Texas' Small Businesses Booming

TEXAS (Dallas Morning News) – The Lone Star State has managed to gain small businesses despite the recession, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy.

As the number of self-employed workers fell 2 percent nationwide to 15.9 million last year, Texas figures rose nearly 2 percent to 1.1 million.

The Small Business Economy report indicated a 1.4 percent rise in the number of Texas employer firms, to 449,681. Meanwhile, the number of U.S. employer firms remained flat at 6.1 million.

Nearly 90 percent of those businesses are estimated to employ fewer than 20 people.

Pickens Postpones Pampa Project

PAMPA (Houston Chronicle) – Texas oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens has announced that he is delaying — not canceling — his so-called Pampa project.

The $10 billion wind energy project will be postponed until 2013 when a $4.9 billion transmission line is expected to be completed.

"Financing is tough right now, so what is going to happen is it's going to be pushed back a year or two," said Pickens, whose company, Mesa Power LLP, ordered 667 wind turbines from General Electric Co. for delivery in first quarter 2011.

Pickens has yet to decide whether the turbines will be used elsewhere or stored until the Pampa project resumes.

Vote for Best Blog

• Dallas Dirt
• Crossland Team at Keller-Williams Realty in Austin
• Beal Century 21 Real Estate in Bryan–College Station
• Swamplot, a Houston-area blog

Cast your vote with and send your comments to Associate Editor Bryan Pope.

Famed Movie Set Closes to Public

BRACKETTVILLE (San Antonio Express-News) – Moviegoers probably remember it as the set of the 1960 John Wayne film "The Alamo," but owners of the 500-acre Alamo Village compound have announced its indefinite closure to the public.

Owner J.T. Shahan hopes to "reconstruct management and possibly redirect our efforts toward new positive goals."

The famed locale is still available for large events such as trail rides and weddings, and movie producers are still being encouraged to shoot there.

Located 120 miles west of San Antonio, Alamo Village has been the scene of scores of movies, TV shows, commercials and other video productions.

Save the Date!

COLLEGE STATION (Real Estate Center) – Mark your calendars for the 20th Annual Outlook for Texas Land Markets.

The conference will be May 6–7, 2010, at the Omni Hotel in San Antonio.

Registration opens in 2010.

$160 Million Pours Into Water Projects

WASHINGTON (Austin Business Journal) – The Texas Water Development Board has been awarded $160 million to help finance the cost of replacing aging water infrastructure.

Environmental Protection Agency officials say the funds, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will allow state and local governments to invest in projects essential to protecting public health and the environment.

The money allocated to Texas will be used for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program, ultimately providing low-interest loans for drinking water systems to finance infrastructure improvements.

Texas' $160 million is part of $2 billion being provided nationwide by the EPA.

MetroRail Rides Into New Territory

HOUSTON (Houston Business Journal) – July 13 will mark the groundbreaking for the next phase of the MetroRail.

Construction will begin on the North rail corridor, connecting to the Red Line at the University of Houston–Downtown and ending at the Northline Station on Fulton and Deerfield Streets near Northline Mall.

Work will also commence on the Southeast rail corridor, beginning near I-45 downtown and ending near the proposed Palm Center Transit Center on Griggs Rd.

The process will be in four phases with scheduled completion in 2012.

Victory Park Transferred

DALLAS (Dallas Morning News) – Hillwood Development Co. has completed the shift of ownership in its Victory Park project to a German investment group.

The developer behind the mixed-use development located northwest of downtown Dallas has transferred ownership of the buildings to US Treuhand as part of a debt restructuring deal.

US Treuhand provided more than $185 million to develop Victory.

Hillwood — which will retain management rights — gave up its stake in the buildings when it could no longer meet the original terms of the debt on the properties.

Vacant land within the project is still under the control of Hillwood.

More Interwood Action

HOUSTON (Wolff Companies) – Eighteen months after announcing new hotels and a 42,000-sf office complex at Interwood, developer Wolff Companies has more projects on tap within the 440-acre business park.

Denver-based Urban Group is completing construction of a 62,000-sf, Class-A, two-story office building at 15109 Heathrow Forest Pkwy.

Cabot Properties of Boston has purchased 23 acres at John F. Kennedy Blvd. and Interwood S. Pkwy. for a multibuilding flex development. Work on phase one — two buildings totaling 208,600 sf — will begin this summer.

CCIB Interwood has purchased 12.5 acres for a 70,000-sf build-to-suit technology center for Halliburton. It is expected to be completed in the fall.

Austin-based Live Oak–Gottesman is building a 35,000-sf facility at Interwood S. Pkwy. and Heathrow Forest Pkwy. The property is being developed for the U.S. Customs and Border Control Protection Services. Completion is expected this summer.

Schulz USA Inc. has begun work on phase one of its new North American headquarters and distribution center. The first phase will consist of a 56,880-sf building.

Interwood is at Beltway 8 and John F. Kennedy Blvd.

Austin H-E-B Plus Underway

AUSTIN (Austin American-Statesman) – Work is underway on a new H-E-B Plus store at E. Riverside Dr. and S. Pleasant Valley Rd.

The new 104,000-sf store will replace the 60,000-sf store located next door.

The current Riverside store will be demolished, allowing for twice the parking at the new store.

The H-E-B Plus will employ about 350 people, 135 more than the former location.

The project is scheduled to be completed in March or April.

Full Property Tax Exemption for Texas Veterans

AUSTIN (North Texas e-News) – A new law allows certain Texas veterans to apply for exemption from 100 percent of their local property taxes. The exemption applies only to the person's residential homestead property.

Under HB 3613, which became law during the recent legislative session, the homeowner must receive 100 percent disability compensation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to qualify for the exemption.

To apply, veterans must complete the State Comptroller's Form 50-764 and submit it to the appraisal district office along with a copy of their driver’s license or ID card and a copy of the VA Disability Award Letter from the Department of Veteran Affairs showing the 100 percent service-connected disability.

On the Road Again . . . and Again . . . and Again

COLLEGE STATION (Texas Transportation Institute) – A recent traffic congestion study by the Texas Transportation Institute found that motorists in the Metroplex and Houston spend far more time gridlocked than travelers in other Texas cities.

Drivers in Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington were stuck in traffic 140.7 million hours in 2007, ranking it fifth in the United States when it comes to time lost because of travel delays. Houstonions, meanwhile, were held up for a total of 123.9 million hours, ranking the city ninth.

According to the study, DFW motorists paid an additional $2.8 billion in fuel because of the delays. Houston drivers paid an additional $2.5 billion.

Here's how other Texas cities fared:

BOMA International Recognizes Whole Foods Headquarters

AUSTIN (BOMA International) – An Austin building was among the 14 honored at the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International’s annual conference last month in Philadelphia.

The Whole Foods Market World Headquarters Building won The Office Building of the Year (TOBY) Award in the 100,000- to 249,999-sf division.

The property is managed by Schlosser Development Corp. and owned by LSA/WF Project Ltd.

Pilot Program Story Correction

COLLEGE STATION (Real Estate Center) – Tuesday's issue of RECON included a story about a pilot program for property tax appeals in certain Texas counties. Among the counties listed was Dallas County.

Daniel Gonzalez, director of legislative affairs with the Texas Association of Realtors, has informed us that Dallas County was not included in the final bill signed into law, and the pilot program will not take place there.