A slew of restaurants and retailers are competing for a spot in North Arlington’s newest development.
Developers say 60 or more potential tenants are vying for locations in Champions Park, slated for construction on the northeast corner of Collins Street and Interstate 30. The list of possible tenants includes popular restaurants Benihana, Mi Cocina, Torchy’s Tacos and Steel City Pops.
No leases have been signed but more businesses are interested in space than developers can accommodate, said Thomas Glendenning of SHOP Companies, who spoke July 8 at a luncheon for CREW Fort Worth.
“We’re being really picky about who we decide to move forward with to make sure that it is something special,” he said.
Tenants will officially be announced later in the summer, Glendenning said.
Champions Park is set to break ground later this year with businesses expected to open in 2017. The multi-use development will be directly across from Guitar Center, in the vicinity of AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Park and Six Flags Over Texas.
The 14-acre development will have approximately 80,000 square feet of space available for restaurants and retail. Restaurants will take up about 60 to 70 percent of the space.
The restaurant and retail space will make up the first phase of development. Four of the buildings will be traditional multi-tenant buildings, while four buildings will house stand-alone restaurants.
Plans for the second stage have not yet been finalized but may include a hotel, movie theater or other venue, Glendenning said.
A “festival area” will be constructed toward the center of the development, with streets that can be closed to make room for outdoor events.
Glendenning said he hopes Champions Park will be the place ESPN decides to set up to cover major sporting events such as the College Football Playoff at AT&T Stadium. When the national championship game came to Arlington in January, ESPN staged its pre-game and post-game coverage on a Walmart parking lot.
Champions Park received approval from the Arlington City Council in January. Greenway Investments, a company based in Dallas, will be in charge of the $30 million project.
Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams, who also attended the luncheon, said he envisions Champions Park becoming a central meeting location in the city.
SHOP Companies
http://shopcompanies.com/