2 Denton Business Chronicle
Business Spotlight
Monthly News Recap
Apr. 2014
3-2
Organization recognizes community leaders
Photo by Al Key
The site in front of Golden Triangle Mall where Pollo Tropical will build its restaurant is shown in Denton.
Golden Triangle Mall to retain, upgrade Dillard’s By Steve Brown | The Dallas Morning News
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major victory has been won in the battle for Denton consumers’ retail dollars and shopping habits. Developers have been busy since last year remodeling 34year-old Golden Triangle Mall on Interstate 35E, the heart of Denton’s largest shopping district. Competing developers have been trying to lure away the mall’s Dillard’s department store. But developer Cencor Realty Services and its partner MGHerring Group have just reached an agreement to retain and upgrade Dillard’s, officials with the Arkansas-based retailer confirm. It’s a huge win for a shopping mall that’s undergoing an eye-catching $30 million renovation. “We are going to expand and remodel their store,” said Cencor’s top officer, Herb Weitzman. “This is a big deal for Dillard’s and the mall.” Keeping the Dillard’s store is a validation for the developers, who almost three years ago bought the mall out of foreclosure. Back then the property was a
tired, darkly lit shopping center with rising vacancy rates and dismal prospects. Open-air retail centers opening up in Denton County were lining up to pick off the old mall’s tenants. But despite its age and dowdy looks, Golden Triangle had a great location at the southeast entrance to the city. And it is surrounded by acres of smaller, successful shopping strips. “The reason for this to survive is it’s the best location in Denton,” Weitzman said. “We took the risk when we bought it and had no new tenants yet. “We had the confidence in this location and bit the bullet.” Weitzman and his partners, along with Denton city leaders, felt that the old mall could be successful given a design and marketing reboot. The owners have rebuilt both the exterior and inside of Golden Triangle, with updated architecture and bigger skylights to bring more light in. “The whole feel of the property has changed,” general manager Matt Ludemann said. “We have brought nine new retailing ten-
ants to Denton, and three more are coming.” The mall is more than 90 percent leased. New tenants include Charlotte Russe, Body Central and Pro Image Sports. Out front in the parking lot, Pollo Tropical and Corner Bakery restaurants are being constructed. J.C. Penney has started remodeling its Golden Triangle store. And Barnes & Noble has renewed its lease as an anchor of the mall. “We have three big-box tenants we are talking to,” Weitzman said. Dillard’s will add about 30,000 square feet of space to its remodeled store, which will be repositioned close to the center of the mall. Revamping old shopping centers to meet new consumer tastes is one of the largest segments of the retail development business. “Remodeling is the name of the game now,” Weitzman said. “Our firm is renovating nine of its centers. “There is a huge amount of effort going into these transformations.”
From helping rid Southeast Denton of drugs and other crimes, to changing law enforcement culture and helping local residents in need, they’ve touched many lives in the area. Now the Southeast Denton Neighborhood Association is repaying the favors, honoring Lenn Carter, Cleopatra Birckbichler, Fred Hill and Leonard Logan Jr. recently for their years of contributions to the community. “Those four have done a lot for the neighborhood,” said Colette Johnson, president of the neighborhood association. “Cleo and Lenn started with the neighborhood group. Fred Hill has owned the only black funeral home in Denton and helped people in need. Leonard had his barbershop. …Those four have been really helpful and just made contributions in the neighborhood.” The Denton Record-Chronicle spoke to these leaders about their involvement in the community. Carter’s work in the community began about 15 years ago when his patrol assignment as a sergeant included Southeast Denton. For more than 30 years, Fred Hill owned People’s Funeral Home in Southeast Denton until selling the business in 2007. “Everyone in Denton knows Fred Hill,” Johnson said. While he provided funeral services for many residents over that time, he would also step in when people needed help with funeral costs, she said. Cleo Birckbichler was a patrol officer near the time SEDNA first started and often came to the meetings as a part of her police duties — “to attend, take notes and whatever complaints people had and formulate a plan to take care of any issues,” she said. While he cuts fewer heads of
hair these days, Leonard Logan Jr. is still going strong in the community. Johnson said she wanted to honor him for the 50 years of service he has given to the community. Logan’s Barber Shop was a gathering spot for people of all ages. “Logan’s Barber Shop helped all the elderly men without transportation, being right there in the neighborhood,” Johnson said. 3-3
County lake levels remain low Water levels at Denton County’s most popular lakes remain below normal because of the drought across Texas, posing potential problems for boaters and other recreational users as warmer weather approaches. All the lakes maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer on the Trinity River system are below their conservation pool, except Navarro, said Clay Church, public affairs specialist for the Corps’ Fort Worth district. Navarro, he said, is just a hair over its conservation pool. “We haven’t recovered,” he said. “The rain hasn’t happened to refill those lakes.” Corps officials plan to start a campaign in about a month to inform people about the low lake levels, Church said. “If they go out there today, they may see stumps and run into things that may usually be under water,” he said. Lewisville Lake, which provides water for both the cities of Dallas and Denton, was at 514.27 feet above sea level last month, about seven inches below the 521.08-foot level on the same date in 2011. “It’s low because a majority of the state of Texas is in drought,” he said. “[But] we’re releasing water. | CONTINUED ON PAGE 14