

The new $1B Texas Rangers ballpark was approved, as was Donald Trump for President.

Project Location

[Zuplar]

This is one thing in Texas I'm excited about.

[Eric]

Personally, I will miss the old Ballpark. It was so regal. Ahead of its time when it came to the retro factor. If only it weren't out in the middle of nowhere.

[Sic'EmBears]

Personally, I will miss the old Ballpark. It was so regal. Ahead of its time when it came to the retro factor. If only it weren't out in the middle of nowhere.

Agreed.

[Sic'EmBears]

Realty Capital to build $25M mixed-use project in Burleson's Main Street

Irving-based real estate development firm Realty Capital Management has received some economic incentives from the City of Burleson, which will help start a $25 million apartment development on the city's Main Street.

Upon completion, the four-story, 200-unit apartment community, called the Depot on Main, with live-work units (like an artist's studio) will sit on a 5-acre tract at the northwest corner of King and Main streets.

Along with building a new apartment community, Realty Capital will also upgrade the public sidewalks and improve parking.

Construction is slated to get underway in the second quarter of 2017, with completion expected by the end of 2018.

Project Location

[dankrutka]

This is one thing in Texas I'm excited about.

I couldn't be more disappointed that the team is staying in Arlington. Getting there is a huge hassle and then you have to pay $20 to walk through a sea of parking lots. We'd go to a lot of Rangers games if it were elsewhere in the metro or at least was connected to the DART or TRE. But we'll just keep going to Mavs games downtown.

[Geographer]

I couldn't be more disappointed that the team is staying in Arlington. Getting there is a huge hassle and then you have to pay $20 to walk through a sea of parking lots. We'd go to a lot of Rangers games if it were elsewhere in the metro or at least was connected to the DART or TRE. But we'll just keep going to Mavs games downtown.

I agree with this, and as a citizen of Arlington, I wish we had mass transit. We'll usually park in downtown Arlington to eat before the game and then ride our bicycles over to the stadium. It's not a bad ride.

[Geographer]

Studio Movie Grill opening in Lincoln Square in Arlington in January. They just finished re-doing the facade from the old tenant (Stein Mart). North Central Arlington definitely needed a theatre and I'm glad it's going to be SMG.

[Celebrator]

Sorry, what's wrong with the current ballpark? I hadn't heard they were wanting to replace it. I have never been to it, but why do they want to replace it?

[Zuplar]

I couldn't be more disappointed that the team is staying in Arlington. Getting there is a huge hassle and then you have to pay $20 to walk through a sea of parking lots. We'd go to a lot of Rangers games if it were elsewhere in the metro or at least was connected to the DART or TRE. But we'll just keep going to Mavs games downtown.

I'm the exact opposite, of course living in OKC it's easier to get Arlington than it is downtown Dallas. Overall I just hate the east side of the metroplex, I do my best to skip it anytime I'm in that area.

[Sic'EmBears]

Island homes attracting Cowboys, Rangers to start within $2B Arlington community

A $2 billion master-planned community in north Arlington is undergoing a major expansion — and one that will put it a step closer to developing homes on a 40-acre island, which is attracting Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers players.

The island, which sits within man-made Lake Viridian, is part of the 2,300-acre Viridian master-planned community in Arlington, which, upon completion, is expected to have a build-out cost of $2 billion to $2.5 billion.

"The island can hold over 100 home sites and will be completely surrounded by water," Robert "Bob" Kembel, general manager of the master-planned community, told the Dallas Business Journal.

Kembel, who is already negotiating with homebuilders for the island, plans to begin home lot development in 2017, with lots delivered to builders in 2018. Construction will also begin next year on a bridge and roadways to access the island.

The single-family homes will start at $1 million, which is quite a bit, more than the community's average home price of roughly $400,000. Viridian has homes priced from $200,000 for a townhouse to $2.5 million for a custom home.

In the next decade, Kembel said he expects the master-planned community to include 4,000 single-family homes, 1,000 apartment homes and a town center with 100 acres of commercial real estate that could total upwards of 800,000 square feet of space.

View Master Plan here

Project Location

[Spartan]

The new $1B Texas Rangers ballpark was approved, as was Donald Trump for President.

Project Location

Is this thread an indication of what the Trump Presidency will be like?

[Sic'EmBears]

New luxury living options coming to Fort Worth's West 7th Street

Fort Worth's trendy West 7th Street neighborhood will get some new luxury living options as developer Fort Capital brings in two new residential projects.

The Fort Worth-based development firm plans to begin construction on The Townhomes at The Foundry and Fort201, a luxury apartment community. The projects are slated for completion in late 2017.

The three-story townhomes will start at $430,000.

Fort Capital also plans to begin construction on a new luxury apartment community, called Fort201, which will bring 72 high-end rental homes to The Foundry.

The region is on track to deliver 30,400 apartments this year, which is a 46-percent increase in deliveries from 20,800 apartment units completed by developers through the end of 2016.

[mugofbeer]

Can I ask, as a former Metroplex resident and season ticket holder, what could the Rangers possibly thi k is i adequate there? They had luxury boxes and even an office building!

[mugofbeer]

Can I ask, as a former Metroplex resident and season ticket holder, what could the Rangers possibly think is inadequate there? They had luxury boxes and even an office building!

[jbrown84]

According to the Star-Telegram, The Shops at Clearfork has tentatively signed several luxury boutiques:

- Burberry (DFW's second)
- Louis Vuitton (DFW's fifth)
- Tiffany & Co. (DFW's third)

Neiman Marcus plans to open 2017.

Project Location

Clearfork is going to be super nice. I'm privy to some of the retailer names that haven't been announced yet and they are in line with what you already posted. I'm actually shocked Fort Worth was able to land this level of high end.

[Sic'EmBears]

Clearfork is going to be super nice. I'm privy to some of the retailer names that haven't been announced yet and they are in line with what you already posted. I'm actually shocked Fort Worth was able to land this level of high end.

Exciting news.

Fort Worth desperately needs some high-end retail.