Tom Thumb To Town CenTer?

Tom Thumb may build a new store in the Lake Highlands Town Center, according to commercial real estate sources.

Town Center developer Prescott Realty’s original design includes a 25,000-square-foot grocery store anchoring the project near the southeast corner of Walnut Hill and Skillman. Tom Thumb’s typical store is much bigger than this allotted space, and the grocer already has two stores nearby — a 78,000-squarefoot store at Skillman and Abrams, and a 52,000 square-foot store at Skillman and Royal in Royal Highlands Plaza.

But the real estate pros, who asked to remain anonymous, tell us that Tom Thumb would likely close both stores if it opens a new Town Center store.

If that’s the case, “I wouldn’t imagine them going down much more” in size than the existing stores, says Ethan Slavin, director of leasing for JAH Realty, which owns current Tom Thumb landlord Royal Highlands Plaza. Slavin says he is “hearing the same rumors” about Tom Thumb closing its neighboring stores and consolidating at the Town Center, but adds, “we’ll probably be the last to know.”

The leasing agent for the Skillman-Abrams center housing Tom Thumb, Marcia Minton, declined to comment, referring all questions to Tom Thumb. Tom Thumb also didn’t respond, and Prescott says: “We don’t have any comments or updates at this time.”

David Cossum, City of Dallas assistant director of sustainable development and construction, says a grocery store larger than originally planned at the Town Center wouldn’t require Prescott to go through another public hearing zoning process. The city’s Planned Development regulations for the Town Center allow for up to 300,000 non-residential square feet in the quadrant containing the prospective grocery store, so Tom Thumb could build a much larger grocery store than originally planned “as long as they could comply with the build-to regulations and any other requirements with TIF [Tax Increment Financing],” Cossum says.

However, Cossum says about the larger store footprint, “obviously, it’s not what was envisioned as a walkable development.”

Councilman Jerry Allen says the Skillman TIF requirements “wouldn’t affect any plans” for a larger grocery store: “Our whole objective on the Town Center is making sure it is a success, and we, quite frankly, have been working with Prescott to make sure that happens.”

The successful November wet-dry election means any grocery store anchoring the Town Center will be allowed to sell wine and beer, pending a threatened lawsuit challenging the election. Tom Thumb’s SkillmanAbrams store is in a previously wet area, but the Royal Highlands Plaza Tom Thumb is in a previously dry area.

Large, mixed-use developments such as the Town Center — a combination of retail, restaurant, office and residential space — “are going to be few and far between” in the immediate future because they aren’t financially feasible in today’s economic environment, says Regency Centers managing director John Delatour.

David Wilson, connected development services president for The Retail Connection, says the problem with mixed-use developments is that they include too many different components.

“The Lake Highlands Town Center is a project that looks good, and the customers in the area really desire it to happen, but it is so hard to put together all those components at the same time,” Wilson says.

LH DART sTATion oPens THis monTH

On Dec. 6, riders can begin boarding DART’s Lake Highlands Rail station. It’s the line’s “first infill station,” DART spokesman Morgan Lyons says, meaning it’s being added to the Blue Line in a spot where the Blue Line is currently operating, rather than being constructed as part of a new line or being tacked on to one end of an existing line.

The station is just north of Walnut Hill and east of Skillman, and because of the Town Center’s mixeduse design, the station was designated a “kiss and ride” rather than a “park and ride”, meaning users will be either dropped off (hence the goodbye kiss) or among what DART believes will be thousands of people eventually living within walking distance of the station. Prescott included 1,700 residential units in its Town Center design, but no residences are expected to be constructed until Prescott secures retail businesses.

On-site parking is limited to 62 spots west of the Lake Highlands station. New bus routes beginning Dec. 6 will take riders directly to the station via Whistle Stop Place, a new road off Walnut Hill that leads to the station.

LH PLAZA SOLD; BULK TO BE RESIDENTIAL

Christon Company has closed on its purchase of Lake Highlands Plaza and plans to convert much of the vacant retail space on the southwest corner of Audelia and Walnut Hill into residential property. The 7-Eleven and the L-shaped building that wraps around it (which includes Highlands Cafe and T. Hee Greetings), will remain, says Jim Christon, who says he’s managing the project for two investors who asked not to be named.

The rest of the center will be torn down, and in its place will be about 20 homes, each between 3,500 and 4,000 square feet and costing between $650,000 to $700,000, Christon says.

Converting retail property to residential property, Christon says, “may be unusual, but it’s not going to be unusual, especially in Lake Highlands — there’s too much retail, and the retail business is not what it used to be Cities like Dallas are going to have to learn that. If they don’t, then you’re going to have rundown retail with tenants that are not desirable.”

Lake Highlands Plaza was purchased out of foreclosure, and among bidders for the property were The Retail Connection and Lake Highlands United Methodist Church. Now that Christon’s group has closed on the property, he says homes should be on the market within about two years. Christon says he hasn’t yet found builders, but says he’s confident that won’t be a problem because of the demand for this kind of project.

The project also will require a zoning change from commercial to residential. Lake Highlands’ councilman Jerry Allen says “it’s pretty much the general consensus that neighbors there would look favorably” toward such a project.

Allen also says “we will do some things on the city level with the infrastructure,” indicating he intends to help the project receive Tax Increment Financing (TIF) reimbursement from the city for items such as roads, sidewalks, streetlights and utility set-up. The project is located within the boundaries of the Skillman Corridor TIF.

“If I had my druthers,” Allen says, the retail property across Audelia from Christon’s project will be the second retail-to-residential project in Lake Highlands.

“I would have hoped to already have gotten control of that other location. It’s an eyesore to some degree,” Allen says. “I’d love to be able to mirror exactly what we do on the west side and make it happen on the east side.” —KERI

MITCHELL

TO READ MORE, visit advocatemag.com and search: “Lake Highlands Town Center” and “Lake Highlands Plaza”.

A Lake Highlands High School course is pairing local students and businesses together for a work-study program. A few local businesses giving back include White Rock North Private School, Medallion Animal Clinic and State Farm Insurance-Kay Patel. Amy Lowe, who is teaching the high school’s new Practicum in Business Management course, says the hands-on course is making a big impact on students. Because of the program’s success, the number of students applying next year is anticipated to increase, so Lowe is hoping to round up even more local business to participate. If you are an interested LH shop owner or office manager, email Lowe at amy.lowe@richardson.k12.tx.us.

Papa Murphy’s Pizza 1 is opening on the northeast corner of Northwest Highway and Plano Road in a newly constructed brick retail center. Papa Murphy’s, a chain with more than 1,150 stores, is known for its take-and-bake pizza concept, although its menu also includes cheesy bread, salads and desserts. The company launched in 1981 and has restaurants in 35 states across the country. Customers can drop in and grab a standard menu item, or create a custom pizza to-go.

On that same side of town, S’Nails, a new nail salon and spa, opened in suite 1615 in the retail center near Kroger on Plano Road and Northwest Highway. To celebrate the grand opening, services are 20 percent off, and customers can currently get a pedicure for $16.

Doctors Express 2 ,a national urgent-care franchise, opened its first North Texas center in November. Located at Royal and Skillman in Royal HighlandsPlaza, the 2,515-square-foot center includes a triage room, four exam rooms, lab, digital X-ray and an electronic medical record system. Franchise owner Carol Ansley describes Doctors Express as “the convenient, affordable and easily accessible high-quality health care choice when [neighbors] cannot get an appointment with their primary care physician, or they need urgent care.” The center accepts most insurance plans, and is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and weekends from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.Walk-ins are welcome; no appointment is needed. The center promises that patients will always be treated by a physician, board certified in either family practice or internal medicine, and that most patients will be seen in 15 minutes.

After 20 years in business, Sweet Temptations Café 3 has closed its doors. Owners Clare and

Hans van Loenen opted not to renew their lease in the shopping center at Skillman and Audelia. Famous for its ST Crabcakes and Lake Highlands Rock Cake (often washed down with apricot tea), ST Café has been a frequent recipient of many “best of ...” (fill in the blank: bakery, dessert, sweet treats, etc.) awards and nominations over the years, often credited to made-from-scratch icing and dessert recipes handed down from the original owners 50 years ago. An excerpt from a note the van Loenens posted on the restaurant’s website says, “Clare and I would like to thank you, our loyal customers, for the wonderful support you have given us over the years ...You have become dear friends ...we will close our doors with great sadness in our hearts.”

If you’re looking for another local favorite to fill your sweet tooth void, a few other “best” businesses in the same category are Casa Linda Bakery, casalindabakery.com (10819 Garland Road), and Cake Ball Company 4 , cakeballs.com (10230 East Northwest Highway). And, recognized as one of Ellen Degeneres’ “Top 10 Cupcake” award recipients, Society Bakery (which now has a Medical City location) is running a delicious deal to celebrate its seventh anniversary in business. Throughout December, patrons celebrating birthdays with a “seven” in them (17, 27, 70, 1975) will receive a free cupcake or whoopie pie. Also, patrons who buy three products will receive a fourth bakery item free. Visit societybakery.com for details.

Join the discussion.

Visit the Advocate blog at lakehighlands.advocatemag.com/blog