Rockwall Projects

[rantanamo]

OK, I'll say it now. I like Rockwall. The whole waterfront, the mansions, the hills. Well, these are interesting tidbits I found.

The Harbor. I like the sound of it. Is there anything like this in the metroplex?

12/18/2003 Projects will change Rockwall's face
Groundbreakings are planned in early February for two developments that promise to change the face of Rockwall. One is The Harbor, a lakeside retail-commercial center with waterfront plazas, a 191-room Hilton Hotel and conference center, and a 12-screen Cinemark theater. It is designed as a 38-acre, $71 million public-private complex of shops, offices, restaurants and waterfront plazas on the Lake Ray Hubbard shoreline just south of Interstate 30. The other project is Rockwall Commons, a four-story mix of shops, apartments and offices on Ridge Road that will be the city’s first plunge into urban-style living. Formerly called Legacy Place, Rockwall Commons will be an 8.5-acre, $24 million-plus development south of the Brookshire’s grocery store on Ridge Road. The main four-story building will have shops and office space on the first floor with one-, two- and three-bedroom homes above. Plans call for 202 apartments in all.


Rockwall Commons. Sounds neat.

12/18/2003 Uptown-style project planned for Rockwall
Developers and architects have received approval for an apartment and commercial complex that would be right at home on McKinney Avenue in Dallas. But this one will be on an eight-acre site on Ridge Road in Rockwall. Called Rockwall Commons, the project will contain 202 apartments, 25,000 square feet of office space and 20,000 square feet of retail space in a series of four-story buildings. Construction will start early next year on the complex. The development will cost about $25 million. The project should take about 12 to 14 months to build.



1/14/2004 Rockwall Commons approved
City officials approved the site plan for a massive, eight-acre mixed-use development located south of the Brookshire’s center on Ridge Road. The facility will feature 202 multifamily units, office and retail space – all in one complex. Developers estimate the property will be worth 25 million dollars, and will be the most lucrative asset to date on the city’s tax rolls.



Wow, they are serious about this urban thing

City denies apartment complex (Rockwall)
Rockwall’s city council denied a 54-acre, 608-unit residential complex near the Interstate 30-Farm-to-Market Road 549 intersection. The council agreed to deny the request without prejudice, allowing developer Rob Whittle to resubmit the project at a later date after further discussions with the Rockwall Economic Development Corporation and city staff. Planning Director Robert LaCroix said while the city’s comprehensive plan suggests officials embrace houses, mixed-use facilities and townhomes, only the council could decide whether Whittle’s project merited a zoning change.

[gc]

Interesting stuff rantanamo. I like Rockwall too. In fact, I have been trying to find the documentation about this project for sometime. My brother lives in Rockwall about 1/4 mile from where this huge new development will be. Apparently, the majority of the residents are on board, the design has been approved, and it has the funding.

Needless to say, my brother and his kids are very excited about this project.

[tamtagon]

Is the DART train running in Rockwall yet? Planners in Frisco have reason to worry about Rockwall.

[dallastophoenix]

i think it will run to rowlett, across the lake from where this development will take place...

[rantanamo]

The current plans only run to Rowlett, and that's not until 2013(2010 originally). Interestingly enough, I believe DART owns the ROW for a railroad track that runs parallel to I-30. I would guess this may be a future commuter rail line, maybe linked from downtown Garland or Rowlett stations. If you've ever travelled I-30 to downtown in the morning, you know there is plenty of demand for a line in that direction. Once 190 reaches I-30 I think you may start seeing much more development in south Garland, Rowlett and Rockwall.

Yes, Frisco does have to worry about Rockwall. It's already the fastest growing county in the nation. It's really pretty to look at. It also already has finished freeway in it's city limits, and just as much cheap land as Frisco. They've already landed a few larger warehouse and distribution deals. I would imagine that area being very attractive to development, considering they've zoned for these things already. What many may not know because of it being overshadowed by the northern march, is the eastern March. I used to work in Terrell and Forney, so I was a regular in the Heath, Rockwall, Terrell, Forney area. This area is nothing like it used to be just 5 years ago. It's kind of quietly booming. There are developments all the way to Royse City. 5 years ago these was nothing but cotton fields and roadside firework stands.

[gc]

60M Mixed-Use Project Ready to Break Ground
By Connie Gore - Wednesday, July 14, 2004 07:51pm
http://www.globest.com/news/72_72/dallas/124493-1.html

ROCKWALL, TX-Culminating three years of deal making, Whittle Development Co. and a lineup of local, county and state officials Friday will break ground on a $60-million, mixed-use project overlooking Lake Ray Hubbard. A 12-screen theater lease has set the charge for the long-awaited start. In a three-phase build-out, the Harbor will dock 225,000 sf of lifestyle retail, 20,000 sf of office space and a 200-plus room Hilton Hotel and Conference Center at the water's edge and within eyeshot of Interstate 30 to create a one-of-a-kind development in North Texas. Cinemark Inc., headquartered in Plano, TX, signed a long-term lease for 39,081 sf after negotiating for a year to anchor the 121,000-sf first phase, says Mike Geisler with Venture Commercial Real Estate LLC in Dallas.

Rob Whittle, president of Whittle Development, tells GlobeSt.com that the theater lease is a safeguard against retail foot traffic dropping off during the winter when the lake goes quiet. "It allows us to be a 12-month success story," he says. Cinemark shares the anchor limelight with Hilton. Whittle says pre-leasing has hit 70,000 sf, a solid start for a 121,000-sf first phase for retailers and restaurants and second-floor office space. None of the leased space has been reserved by retailers, but the developer's confident they will come as the project pushes out of the ground. The first phase will deliver in second quarter 2005.

Whittle and his wife, Sara, have worked the plan for three years alongside city officials, who got a precedent-breaking ground lease with county and federal agencies to develop a $14-million, seven-acre park and boardwalk at the water's edge. The Whittles' land abuts the city's, setting up a fully blended design for the public and private projects. "There's not another site like it in North Texas," Geisler says. "And, there's not another retail center around on a lake." Whittle bought the 31-acre tract in 1988. "It's amazing to find a piece of land along an interstate, on a lake and 20 minutes from downtown Dallas," he says. "A lot of things had to come together to make this happen ... the city's help, the growth in Rockwall and the interstate being widened across the lake."

Whittle is a well-known single-family lot developer, custom homebuilder and the craftsman behind the Buffalo Creek Country Club in Rockwall. "This is one of those projects that has become very personal. It's truly going to be a landmark," says a Rockwall resident with a lakefront home about two miles from the Harbor site. The Harbor's second phase will add about 90,000 sf of retail. The third phase is the Hilton, with 15,000 sf of conference center space.

The Venture Commercial team of Geisler, Kenneth E. Reimer and Chris Gibbons are leasing the Harbor. Jay Jostrand of Graco Real Estate, with offices in McKinney and Lubbock, represented Cinemark at the bargaining table. The behind-the-scenes design lineup, all Dallas firms, had O'Brien & Associates Inc. master planning the Harbor development; Jim Hewlett of Dallas-based IntegraService Group as the hotel architect; and TBG Partners in charge of landscape design. General contracting bids are under review and the winner will be announced at Friday's groundbreaking.

[JSteffen]

Wow ver exciting the resident have been waitong for years.... I know couse I use to live there..... Rockwall has VERY nice schools..... I graduated from there and thought it to be one of the most ejoyable exsperiences.... LOL... I loved school....

[patmns]

They have started construction of the Harbor Project. I drove by the other day, and saw walls going up.

[Cole]

I love Rockwall, this is great for them.

[tamtagon]

Good news with this project in Rockwall, Gaylord Texan in Grapevine and eventually (maybe) Wildflower in Grand Prairie. It's great to have lake front resort destinations finally making an appearance in the Metroplex. Hopefully, Lake Lewisville will receive similar treatment. The more of these types of developments the better; I think they add an entirely new destination variety for Metroplex residents as well as out of towners.

I didnt notice the mention of a marina for the this Rockwall development, but hopefully some day that will happen. I've heard Lake Ray Hubbard is a great boating and sailing lake, and a high profile marina would really set a unique atmosphere to the trendy New Urbanist design approach. Maybe even a beach, boardwalk and carnival arcade - I know it's not an ocean shore, but it's still a shore. The Metroplex is really starting to realize the activity variation which comes with a very large population.

[rantanamo]

for whatever reason, LRH is very windy compared to other area lakes. Definitely great for sailing. One of the projects is supposed to have a boardwalk. There might not be a marina mentioned, because this is very near others. Demand just might not be there yet.

[CTroyMathis]

Renderings of "The Harbor" in Rockwall:

[texman]

Parking lots really ruin a good development.

[dfwcre8tive]

Groundwork for Harbor project set
Theater to open by October; other retail expected in March

07:28 PM CDT on Tuesday, July 26, 2005
By IAN McCANN / The Dallas Morning News

A metal dam structure is about to be installed near the Lake Ray Hubbard shoreline so Rockwall can begin the bulk of its part of The Harbor development.

LAWRENCE JENKINS/Special Contributor
The theater at The Harbor project in Rockwall is more than half complete, and preparation for restaurants, a shopping area and boardwalk is coming along as well. As that work – excavation to deepen the lake along the shore and construction of a seawall, a fountain, public plazas and boat slips – continues, the development's first business will open. Concrete is set to be poured for parking lots in August so the 12-screen Cinemark theater can show its first movies in late September or early October. And the Summer Lee Drive extension from Lakefront Trail to Horizon Road should be finished around the end of the year, improving access to the development.

Meanwhile, about 65 percent of the first phase of retail development is leased, developers Rob and Sara Whittle said. That figure includes the theater space. And some office space above the shops and restaurants has been leased. Much of the retail space remains unleased, but that's to be expected, Mr. Whittle said. "We're trying to bring in a strong women's fashion segment," he said. "We don't believe we'll see those tenants until we actually have buildings up. We could have the whole thing leased tomorrow, but we're holding the space open so we can get the right mix."

Construction workers are setting piers for that first retail building, which should be finished by March. Work on a second retail building should start after the city finishes the fountain, which will be in what's now a tree-filled inlet in front of the Cinemark entrance. There are also a few free-standing retail buildings planned for the back side of the 31-acre property, near Summer Lee Drive.

Mr. Whittle declined to discuss companies that leasing agents are targeting for restaurant and retail space but did say he'd like a bookstore in the development. With the right mix of tenants and views of sunsets over the lake with the Dallas skyline in the distance, the Whittles said, they think they will have the perfect atmosphere for people to spend hours shopping, eating and visiting. "Around the country, everybody's doing the outdoor centers instead of malls," Ms. Whittle said Friday as she overlooked the lake from the future Cold Stone Creamery beside the movie theater. "There is no more of a pleasant place to be than here, looking out that direction."

Restaurants will face the lake, and most will have outdoor dining. Visiting the site has helped sway some tenants to sign leases, Mr. Whittle said. "There's that water emotion – you really can't explain it," he said.

Brad Griggs, Rockwall's director of parks, recreation and right of way, said the publicly financed parts of the development should be finished by mid-2006. The city is preparing to award contracts for work beyond cofferdam installation and basic excavation, he said. Once the metal cofferdam is in place, the contractor will drain the area beside the shore so excavation and construction can start. "It's very important to get this complete and get this open to the public," Mr. Griggs said. "We'll be working side by side with the developers for a while on this."

E-mail imccann@dallasnews.com
or call 972-771-5191, ext. 106

[RobertB]

I end up in Rockwall about once a week, taking the kids to the Saturday art classes and anime screenings at Fried Ant Anime (http://www.friedantanime.com/). Y'all that think this development is so great... have you actually tried to *drive* in Rockwall lately? It is clearly a town that put the cart before the horse regarding development. SH 205 from downtown to I-30 is bumper-to-bumper on Saturdays, and I shudder to think what it must be like through the week.

The May '05 mayoral race saw campaign signs promising to do something about the congestion. The incumbent mayor (who also happens to own alt.country radio station KHYI 95.3 The Range (http://www.khyi.com/)) was defeated by a city councilman who I think was one of the ones pushing congestion as an issue. Nonetheless, I haven't heard anything about DART elections in Rockwall, which I would consider an essential part of the congestion solution. As you can see, there are some great locations for a park and ride near Fate -- I think DART owns the ROW out to there.

[rantanamo]

I go through Rockwall a lot. Agree on the congestion. I usually arrive there from Hwy 66, which is actually very nice these days, since they rerouted the roads and added the extra bridge. Once you reach downtown though, the rest of the city is far behind what it should grow to. That may eventually hurt them vs there neighbors of Fate and Royse City, who have subdivisions going up like crazy. Never thought I would see the day in my lifetime where those two little towns would be considered full fledged suburbs. I bet Fate forces a 3rd high school in RISD only a couple of years after Heath High opens.

As for the Harbors, would this be more like it around White Rock?

[Random Traffic Guy]

Not Rockwall, but close enough: Dallas is looking for something to fill Robertson Park (the tip of land on I30).

[rantanamo]

I always thought a pier like Amusement Park type of thing would work well there, with a multi-level(3 or 4 floors) shopping area surrounding a garage. There could be rooftop dining areas that provide a great view.

Or if you wanted to stay practical, put a fully meditteranian looking West Village there. I'd move the loop in a little. Put a taller structure in the middle of it with ground floor retail Flank it with multiple shorter buildings also with retail. I'd imagine these would be pricey, especially with those views. I also think a future rail stop could go there.

[jdwillis]

Not Rockwall, but close enough: Dallas is looking for something to fill Robertson Park (the tip of land on I30).

Dallas has also been thinking of selling this parcel to Rowlett. Most of the visitors to the park are from Rowlett, Rockwall, and Garland. Rowlett would be the most logical choice to sell it to and if they put in a high quality commercial development of mixed uses, then the Harbor Point development with Bass Pro, a hotel and restaurants, in Garland, the possible Rowlett development of this park, and the new developments on the Rockwall side would make I-30 at LRH a major regional retail destination that might make Town East look silly!:~)

[Random Traffic Guy]

AFAIK Dallas is most certainly not selling to Rowlett, as much sense as that may make. They want the tax base. And since they are not selling to Rowlett, Rowlett is not being cooperative in providing utility connections. To the degree that any utilities will likely have to come across the bridge from Garland.

[jdwillis]

All I know is I read in the Garland section of the DMN about how Dallas has to spend something like $100,000 per year to maintain the park and how they would consider selling it. Seems like the article mentioned they want $30million for it and the most Rowlett has offerend was in the $23million to $25million range. From what I read it sounded like Dallas is considering selling that park and Rowlett is considering buying it. The article may not have been in the Garland section, but in the Metro section, and I don't remember the day it was published, but it was certainly in the DMN recently.

[tamtagon]

I wonder if Sunnyvale would like to become part of Dallas. Hutchins and Wilmer, too.

------------ because....

The East Metroplex will need a wilderness retreat one day - after another million or so residents, and along the shores of Lake Ray Hubbard seem like a good place for it.

[dfwcre8tive]

New Rockwall theater ready for its close-up
12-screen Cinemark is the first of Harbor project to debut

12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, October 9, 2005
By IAN McCANN / The Dallas Morning News

It won't be a star-studded event, but Friday's premiere of Rockwall's new movie theater will be as eagerly anticipated as the opening of any summer blockbuster, at least for local leaders.

ERIN TRIEB/Special Contributor

Jose Falcon prepares to put some finishing touches on the new Cinemark theater, due to open Friday as part of Rockwall's Harbor project on the shore of Lake Ray Hubbard. "It is enormous," Mayor Pro Tem Bob Cotti said. "This is one of the most significant events that's happened for years, and we've had a lot going on. This is going to be a premier location with many, many things to come."

The 12-screen Cinemark theater, the first piece of The Harbor development to be completed on the shore of Lake Ray Hubbard, will open its doors this week. And it's just in time, company officials said, to be ready for fall and winter releases including the latest Harry Potter film and King Kong.

Festivities include an event for Christian group Young Life on Wednesday, an invitation-only VIP preview on Thursday and the first public screenings on Friday. At 10 a.m. Saturday, seeing a movie will cost a can of food, with the donations going to the North Texas Food Bank.

The new theater has stadium seating and digital sound, unlike Cinemark's Movies 8, up the hill on Ridge Road (FM740) just south of Interstate 30. The auditoriums have 120 to 250 seats, compared with 120 to 190 at Movies 8, said Frank Gonzales, marketing manager for Cinemark USA. Mr. Gonzales said Movies 8 remained a viable theater and was successful for the company. But, he said, it was time for something new. "We're not planning on ever shutting that down, at least according to our current plans," he said. "It'll let us have 20 screens in the city. The time was just right to build a newer theater, to build a larger theater." Mr. Gonzales said Movies 8 will still show first-run movies, but at least a week or two after they open and with discounted tickets.

The Harbor plan calls for stores, boutiques and restaurants, as well as a hotel and conference center, all overlooking Lake Ray Hubbard. The first wave of store openings is expected in the spring. Rockwall is also creating public access to the lake using tax-increment financing. There will be boat slips, a fountain, plazas and a boardwalk along the lake.

Mayor Bill Cecil said the city has a stake in the success of the retail part of the project.
"There's a significant investment of taxpayer dollars," he said. "It's one more feature that adds to Rockwall being a destination for retail. And that, of course, means tax revenue. This is a big economic boost in the arm for us."

E-mail imccann@dallasnews.com

[RobertB]

All I know is I read in the Garland section of the DMN about how Dallas has to spend something like $100,000 per year to maintain the park and how they would consider selling it. Seems like the article mentioned they want $30million for it and the most Rowlett has offerend was in the $23million to $25million range. From what I read it sounded like Dallas is considering selling that park and Rowlett is considering buying it. The article may not have been in the Garland section, but in the Metro section, and I don't remember the day it was published, but it was certainly in the DMN recently.
I'm glad this thread got bumped. I drove through the park Saturday, and if Dallas is spending $100k/yr to maintain it, they're barely getting their money's worth. It's got "potential", and nothing else. Huge acreage, and that $100k is obviously keeping the litter picked up, but other than that, there's nothing but a loop road and a few picnic tables without even a place to park.

However, the poster who asked about mini-suburbs becoming part of Dallas... this park shows why they'll never do it. A small suburb like Balch Springs or Sunnyvale doesn't have much revenue coming in. But they don't need it, because there's always Dallas. No money for the city park after buying Hummers for the police department? No problem, if the park sucks enough people will just drive over to Dallas. Short of fencing off the city, there's no way for Dallas to do anything but learn to live with it -- and perhaps improve the neighborhoods around the parks and other only-in-the-city attractions (DART, for example) to the point where people move out of the what-suburb-is-this communities and into the city itself -- or at least shop there.

[cowboyeagle05]

Harbor construction jumps $4.8 million

Rockwall: Anticipated tax revenue should cover cost of project, city says




08:06 AM CST on Friday, November 4, 2005



By IAN McCANN / The Dallas Morning News



Construction of a jetty, fountain and inlet, public plaza and boat slips at The Harbor development in Rockwall is expected to begin within a week, though at a significantly higher cost than originally anticipated.

The board that oversees financing of the project's public improvements decided unanimously last month not to scale back the amenities to fit within the $8.1 million originally estimated. Higher prices for concrete, steel, wood and diesel fuel drove the cost to nearly $10.5 million, said Mary Smith, the city's finance director.

The public areas along the Lake Ray Hubbard shore will complement developer Rob Whittle's adjacent development of shops, restaurants, offices, a 12-screen Cinemark theater and a Hilton hotel and conference center.

Overall, the costs for the public part of the venture have risen from about $14.5 million to nearly $19.3 million, a figure that could increase as the city buys more land for parking. Some of that will be paid for by city reserves, the Rockwall Economic Development Corp. and Mr. Whittle's company, but the tax-increment financing district will cover about $4.3 million of the increase.

Ms. Smith said she's certain that new tax revenues already anticipated will cover about half of the $4.8 million overage. Taxes from other development that hasn't yet occurred will probably cover the rest, she said.

If it can't, which Mayor Bill Cecil considers unlikely, money from the city's general fund could be used.

Current tax revenue projections are for just the 31 acres that Mr. Whittle is developing. The entire tax-increment finance district – within which new tax revenue will be earmarked for The Harbor's public costs – is about 70 acres. The district includes land that gained street access because of a TIF project, the extension of Summer Lee Drive to Horizon Road.

Ms. Smith recommended to the board that oversees the TIF district that projects be scaled back to fit within budget, but board members decided to keep the project intact.

"We didn't feel that was in the best interests of the project and the city to take any of those items out," said Mr. Cecil, who is chairman of the TIF board. "The walkway – the steps to traverse the public side – would have been taken out. We couldn't do that."

Mr. Cecil stressed that some costs have been reduced through "value engineering" – cutting expenses without significantly altering the project.

Parts of the project have been completed for less than anticipated. Work on storm water drainage was more than $300,000 below the estimated $1.2 million, while sanitary sewer relocation has cost about half of the anticipated $350,000.

But the largest pieces of the project, the work along the shoreline, have been far more expensive than planned. The first part of the work – installing a temporary steel dam to drain the part of the lake along the shoreline to facilitate construction; dredging the lakebed; building the sea wall; and designing and engineering the entire project – cost about $4.4 million, compared with $1.5 million that was first estimated.

And the city's contribution to small plazas between retail buildings – it's paying half the cost; Mr. Whittle's company is paying the rest – has risen from about $466,000 to $606,000.

Ms. Smith attributed some of the increases to delays in getting a federal permit to alter the shoreline and lakebed. That exposed the city to an additional year to 18 months of inflation at a time when concrete and steel costs have been skyrocketing.

"There's an incredible amount of concrete in this, and those costs have gone way up," she said. "Also, the project has evolved from a limited number of features to something more complex, so we've been adding to it somewhat over time."

[cowboyeagle05]

Harbor pictures form the Obrien & Associates Architects (http://obrienarch.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Page&PageID=1000014&XMLPortfolioItemID=10)

http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2450/rockwallcw1.jpg

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/8306/rockwallrw8.th.jpg (http://img148.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rockwallrw8.jpg)

[HarryMoto]

Has anyone been to the new harbor development in Rockwall? Is it worth the drive out there?

[grantboston]

I drove by it yesterday, and while I didn't stop in, it looked like construction was progressing nicely. It may already be done, but either way it looks very nice. Definitely the nicest mixed used developement this side of Southlake.

[Boredkid]

There was a piece on this on channel 8 this weekend. It looked very nice, now if only there were a light rail station there.

[dfwcre8tive]

Alcohol OK'd in some public areas
Rockwall: City aims to make The Harbor, square more enjoyable
12:00 AM CST on Friday, January 19, 2007
By IAN McCANN / The Dallas Morning News

A lakeside picnic – complete with a bottle of wine – is now possible in Rockwall.

City Council members unanimously approved rules Tuesday that allow people to carry and drink alcohol in public areas of The Harbor and around the downtown square.

Parks and recreation director Brad Griggs said the new policy allows people to take full advantage of the atmosphere at The Harbor. Somebody using its boat slips, for instance, will be able to disembark with a beer, or a couple attending a lakeside concert can take along a bottle of wine.

"It's an opportunity to make these areas more enjoyable," he said. "You look at the atmosphere created in Grapevine with their wineries, and it's fantastic. There's so much atmosphere there. We're not trying to promote anything undesirable."

The rules also establish guidelines for people to serve or sell alcohol on the square, at The Harbor and at the Center at Rockwall City Place. In those cases – during special events such as wedding receptions or festivals – groups would have to obtain Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission permits and have police supervision.

Council members had considered the proposal last month but held off on approving it to ensure that it would allow people to take their own alcoholic drinks to events such as the city's Concerts by the Lake series.

Of course, people will still have to abide by Texas' laws against public intoxication, and alcohol purchased at a restaurant will have to remain there to comply with state beverage commission rules.

And on the downtown square, people won't be able to drink on county property, including the courthouse grounds.

The Harbor's public areas run along the lake from the Interstate 30 service road south to the Water's Edge housing development. The downtown area where alcohol consumption is allowed is the city and state right of way bordered by Washington, Olive, Fannin and Alamo streets.

[rantanamo]

I finally made it to The Harbor development today. Very nice, IMO, the way it integrates with the water front. Definitely like nothing I've seen in the metroplex. I wish development could reach the shore like this on the TRP or even on White Rock Lake. The only thing I'd change is to put the residential and hotel on top of the retail. Besides that, I was surprised to find the parking to be totally on the exterior. From inside the development or from the I-30 or on the water, you can't even see the parking the way it hides behind the development and down the hill from the houses above. They see to be struggling to find retail for some reason, which is surprising considering how great the crowd was.

[dallasrookie]

This place is turning out to be one of the nicest place in the metroplex.

[corbman]

After 3 years, a bankrupt owner, and a few restaurant failures, the Harbor is doing as well as one can expect, but there are a few seemingly intractable flaws about the development. The movie theatre and hotel are doing well, and some of the restaurants have been doing great ever since their opening. On weekend nights the Harbor is packed with people and it has become the indisputable social magnet for area teens. Dining establishments that already enjoy high brand loyalty elsewhere in DFW, such as Gloria's, Ruby Tuesday and Dodie's, seem to fare a lot better than their self-starting competitors with no name recognition. It also doesn't help that rent rates are high and make it very difficult for moderately busy restaurants to survive. Fortunate Luna de Noche took over a prominent space facing the lake and I think it will avoid the sad fate of the four previous occcupants of that location. Still, many of the restaurants failed because of a weak concept that failed to differentiate it from its more established neighbors.

Retail has been a complete bust here, which is no surprise. The Harbor is very visible from the bridge coming in to Rockwall, but it is still bit awkward for cars to find their way there, in spite of the construction of new streets leading into it. Retail storefronts get zero exposure fromt the freeway and there isn't enough of a constant flow of pedestrians outside evening weekends to keep these stores busy. The parking layout was ill-conceived, with the Hilton hogging much of the surface parking next to the stores for its valet, forcing many people to park on the grass or in the supplemental parking lots up the hill.

Still, things are looking up for the Harbor. A winery has been approved to fill in a large space behind the existing and successful cigar shop, which should help position the Harbor as a sophisticated suburban entertainment district comparable to Plano Legacy. Even better, ground will soon be broken just up the hill behind Culpepper's steakhouse for a new 7-storey office building that will feature a bank and a roof-top restaurant. This new development should help spur a slightly more 24/7 role for the Harbor, possibly making retail viable again.

More than anything, the Harbor has succeeded as civic place for gathering. Thursday night summer concerts are very well attended, more boats are docking in the newly expanded marina, and the splash park never ceases to entertain the kids. The Hilton now hosts many area banquets and dances, and it seems that every time I go there (every other month or so) there is a high-school formal dance going on there.

I write more extensively about the Harbor in my blog here: http://architectureandmorality.blogspot.com/2009/06/empty-victory-when-urban-planning-fails.html

[warden62]

The parking is what especially annoys me about The Harbor and also what keeps me away, even though one of the independent Mexican restaurants there is REALLY good. I can't pronounce the name, but it's usually pretty dead inside, so I'm hoping they don't suffer the same fate as other places there.

The whole valet concept is really pretty pathetic in my opinion. It keeps lots of people away who otherwise might go there to dine or potentially shop.

[corbman]

The restaurant I think you are referring to is "Portillo de la Sandia", and I happen to go there quite often since I don't care to wait in line for Gloria's or Luna de Noche. I suspect they get quite a bit of traffic because of this. The food is good, and the atmosphere is a lot nicer than Agave, which still surprises me that they're still around.

Your comments about the parking situation is spot-on, and I know that future adjacent developments will have structured parking garages, as well as classic curbside parking. I heard that the initial plans for the Harbor called for structured parking, but was quickly nixed by neighboring home owners who didn't want it to spoil their view of the lake.

Another quibble about the Harbor is the location of the dumpsters, with their smells greeting you as you make your way to the cinema or the restaurants.

[SDORN]

went by this a few months ago Its awesome.