NewsTalk Texas

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS - Huggins Honda has broken ground on a $12 million project to expand into the largest Honda franchise in the Metroplex.

“We bought about 34 homes behind us, and now we broke ground on the new store,” said general manager Ronnie Vaughan. The property will go from about 5.5 acres to 14 acres with more than 100,000 sf of space, including an expanded service department with 63 bays with lifts.

Vaughan said the project is expected to take 12 to 14 months to complete.

Read more at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

BURLESON - Four major water system projects are planned for 2013. The first project, a new elevated water storage tank, is underway.

Construction is underway at the southeast corner of Dobson St. and Hidden Creek Pkwy. The tank should complete during the summer 2014, according to project engineer Lance Barton.

The new tank was identified in the city’s master water plan as something the city needed for water storage capacity to meet state requirements as Burleson’s population continues to grow.

The tank will cost about $2.5 million to build. When complete, it will stand 120 feet tall and hold 1 million gallons of water.

Read more at the Cleburne Times-Review.

DALLAS-FORT WORTH - Starbucks Corp. opened ten locations of its Seattle’s Best Coffee chain on May 20, 2013, which was the largest number of openings in a single market on a single day in Starbucks’ history.

DeSoto-based Palomar Modular Buildings LLC built the ten new stores — each is 523 sf.

In total, the stores employ approximately 150 full-time and part-time workers.

There will be at least 14 company-owned locations open in Dallas-Fort Worth by the end of summer 2013.

There are about 150 Starbucks stores in the DFW area. The company chose Dallas-Fort Worth as the first market outside of Seattle to host the new Seattle’s Best prototype in part because of the workforce growth and stable economy.

Read more at the Dallas Morning News.

DALLAS - Dallas City Council has approved a lease agreement that will bring about the construction of the 400-acre Trinity Forest Golf Course. The City of Dallas, AT&T Inc., and Southern Methodist University are building the Trinity River Golf Course on an old landfill at Loop 12 near Interstate 45 in southern Dallas.

The council authorized a 40-year lease agreement with the Company of Trinity Forest Golfers, the nonprofit entity that will control the Trinity River Golf Course, which is expected to cost $20 million to $60 million to develop.

The Four Seasons in Irving has played home to the Byron Nelson Championship since 1983. The tournament is scheduled to move to Dallas in 2019.

"The new golf course will address specific needs that are not being met at the current location, such as the golf course design," said Jeremy Stone, a real estate consultant of Wylie-based Stone Hospitality Real Estate, which specializes in market studies and feasibility work for the golf industry.

"This will bring people to downtown Dallas and strengthen the core," Stone said, adding that AT&T's clout could bring more events to the Trinity River Golf Course.

Read more at the Dallas Business Journal.

For previous story see Dallas, AT&T, SMU golf trio for South Dallas?

DALLAS - The eight-story, 150,000-sf McKinney Place in Uptown has been purchased by Dallas-based Velocis Fund. Uptown is one of North Texas’ best performing office markets.

The 28-year-old building, located at 3131 McKinney Ave., was sold by an affiliate of KBS Realty Advisors. It is valued for taxes at about $24 million.

Read more at the Dallas Morning News.

GRAND PRAIRIE - Veilux Manufacturing has announced the opening of its new 27,500-sf corporate headquarters at 802 Greenview Dr. The facility houses the corporate offices, a training center that can train up to 75 to 100 people, a storefront display, technical support, distribution, and a brand new manufacturing facility.

The manufacturer of surveillance cameras and related equipment will be starting their "Made in the U.S.A." product line in Grand Prairie.

Veilux’s new manufacturing facility is scheduled to open in June 2013. The facility will be equipped to manufacture IP cameras, analog cameras and other surveillance equipment.

Read more at SourceSecurity.com.

ROANOKE - Saddle Creek Logistics Services of Lakeland, Fla., has leased 287,000 sf of warehouse space at Gateway 50 at 743 Henrietta Creek Road in Hillwood’s AllianceTexas development. The company took occupancy in April 2013.

The deal brings first quarter 2013 leasing activity at Alliance in far north Fort Worth to 1 million sf, according to Hillwood Properties.

Saddle Creek will operate in the 1 million-sf warehouse mostly leased by Tom Thumb, said Reid Goetz, marketing manager with Hillwood.

Saddle Creek also operates an 860,000-sf warehouse at 4600 Railhead Rd. in Fort Worth. The company also operates two Grand Prairie facilities totaling 900,000 sf.

Read more at the Fort Worth Business Press and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

RED OAK, ELLIS COUNTY - Ground has broken on Triumph Aerostructures' new $170 million aerospace production facility in the 175-acre Red Oak Industrial Park. The facility will manufacture integrated aerostructures for commercial, military and business jet aircraft.

The 714,000-sf assembly and composites fabrication facility (known as Building 2) will be home to Triumph’s Vought Aircraft Division and will initially employ 175 workers. Work is also underway on a 50,000-sf building for engineers and executives within the company.

Building 1, a 240,000-sf, $70 million building at the site, was completed in September 2012. It currently employs 275 workers.

The entire Triumph site has the long-term potential to employ 600 workers, according to Red Oak City Manager Todd Fuller.

Source: KBR

GRAND PRAIRIE - Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc., a high-end furniture and decorations company, plans to hire more than 300 employees for its new $22 million, 850,000-sf distribution facility.

The facility, located at SH 161 and Arkansas Ln., will serve as the California-based company's new southwest regional distribution hub and fulfillment center. The operation also includes a call center.

The facility is scheduled for completion by July 1, 2013.

Read more at the Dallas Business Journal.

DALLAS - The Connor Group has sold Park Gates at City Place, a 228-unit apartment property located at 4211 Cabell Dr.

The Connor Group owned the East Dallas property for six years before selling it to the new undisclosed investor and expects to give its investors a 60 percent return on investment.

Earlier this month, The Connor Group sold The Reserve at the Galleria, a 301-unit apartment property in the Galleria area of Dallas, to a limited liability company.

Read more at the Dallas Business Journal.

DENTON - Barnes & Noble College will begin operating the University of North Texas bookstore in August 2013 as part of a new 12-year contract worth an estimated $20 million.

As part of the contract, Barnes & Noble College will provide and construct an interim bookstore facility while the new UNT Union is under construction. Barnes & Noble College will occupy and pay for 28,500 sf in the new student union.

Until the new student union is built, the bookstore will be housed in a temporary structure at the corner of Ave. C and Chestnut St. Barnes & Noble College will replace Follett Corp., which took over operations in 1995 from the university.

Read more at the Denton Record-Chronicle.

PLANO - Granite Properties' $150 million speculative office tower and the four-star, 299-key Hilton Granite Park conference hotel have broken ground. Both projects slated for completion in mid-2014.

The two new structures are part of the existing 90-acre development located at the Sam Rayburn Tollway (SH 121) and the Dallas North Tollway.

The 12-story, 300,000-sf Class A office tower, known as Granite Park IV, is being built to achieve LEED Silver certification, featuring energy efficient building systems, unique exterior lighting elements, as well as a fitness center, conference space and a five-level garage.

The 262,500-sf Hilton Granite Park conference hotel includes 299 luxury rooms and 35,000 sf of conference space, a full-service restaurant, retail shop, a fitness center and outdoor pool and lounge. The lobby includes a large bar area and a unique, multipurpose technology lounge.

Granite Properties is a privately held commercial real estate investment and management company.

Read more at WebWire.

PLANO, HOUSTON - Colleyville-based US Memory Care has started construction on two new 57,000-sf facilities offering specialized care for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia. The projects will be located in Plano, at the corner of Silverglen Ln. and Mapleshade Dr., and in Houston at Louetta Rd. and Cutten Rd.

Both Facilities will employ 45 to 50 people and will include 75 memory care beds with private and semi-private rooms. Construction on both projects will begin in early 2013 with opening anticipated in the late fall, and each cost about $14 million. 

Construction is expected to be completed on both facilities in first quarter 2014.

Both locations will feature a “Main Street” themed common area that will include a beauty salon and barber shop, movie theater, private dining area, relaxation room, music hall and sweet shop.

Read more at Senior Housing News.

ROCKWALL - Construction is underway on the seven-story Trend Tower at 100 Sunset Ridge Dr. The tower is the first phase of a $250 million commercial and residential project called “Harbor Heights” on the hill above The Harbor.

Developed by Heath-based Sterling One Properties, the corporate tower will provide 100,000 sf of office and retail space along with meeting rooms and a restaurant available to the public overlooking the Dallas skyline.

Construction costs for the tower are estimated at $10 million, with a scheduled completion of November 2013. High-end restaurants and a medical tower are expected to follow soon.

Trend HR will be the anchor of the office tower, which is expected to be just the first of several office towers to be built in Harbor Heights.

Read more at Pegasus News.

FLOWER MOUND, ARGYLE- Developers broke ground on a 1,200-acre community called Canyon Falls.

The project will be located both in Flower Mound and neighboring Argyle and is located along FM 1171 east of I-35W. With the shortage of home building lots in North Texas, developers are rushing to get new subdivisions underway.

Conn.-based Wheelock Street Capital purchased the land from an affiliate of Highland Capital Management.

About 1,750 single-family homes, apartments, shopping and commercial space will be developed on the property.

Home sales are set to start in about a year, with prices from around $250,000 to more than $400,000. Manna Land will develop the project for the owners.

Read more at The Dallas Morning News.

Listen to Podcast 172 for this story...and more!

DENTON - The 360,000-sf Target Distribution Center recently opened on 50 acres at 3255 Airport Rd.

The facility is one of only four food distribution centers for Target Corp. It ships more than 5,500 different types of grocery products to 235 stores throughout Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee.-

The center employs 140 people with a median age of 40 years old. The median household income of employees is $64,000 and 57 percent have completed college.

The total volume of the building is 19.9 million cubic feet, big enough to fit 3,856 semitrailers. The facility also has enough space to hold over 150 million gallons of water.

Read more at the Denton Record-Chronicle and NewsTalk Texas.

DALLAS - A year after Victory Park’s 28-story House condominium tower started offering rentals, the high-rise is about 80 percent occupied.

The luxury residential tower on the northwest edge of downtown Dallas came on the market just as the recession hit. One year ago it was less than 20 percent occupied.

Lender HSH Nordbank AG foreclosed on the 112 unsold units in the property in 2012.

Premier Communities is filling up the building with a combination of sales, purchase options and rentals. As of May 2013, 32 units have been sold, 51 are leased with an option to buy and another 23 are standard leases.

With the options, a portion of the tenants’ $2,700 to $3,750 monthly rent is put into escrow for a future purchase.

Read more at The Dallas Morning News.

OAK CLIFF - Stratford Land has broken ground on a large mixed-use development, called The Canyon in Oak Cliff. Plans for the 211-acre project include up to 7,500 residential units, 1,000 hotel rooms, 1.2 million sf of office space and 800,000 sf of retail space.

Along with the project, the eastbound ramp of eastbound I-30 exit ramp at Westmoreland Rd. will be relocated to give The Canyon in Oak Cliff access to a three-lane frontage road.

The soon-to-be constructed Margaret McDermott Bridge will help feed into this project, along with other developments in north Oak Cliff.

Read more at the Dallas Morning News.

GARLAND - Galt Medical Corp. is set to lay off 139 workers in its plant at 2220 Merritt Dr., according to a notification to the Texas Workforce Commission.

The plant will close in stages over the next two years, beginning Sept. 30, 2013. “The announced layoff is the result of a plant closing which will affect the entire facility and is expected to be permanent,” the notification says.

Galt Medical is a subsidiary of Theragenics Corp., a medical device company for the surgical products and prostate cancer treatment markets. Galt specializes in disposable medical devices.

Read more at the Dallas Business Journal.

IRVING - The MetLife Home Loan division is set to eliminate 116 jobs over the next year. MetLife Bank's Home Loans division is being sold, and the company will be exiting the mortgage-servicing business.

The City of Irving and the Texas Workforce Commission received a Worker Adjustment Retraining and Notification Act (WARN) letter on May 6 from the New York City-based bank.

The layoffs will start June 30, 2013, and continue in phases through April 30, 2014.

Read more at the Dallas Business Journal.