The Texas Rangers and its development partner, The Cordish Companies, broke ground on March 29 for Texas Live!, the $250 million project being built around the new ballpark.
The Rangers and Cordish also announced that the development will be constructed by a joint venture partnership of Manhattan Construction Co. and Arlington-based Con-Real. The development team has tapped Arlington-based LeVis Consulting Group to provide construction management and owner’s representation services.
Con-Real, a full-service African-American-owned construction and real estate firm, has experience in over 3,000 projects including entertainment, commercial, hospitality, educational, industrial and technology facilities. It is the first time a project of this size and scope in Arlington has had a local, minority-owned business as a joint venture partner to oversee construction, according to the Texas Rangers.
“We are thrilled in our joint venture partnership with Manhattan Construction Company on this momentous project and to join the Texas Rangers and The Cordish Companies in setting a new standard for MWBE [minority and women-owned business enterprises] participation in Arlington,” said Gerald Alley, president and CEO of Con-Real. “We are honored to be part of such a transformative project that will lead to years and years of future development and growth for the city.”
The Rangers and Cordish have named Hord Coplan Macht to provide architecture services, Jeffrey Beers International for interior design, Mycoskie+Mcinnis+Associates for civil engineering and McLaren Engineering Group to handle structural engineering for the project.
The Rangers and Cordish were joined at the groundbreaking by Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams, the Arlington City Council, and community and business leaders from Tarrant County and Arlington as city officials look to cement Arlington as a premier sports, entertainment and hospitality destination in the country.
When completed next year, Texas Live! will house over 200,000 square feet of restaurants, retail and entertainment venues, as well as a 5,000-capacity outdoor event pavilion. The project will also be anchored by an upscale full-service, 300-room convention hotel and 35,000 square feet of meeting/convention space. The hotel/convention facility will feature a leading brand and management team to be announced later, officials said. Texas Live! is part of a $4 billion vision for the Arlington Stadium District that features the Rangers’ new $1 billion ballpark and preservation of Globe Life Park.
Already announced for Texas Live! is PBR Country Bar, which is expected to have a 1,500-person capacity and a 7,000-square-foot balcony overlooking Arlington Backyard, an open-air entertainment facility. PBR stands for Professional Bull Riders Association and the flagship PBR bar at Texas Live! will be the largest PBR venue in the country. Guy Fieri, the Emmy-award winning chef, restaurateur, author and TV personality, is expected to launching a one-of-a-kind restaurant concept for the project and Revolver Brewing of Granbury plans a working brewery at Texas Live!
The family behind the iconic Lockhart Smokehouse will bring the Lockhart barbecue tradition to Texas Live! as well. That will include Kreuz Market sausage and other Texas standards including brisket, ribs and other meats smoked low and slow over Texas post oak.
The Rangers and Cordish also announced the creation of a Community Advisory Committee.
ARLINGTON ISD PLANS
K-12 FINE ARTS COMPLEX
The Arlington Independent School District will build its fine arts center, along with a district athletics complex, on property near Division and Collins streets that was the former site of the Eastern Star Home. The district acquired the property in December and will place both facilities in the Arlington Entertainment District.
“We are excited to locate these two facilities in the heart of the Entertainment District,” Board President Jamie Sullins said. “This location allows tremendous potential for partnerships that will benefit our students and provide them a truly outstanding education that will prepare them for the college or career of their choice.”
The fine arts center will include a 2,500-seat performance hall, a 400-seat theater, classroom space, art and dance studios, an instrument repair center and gallery space. It will serve the entire district, from pre-kindergarten through grade 12.
“The fine arts center is a hallmark of our 2014 bond program and will provide our students with a premier performance venue and exceptional opportunities to take innovative courses, such as [University of North Texas] dual-credit music, for years to come,” Superintendent Marcelo Cavazos said. “This facility will bring the best design elements of both professional venues and K-12 spaces together to create a world-class facility for our students and staff.”
School trustees selected HKS Architects to design the fine arts center. One of HKS’ partners in the design work is iD!BRi, a firm with strong acoustical experience that has worked on the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas and the New World Center in Miami Beach.
TO THE EAST, DIRT TURNED
FOR HOTEL IN IRVING
Irving’s entertainment district took a shovel forward on March 27 as officials broke ground for a convention center hotel that is set to open in 2018.
The $113 million Westin hotel is a key component to Irving’s plan to create a pedestrian-friendly visitors district. The hotel is designed to complement the Convention Center, the adjacent Irving Music Factory with its Live Nation amphitheater, and a collection of dining and entertainment venues scheduled to open this fall.
The Irving Music Factory, a 250,000-square-foot dining and entertainment project, plans to open Labor Day weekend in Las Colinas. The new 3-in-1, state-of-the-art venue can host 2,500 patrons in a theater setting or 4,000 for an indoor theater experience and can expand to an open-air pavilion for 8,000, according to Live Nation, a partner in the project.
The venue is part of a larger campus developed by the ARK Group that offers a wide selection of dining options and year-round entertainment.
Among the performers announced for the Irving Music Factory are Dave Chappelle, Brad Paisley, Jeff & Larry’s Backyard BBQ Festival featuring Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy, Goo Goo Dolls, Sin Bandera, Young the Giant, Matchbox 20, Scorpions, 2Cellos and Trevor Noah.
AND IN THE COLONY,
MORE GROUND BROKEN
Grandscape, the development in The Colony that currently houses Nebraska Furniture Mart, Rock and Brews and Hard Eight BBQ, among others, broke ground in March on a 100-plus-acre lifestyle center.
Previously announced anchors including Scheels All Sports and Galaxy Theatres will be joined by two new restaurants, Thirsty Lion Gastropub and Twigs Bistro & Martini Bar.
Thirsty Lion will open its second location in Texas in the Grandscape development in the fall of 2018. Based in Portland, Oregon, Thirsty Lion offers from-scratch cooking with a commitment to local and seasonal ingredients, according to a Grandscape news release.
Twigs Bistro & Martini Bar, a family-owned company from Spokane, Washington, incorporates fresh produce from local farms and offers local brews and wines. It is set to open in 2019.
FROST BANK SELLS
INDUSTRIAL SITE IN FW
Frost Bank has sold one of the few remaining developable sites in the Great Southwest Mark IV Industrial Park in North Fort Worth to LD Texas Investments LLC.
The 3.4-acre tract at 2500 Great Southwest Parkway is zoned heavy industrial and has all utilities in place, factors that drew offers from a number of users familiar with the location close to Interstate 35W.
“This buyer stood out for his terms in pricing and timing. From listing to closing, it took only four months to sell at market value,” said Wayne Burgdorf, associate broker and vice president of Coldwell Banker Commercial Advisors DFW in Arlington.
The site is located 500 feet from I-35W. It also has 278 feet of frontage along Great Southwest Parkway, facing the interstate. Large office/warehouses dot the developed sites of the 1,000-acre Mark IV Industrial Park, which is positioned midway between Alliance and Meacham airports.
“The buyer took it as-is. It is what it is – a ready-to-go development site inside the [820] Loop,” said Burgdorf, who said the transaction enabled Frost Bank to clear its books of a foreclosed commercial property.
Marty Rader of DFW Realty Partners represented the buyer.
OJOS LOCOS LEASES
ARLINGTON BUILDING
Ojos Locos Sports Cantina, a Latino-themed sports bar and Mexican restaurant, has leased a 6,500-square-foot freestanding restaurant building at 1620 E. Copeland Road in the heart of Arlington’s Entertainment District.
Gretchen Miller and Stephen Wise with Weitzman handled negotiations as leasing agents representing the property owner. Pete Podesta and Alden Harris with SHOP Companies represented the restaurant.
Ojos Locos, founded in 2010, operates restaurants in Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Antonio and El Paso, as well as in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
LEASES
Legendz Way Distribution Solution Ltd. has leased 66,609 square feet at GSW Gateway, Building 2, 3125 N. Great Southwest Parkway in Grand Prairie. Steve Koldyke of CBRE–Arlington represented the landlord.
Texas Family Fitness has leased 20,700 square feet at Cimarron Plaza Shopping Center, 1220-1424 Airport Freeway in Bedford. Randy Scott and Brad Quine of Quine & Associates Inc.-Dallas-Fort Worth represented the landlord.
Centralized Showing Services has leased 12,639 square feet at Westpark Centre, 150 Westpark Way in Euless. Seth Koschak and Tyler Maner of Stream Realty Partners LP-Fort Worth represented the landlord.
Oils 4 Us has leased 5,000 square feet at Berry 1, Building 1, 3815-3829 E. Loop 820 S. in Fort Worth. Daniel Hunt of Berkeley Partners Property Management-Dallas represented the landlord.
MK Custom Roofing has leased 3,533 square feet at Midway Business Park, 7331-7359 Airport Freeway in Richland Hills. Todd Hubbard and Michael Newsome of NAI Robert Lynn represented the landlord.
First Watch Daytime Cafe has leased 3,010 square feet at The Village at Sports Center, 5001-5005 S. Cooper St. in Arlington. Cameron Haddad and Bobby Montgomery of NAI Robert Lynn-Retail Division represented the landlord.
Compass Trading has leased 2,782 square feet at Gateway Station, 1185 N. Burleson Blvd. in Burleson. David Levinson of The Retail Connection represented the landlord.
Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation has leased 2,125 square feet at The Village at Sports Center, 5001-5005 S. Cooper St. in Arlington. Jordan Cluff of Woodcrest Capital LLC represented the landlord.
Conundrum Escape & Adventures has leased 1,700 square feet at Autumn Wood Professional Building, 2275 Westpark Court in Euless. Roger Smeltzer of Vision Commercial Real Estate represented the landlord.
Mattress & Furniture Liquidators of Fort Worth has leased 1,680 square feet at Ridgecrest Shopping Center, 4011 Benbrook Highway in Fort Worth. Carl Brown of SVN Commercial Realty-Trinity Advisors represented the landlord.
Fantastic Sam has leased 1,514 square feet at Green Oaks Shopping Center, 4001-4101 W. Green Oaks Blvd. in Arlington. Robert Roher of Global Realty & Management TX Inc. represented the landlord.
Blackbeard Resources has leased 9,505 square feet of office space located at 1751 River Run in Fort Worth. Grant Irvin of NAI Robert Lynn represented the tenant. Kirk Kelly of Transwestern represented the landlord.
MCM Enterprises Inc. has leased 15,900 square feet of office/warehouse space located at 351-365 Exchange Drive in Arlington. Patrick Embry of NAI Robert Lynn represented the tenant and Bill Bexley of JSC Realty & Investment Services represented the landlord.
Send real deals to Robert Francis at rfrancis@bizpress.net