Plano: Legacy Town Center

[Tnekster]

^Kind of what I thought, another very suburban looking box.

[psukhu]

Ah, more office space! Just what Plano needs.


Actually, they do. Have you read anything about the Stonebriar/Legacy predicted build out?



^Kind of what I thought, another very suburban looking box.

Isn' t this similar looking to one of the buildings going up in the southern part of Victory? You seem a little biased. If this was going up in Mountain Creek you'd be jumping for joy!

[rjlevins]

Most of the development has clearly been for residential and retail uses. A couple office buildings to the far north of the development will only enhance the area. Yes, the design could have been much better for the office builiding, with a parking garage instead of open lots, but they seem to have atleast understood the need to separate the parking spaces from the pedestrian foot traffic. I imagine that the employees that work for whatever companies that locate in the office buildings might be eligible for a corporate discount in the nearby apts (I'm pretty sure EDS gets a corporate discount at Post @ Legacy.) Even if they don't, the attractiveness to live, work, shop, and eat in the same complex will have great appeal and only help achieve a non-car-dependent atmosphere. I applaud the efforts of Legacy Town Center entirely.

[Tnekster]

Isn' t this similar looking to one of the buildings going up in the southern part of Victory? You seem a little biased. If this was going up in Mountain Creek you'd be jumping for joy!

Which proposed building in Victory looks like this? Have you been up to the corner of 121 and the tollway to see what is there? I don't see anything in this building that would set it apart from from the rest of what has been built up there so far. Biased?...maybe in that I get real tired of seeing development farther and farther away from the city center. And regarding Mountain Creek, what do you know about Mountain Creek and what we want built there? And by the way I have never advocated that something like this be built in MC, nor would I. I live down here because I like the terrain they way it is and would hate to see something like this start to pop up.

[psukhu]

Which proposed building in Victory looks like this?

Attached pics of both.




I don't see anything in this building that would set it apart from from the rest of what has been built up there so far.

What sets this building apart from the other Legacy building is that it will be part of the new urbanism development, whereas the other Legacy area buildings are typical suburban buildings with giant lawns and surface parking lots.




Biased?...maybe in that I get real tired of seeing development farther and farther away from the city center.

DFW will be at 10,000,000 people in the not so distant future. A metro that big takes up a lot of land in today's automobile age. At that population level, there's bound to be major development in all the counties adjacent to Dallas County. Also, any land within 45 minutes driving of DFW airport will be developed.

[Tnekster]

^All I see here a six story building with a large parking lot. And quite honestly my only point was that this building looks very much like the other buildings that have gone up in that particular area and lacks individuality. Just because it is supposed to be part of a new urbanism concept doesn't alter that fact that IMO it lacks individuality....which again is my opion. And looking at these two pictures the Victory tower looks better, is much larger, has a bit more character but still looks like something better suited for a suburban office park than the Victory project. So if your point was that these two buildings look similar in that respect then I agree with you.

[psukhu]

^
I agree that the Plano building has a very plain architecture style like many of the suburban midrise buildings built around the Metroplex in the past 10 years.

[psukhu]

Update:

There are about 4 large cranes and what seems to be at least 600+ "new urbanism" apartment units under contruction. Most of the buildings are 4 floors or less. There's also a coming soon sign for a Fox Sports Grill (http://www.foxsportsgrill.com/locations.aspx).

[CTroyMathis]

Sounds pretty interesting. (The FSG in downtown Seattle was entertaining I must add. Not homey like the great local around the corner or down the street, but, chic and entertaining nonetheless.)

[gc]

Wonder why they chose to stay away from the DTD area? I think they'll be eating crow in a year or so.

[Geaux Tigers]

Wonder why they chose to stay away from the DTD area? I think they'll be eating crow in a year or so.

I agree. They would be smart to at least consider a location in Victory, next to the AAC.

[psukhu]

I think they'll be eating crow in a year or so.

Why do you say that?

[Tnekster]

Wonder why they chose to stay away from the DTD area? I think they'll be eating crow in a year or so.

agree with that GC. downtown is where it is at.

[psukhu]

I'd also prefer a downtown location.

However, I think they'll still reach their profit goals in the Plano location. I don't consider their choice of Plano a bad business move, but I think Victory or the West End would have been a better choice.

[gc]

Why do you say that?

Victory and the renewed interest in DTD.

[Kelley USA]

They probably contacted Hillwood- but were told they weren't "upscale" enough for Victory... Kidding of course- but who knows- perhaps we'll be lucky enough to end up with two some day... I wonder if ESPN still has any interest in opening an ESPNZone in Victory?

[CTroyMathis]

Zoning change gives Legacy Town Center room to expand
By Amy Morenz, Staff Writer
11/09/2005
Visit: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15543023&BRD=1426&PAG=461&dept_id=528208&rfi=6

Zoning changes allowing the continued expansion of Legacy Town Center were quickly approved by the city's planning and zoning commissioners on Monday.

Commissioners didn't debate rezoning of 18.4 acres at the northeast corner of Headquarters Drive and the Dallas North Tollway. They approved changes giving EDS Information Services approval to continue a mixed use, pedestrian-oriented, urban-style development of Legacy Town Center north of Headquarters Drive. The property's previous zoning for a highly concentrated business center similar to traditional downtown areas of major cities.

Just last week, the Shops of Legacy dedicated the first of 22 sculptures in the Trails in Legacy as part of its northern expansion.. Both phases will include 2,850 apartments, 300 town homes, 8,000 square feet of office space, two hotels and 750,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.

Kiosk signs will be allowed within the development's public right-of-way at both the northeast and southeast corners of the Dallas North Parkway and Legacy Drive, commissioners decided on Monday. The case is one of the first times commissioners have considered kiosk signs along public streets, said Commissioner Joy Flick.

"Typically, we don't see kiosks in the public right-of-way, I can't recommend this without a height limit," she said.

"Why do they need a large sign in the public-right-of-way?" asked Commissioner Joyce Beach.

Most of the development is built along public streets, not private ones as part of the urban approach, developer Fehmi Karahan said. He agreed with a 15-foot height limit.

"We need directional signs because we have so many uses," he said.

The kiosk signs would not be used for commercial advertising, a staff memo stated. They would display directory maps, artwork and special event notices.

New commissioner Jim Norton learned more about the commissioner's role with preliminary plats during his first meeting on Monday. Preliminary plats must be approved in 30 days if there are no grounds to deny them, city attorney Kent McIlyer told commissioners.

Norton questioned a preliminary plat for The Hills of Spring Creek that listed 30 single-family homes on 9.4 acres at the northeast corner of Jupiter and Parker Roads. He asked why the second phase had a 20-foot setback, compared with the first phase's 100-foot setback.

"As a courtesy, couldn't it conform?" he asked. "Couldn't they take a little here and there?"

Although owned by Standard Pacific of Texas, as is the first phase, the new section has had the same zoning for years, said city planning director Phyllis Jarrell. There is no setback required under Plano's zoning for single family lots with 9,000 square feet. Plano is not authorized to ask for a change, she said.

"They aren't subject to any setback on Parker," Jarrell said.

Two lots would be lost if the additional setback was required, said Jason Steve, who represented the developer. Norton was the only commissioner voting against the preliminary plat's approval.

Monday's meeting was also the first for Maggie Armstrong and James Duggan. Carolyn Kalchthaler is now the commission's chair.

[CTroyMathis]

Northward trend: Sculpture installation heralds Shops of Legacy expansion
By A. Lee Graham, Staff Writer
11/04/2005
Visit: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15515267&BRD=1426&PAG=461&dept_id=528208&rfi=6

A new sculture by artist Robert Summers was installed on Thursday at the Trails of Legacy. Stacy Bristow/Staff Photo
Tim Correa gazes across a crowded breezeway and welcomes customers into his sweet shop.

Since opening Schakolad Chocolate Factory in Plano, Correa has enjoyed steady foot traffic.

"People really like coming out here," said Correa, whose tiny store at The Shops at Legacy delivers sugar rushes to shoppers already buzzing about Plano's retail epicenter.

Though some could claim historic downtown as the city's retail heart, the Shops at Legacy - and the surrounding Legacy Town Center - has staked a mighty claim just east of Dallas North Tollway.

Shoppers have discovered the west Plano development in growing numbers, warming to stores, apartments and work space all within working distance. If the mix sounds familiar, it's because the trend has swept the region.

From Southlake to Addison and, most recently, at Firewheel Town Center in Garland, the so-called "new urbanism" movement has reshaped many communities. Pedestrians never had it so easy.

And now Plano's jewel in the mixed-use crown is about to double in size. Thursday's installation of the first of 22 bronze longhorn sculptures by Robert Summers - meant to replicate the Shawnee Trail that is now Preston Road - was a symbolic beginning of the expansion.

"Actually, it will more than double," said Fehmi Karahan, whose Karahan Cos. oversees Legacy Town Center.

Anyone passing by the development facing the Dallas North Tollway and Legacy Drive knows the store logos, the architecture, the vibe emanating from the area. Land hugging the south side of Legacy Drive has become a thriving mix of shoppers, sightseers and workers locking the office for a leisurely dinner at the street-level restaurants.

The past few years have seen 75 acres teeming with 1,600 luxury apartments and town homes, 385,000 square feet of retail space and 550,000 square feet of fully leased office space.

Having proven popular among shoppers, the development is about to cross the street.

Beginning next year, shoppers can cross Legacy Drive and experience another side to the development. That's because 75 more acres will offer a similar mix of shops, restaurants, businesses and apartments.

Tenants already confirmed include Fox Sports Grill, Bank of America and Fireside Pies, the first sibling to the popular Knox-Henderson restaurant in Dallas.

"We're excited to bring him here," said Karahan, referring to Fireside owner Tristan Simon.

Construction on the north phase continued this week for a development expected to start opening in March or April. Retail stores will be located toward Legacy Drive, with apartments facing Parkwood Boulevard, and town homes nearer the Tollway. If the mix sounds identical to what occupies the southern portion, some differences do exist.

"It won't be a mirror image," said Karahan.

That's because Baccus Cemetery will offer a historic counterpoint to the modern development. The state landmark lies just southwest of several longhorn sculptures serving as medians along Bishop Road.

The bronze sculptures represent what Karahan calls a "connecting element" to the cemetery.

At no point was the site threatened by imminent development.

"Of course, we are always concerned about our historic cemeteries and want to make sure they are protected," said Phyllis Jarrell, the city's senior planner, impressed by the Legacy development.

"We've worked with developers to make sure cemeteries have public access and are not hidden from view."

Legacy's north phase should reach completion within four years, compared to the six years required for the south side.

"The south side took six years, but I think the north will be a little faster because, initially, nobody knew how this concept was going to come together," said Karahan.

For all the land movers and machinery, people provided the key binding element. Shoppers made the center a thriving part of west Plano. When fully complete, both phases will boast more than 2,850 apartments, 300 town homes, more than 8,000 square feet of office space, two hotels, and 750,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment options.

Whether retail competition creates a "north-south" competition remains to be seen.

"I actually don't think that will happen," said Sasha Kim, serving customers at Naan Korean Restaurant.

"You know, the way we look at it is, it's just going to bring together another influx of people. That's the best thing that can possibly happen."

[tamtagon]

the so-called "new urbanism" movement has reshaped many communities. Pedestrians never had it so easy.

That's my favorite!

Is the so-called New Urbanism rebuilding the commercial community focal points that mass merchandisers and (e-)mail order companies destroy?

[CTroyMathis]

Not sure if we've had these visuals so. . .

Children' Medical Center Legacy (2008)

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7705


Lincoln Legacy One (Aug '06)

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7706

[Tnekster]

I haven't seen those.

[Boredkid]

Those are the ones going in just south of the shops at legacy. There are crane all over up there.

[Tnekster]

^It is getting busy again at that intersection. Hall still has lots of development opportunity in his office park and a couple of those towers would be the tallest yet for that area. Probably at least 20-25 each.

[dfwcre8tive]

Legacy project to add upscale apartments
7-story building to fill remaining shore of lake at Plano center
12:00 AM CST on Saturday, February 25, 2006
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

Developers have started work on a centerpiece residential building in the Legacy Town Center project in Plano. The seven-story luxury apartment project is next door to the Marriott Hotel and overlooks the central park and lake.

Amicus Partners – which has developed several adjoining rental complexes – is building the project on Bishop Road just east of the Dallas North Tollway. "It's our goal for that to be the premier rental address in Collin County," said developer Robert Shaw, who's also built projects in Dallas' Uptown neighborhood and in Addison. "This will be a condo-quality building.

"The majority of the units will have lake views and big balconies."

Rents for the project haven't been determined, he said.

Designed by architects RTKL Associates Inc., the building will have a stone, brick and stucco exterior and will be topped by a metal roof. Sixty-four units will be constructed in the building, most ranging in size from 1,100 to 1,400 square feet. "There are levels of parking garage below the residential portion, said Jim West of RTKL.

"This site is the last side of the lake at Legacy Town Center to be built out," he said.

Indeed, seven years after work was started on the Plano mixed-use development, the south side of the project is almost complete with shopping, residential units, office space and the hotel.

CarrAmerica Realty Corp. and J.P. Morgan Asset Management are building the Three Legacy Town Center office tower – a 156,000-square-foot, six-story project – in the same area as Amicus Partners' new apartment building. That project is scheduled to open this summer. Mr. Shaw said his residential building will be finished late this year.

Developers have already broken ground north of Legacy Drive on a second phase of the town center project with more shops, apartments and townhomes.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

[Aporkalypse]

I was out that way today (actually to go to Ikea) and we sidetripped around the area. I had never seen the Penney's and EDS HQs and these were very impressive. I agree that if the Legacy Town Center development was inside the loop everyone here would be singing its praises and I also fail to understand why people don't see why retail builders choose these sites in Plano, Frisco, and Southlake for these upscale developments. Sure, Uptown and other areas in close proximity to downtown can support a lot of upscale retail but ultimately people don't like to drive 20-30 minutes to shop or dine if it isn't necessary. If I were a developer I would be just as interested in getting nearer and underserved population, especially on land much cheaper than anything near the CBD. If there's a problem with the development it's that it's too near Shops at Willow Bend and Frisco's Preston-121-Tollway retail mass, not that it's not near DTD.

I was VERY impressed with the drawings of Children's Medical Center at Legacy. They're already well into the excavation stages of the projects though I didn't see any steel. Large freestanding Children's Hospitals are quite the rarity and I was impressed that one of that scope was being constructed in Collin Co.

[rantanamo]

- Don't think anyone would be praising Legacy Town Center if it were inside the loop while Addison Circle would be a different story. But then again, I don't argue degrees of urbanity anymore.

- Interesting statement on how you'd serve the underserved population near cheap land, and in the next sentence pretty much state that those markets are overserved.

[vman]

I didn't expect to be impressed by LTC when I first visited, but I was. I've been back maybe six times in the last 2 months, and a friend of mine moved there from Uptown. I like the design and layout alot more than West Village and the people are much nicer. I'm still not a huge fan of these "urban" life centers, but Legacy is doing something right.

[drumguy8800]

I thought it was certainly busy, but the layout confused me way bad when I was up there. It's not on a grid, at all.. and Starbucks is flat up against Legacy. That's why I went.. ar, Starbucks.

[rantanamo]

^exactly on the layout. It's also what I'd call generally mixed-use. It pretty much seperates the commercial, residential and retail. It wouldn't fit in Uptown. I don't like the West Village layout either, but at least it attempts to mix the uses together. The better examples of these types of development are Addison Circle and Eastside Village in Plano.

[Boredkid]

If you thought the lay out was confusing how do you get around anywhere?

[Razorback]

^exactly on the layout. It's also what I'd call generally mixed-use. It pretty much seperates the commercial, residential and retail. It wouldn't fit in Uptown. I don't like the West Village layout either, but at least it attempts to mix the uses together. The better examples of these types of development are Addison Circle and Eastside Village in Plano.

I work across the street from this development and I think its great.

The density of residential there is as high as it is or will be in WV after expansion.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe some of the buildings incorporate light retail, service businesses, etc on the ground floor and residential above. Those residential buildings on the periphery do not.

The main difference between this development and WV is that it doesn't incorporate any real through-streets and doesn't fit with the grid. Of course the grid up here is all six lane landscaped thoroughfares and mostly fronted by single use office buildings.

The "compound-like" nature of EDS doesn't help create any kind of "urban fabric" but perhaps as the area densifies, some of the office buildings will try to take advantage of the emerging streetscape and give the area a more urban feel.

Its better than nothin'.

[rantanamo]

I like it too compared to what else is out there. It's not even close to what the WV area will be in terms of density. The WV, if you think about it will be like Victory lite. Look at the masterplan and all of those towers. There will be 3 highrises there after the next two projects. BTW, I don't think that's density is the end all. There is very little of mixed ground floor usage. The major retail is seperated from the residential. That part is surprising. Again, that's not the end all. Its just a mix of elements that would work against it being in Uptown.

I agree that its better than nothin'. Frisco Square a few miles away should blow it away though if they can lure the kind of retail they want.

[psukhu]

The major retail is seperated from the residential.

That's how it is in NYC outside of Manhattan. Most one way streets are just residential with no retail on the ground floor. The retail is mostly found on avenues and two way streets. I think that's what they were going for with Legacy Town Center.

In terms of density, Legacy Town Center is more like a slice of Queens rather than a slice of Manhattan.

[rantanamo]

http://img6.photobucket.com/albums/v19/rantanamo/Plano/DSC05270.jpg

I didn't get the side adjacent to Legacy, but there's an actual parking lot. This view would be nice in another place, on actual streets. This portion is no different than the stuff across Preston from Preston Center or Firewheel. Just a densely laid out retail area. This is the portion I don't like, but totally understand why it was done this way. I'd take the West Village over it everyday.

http://img6.photobucket.com/albums/v19/rantanamo/Plano/DSC05263.jpg
http://img6.photobucket.com/albums/v19/rantanamo/Plano/a77524c7.jpg

The more residential areas, like above, make me think of a State-Thomas lite. I like this area much more. The retail area could have been more integrated into this part. I think its great for a suburb. Especially in an area so far out. But please not in Uptown, though it would kick Schaefer's butt.

[msutton]

it looks and feels to me even more like some creepy movie set (i.e. not solid, not real) than the West Village, which is actually starting to take on some weight. The rest of Uptown looks real and lived in. I hate this Disney-like crap. Hope Victory doesn't end up like this...

[vman]

^^^^^
See, I like the architecture at Legacy more than WV. I've always thought WV looked very Disney...like almost everything else that architect does.

[Razorback]

http://img6.photobucket.com/albums/v19/rantanamo/Plano/DSC05270.jpg

I didn't get the side adjacent to Legacy, but there's an actual parking lot. This view would be nice in another place, on actual streets. This portion is no different than the stuff across Preston from Preston Center or Firewheel. Just a densely laid out retail area. This is the portion I don't like, but totally understand why it was done this way. I'd take the West Village over it everyday.

http://img6.photobucket.com/albums/v19/rantanamo/Plano/DSC05263.jpg
http://img6.photobucket.com/albums/v19/rantanamo/Plano/a77524c7.jpg

The more residential areas, like above, make me think of a State-Thomas lite. I like this area much more. The retail area could have been more integrated into this part. I think its great for a suburb. Especially in an area so far out. But please not in Uptown, though it would kick Schaefer's butt.

Nice pics.

I failed to mention that although I literally work across the street from this development, I haven't walked over and gotten lunch there once in the past six months.

Its the six lanes of traffic and parking lots I'd have to cross to get there that keeps me in my car and at Stonebriar, parking in front of Chipotle and Panda Express.

(Or, maybe I hate my office so much that I have to get as far away from it as possible when I can) :(

[jsoto3]

Some pics from the air courtesy of Windows Live Local (http://local.live.com/):
http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=33.074728~-96.821364&style=o&lvl=1&scene=2643447

[psukhu]

A couple pics from December 2005...

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9677&stc=1

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9676&stc=1

[carousel]

Northern Exposure
Is There Any Nightlife in Plano?
By Dave Faries
Article Published Mar 23, 2006




Restaurant Details
Who / What:
Plano
Cuisines:
Brewpub/Pub Fare
Several times in the past we've alluded to urban provincialism, a mindset that narrows Dallas or other cities to a series of exclusive "neighborhoods." People living in, say, Lakewood or Uptown rave about the virtues of their domain and refuse to explore anything beyond Interstate 635.

Granted, there are a few places on earth that evoke feelings of dread when mentioned in a conversation. No one wants to hear, "You're being traded to Cleveland," "Welcome to Amarillo" or "Let's grab a pizza at Chuck E. Cheese." But in this part of the world, nothing provokes more rebuke than that listless sea of rooftops spread between the Dallas North Tollway and Central Expressway.

Yes, we're talking about Plano.

"What the fuck do I know about Plano?" blurts William Chappell, bar manager at Old Republic, in a typical response. "I don't get that far north."

Neither did we, at first. To answer this week's Burning Question we spent several days gathering insight at several Dallas...um...research institutions. Scholars at The Gingerman, Primo's and other destinations pretty much refused to discuss the matter further at our place but did offer up some disturbing images of the northern 'burb.

Those who grew up within its bounds and escaped for hipper climes speak of soulless monotony. Life revolves around family events and unchallenging meals at chain restaurants, or so they say. Frisco hosts two professional sports franchises and cool stadia; rows of bars and restaurants line the thoroughfares of Addison; and no one really cares about Carrollton. Plano, however, is the physical expression of Malvina Reynold's sardonic "Little Boxes," where well-compensated professionals lead predictable lives and everything looks the same.

"It's dull other than this area," agrees Carlos Aguayo of Nicola's. "I think there are only two bars, neither of which I've been to."

The "this area" he refers to is Plano's Legacy development, a popular string of shops, bars, restaurants and flats set alongside the Tollway. We staggered through the area on a Thursday night and found young professionals and numerous single blondes carousing along Bishop Street. Legacy's environs contain Bob's Steak and Chophouse, Sal's Pizza, Mi Cocina and other familiar names, so it mirrors West Village. But Nicola's is one of the better Italian spots in the DFW area, and the bar area offers plenty of sightseeing. Down the block sits Jasper's, where bartender Johanna Egert claims to shake 250 martinis each night, Thursday through Saturday (and close to 300 during our visit for some reason). "You still have families, but young professionals are moving here," she says of the area. "They want to have fun."

Consider this part of Plano a tamer version of Sunday night at Nikita. We remember a conversation at Nicola's with a guy named Heinz who asked why roads in France are lined with trees (so German invaders can march in the shade) then addressed the topic at hand. "Everybody asked me, 'Why did you move to Plano?'" he says. At the time, soccer moms watched their kids engage in organized play in the neatly manicured city parks. "I'd say, 'Hey, in five years all these women will be divorced.'" Dubious blondes filled bar-side tables at Jasper's. At Cru we spent most of our time trying to catch a free moment with the head of an agency specializing in swimsuit models because...uh...she lives in Legacy and could, you know, be a valuable source.

We mean for our story.

Oh, and from what we can discern from our notes, we spoke with a bartender with another perspective on Plano nightlife. "Honestly, I think I see a lot of swingers," he said, adding an extra "s" to swingers and spelling think t-i-n-k. "I'm guessing, but I'm a pretty good judge."

Judge came out in our notes as "juje." We suspect he'd been drinking quite a bit.

So this is nightlife in Plano: free-flowing martinis, good-looking professionals, friendly regulars, possible swingers and a decent probability of hooking up. Crowds of cleavage-packing babes descend on Naan later in the evening, particularly on Saturday nights. Fox Sports Grill just opened, drawing massive crowds and a performance by Third Eye Blind.

Sure, it's a more relaxed atmosphere than one finds in Dallas hotspots, and crowds include older couples. Otherwise it's much the same.

So there it is, our answer to this week's question.

One side note: Residents of the apartments and townhomes on Legacy grounds claim downtown Dallas is a mere 25-minute drive. We tested their assertion, barreling down the Tollway, looking neither left nor right, pausing only for a quick drink at Maguire's, then Mercy in Addison, followed by a stop at Oceanaire's bar and, finally, a brief detour at Candle Room.

They lied. By our calculations, it's a two-day trip.

[carousel]

Legacy project to grow
Office building, hotel planned for Plano development



09:10 AM CST on Thursday, March 23, 2006
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News


Plano's popular Legacy Town Center is growing again with the addition of an office building and hotel.

Trammell Crow Co. and Jackson-Shaw Co. are joining with developer Karahan Cos. to add to the big retail complex in West Plano.

The project is located on the north side of Legacy Drive near the Dallas North Tollway.

The development is a significant expansion of the five-year-old Legacy Town Center, which already includes shopping, apartments, a hotel and office space.

Developer Fehmi Karahan has completed the first retail portion of the expansion north of Legacy Drive and is moving ahead with the mixed-use complex.

"I reached an agreement with Trammell Crow Co. to do an eight-story office tower and a separate agreement with Jackson Shaw Co. to do an eight-story hotel," Mr. Karahan said Wednesday. "Both of these developments will be part of the Shops at Legacy's third phase.

"We are scheduled to break ground this summer," he said.

The hotel will also be connected to a nine-story condominium tower, a spa and retail shops, Mr. Karahan said.

The office tower and hotel will be constructed along the eastern side of the tollway between Legacy and Headquarters Drive.

"We've just finished the 58,000 square feet of retail with 65,000 of office upstairs," Mr. Karahan said. "We are starting another 200,000 square feet of retail."

The Fox Sports Grill that anchors the north side retail strip opened last week to a packed house, he said.

Mr. Karahan said the construction will "give us enough square footage to compete on the regional level."

Karahan Cos. opened the first phase of the Shops at Legacy in 2001. The retail village includes an Angelika Film Center plus restaurants Jasper's, Bob's Steak & Chop House, Mi Cocina and more.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

[Tnekster]

Crow to break ground on Legacy project

03:43 PM CST on Tuesday, December 12, 2006
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News


Trammell Crow Co. is breaking ground on Thursday on an office tower in Plano's Legacy Town Center project.

The eight-story building will overlook the Dallas North Tollway north of Legacy Drive.

The granite and concrete building was designed by Dallas architect HKS Inc. and will contain about 213,000 square feet.

It will be adjacent to an expansion of the popular Shops at Legacy retail complex.

"We believe we have secured a premier investment grade site for this new office development," Crow Co. senior managing director Denton Walker said in a statement Tuesday.

The One Legacy Circle building will open next December and is being built in partnership with Principal Global Investors off Des Moines. Bank of America provided the construction financing

[dfwcre8tive]

City funds for Plano fountain no longer sought
Developer pulls $1 million request amid petition efforts
09:43 AM CST on Wednesday, December 20, 2006
By JAKE BATSELL / The Dallas Morning News

PLANO – Shops at Legacy developer Fehmi Karahan withdrew his request Tuesday for $1 million in city funds to help build a dancing-water fountain.

City Council members voted 6-1 to approve the funding last week. Supporters said that the fountain would be a tourist attraction and gathering place and would help Legacy Town Center compete with shopping centers in other cities.

But with opponents circulating referendum petitions, Mr. Karahan said he wanted to avoid a drawn-out public campaign that could divide the city and distract from efforts to develop the retail complex's north side.

"I don't want this project to slow down," he said. "[The fountain] was intended to be a gathering place, not a dividing place."

The proposed fountain, designed by the creator of the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas, would have cost $3 million. Mr. Karahan told the council that developers would absorb the other $2 million.

In a letter sent Tuesday to Mayor Pat Evans, Mr. Karahan said he still plans to build a fountain and will explore other ways to fund it.

"One way or another, I will build a fountain, though perhaps not the same fountain I hoped to build," he wrote...

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/122006dnmetplfountain.26c5c428.html

[psukhu]

Tower crane (10 to 15 floors?) is now up just north of Legacy on Dallas Parkway.

[Tnekster]

Barnett Shale driller to put up new building at Legacy, add up to 350 employees
Dallas Business Journal - May 11, 2007by Bill HethcockStaff Writer
http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2007/05/14/story1.html

Booming production in the Barnett Shale is fueling the expansion of a Plano-based oil and gas company at Legacy business park.

Denbury Resources Inc. will add as many as 350 employees and expand its corporate headquarters in a building Koll Development Co. will build.

In 1999, Denbury leased about 50,000 square feet in a four-story building on Tennyson Parkway west of Preston Road. By last year, the growing company occupied the entire 100,000-square-foot building.

Denbury has extended its initial lease and has hired Dallas-based Koll to develop a three-story, 102,000-square-foot building and a parking garage on 5 acres next to the original building.

About 350 employees eventually will be housed in the new building, which Denbury will lease from Koll. Denbury now employs about 200 in Plano and about 600 nationwide. The new jobs will be highly paid positions such as geologists, engineers, geophysicists and managers, a Denbury representative said.

The build-to-suit will be Koll's eighth project in Legacy, for a total of more than 1.3 million square feet, Koll CEO Steve Van Amburgh said. Other Koll projects include corporate homes for Intuit Inc., Countrywide Home Loans Inc. and Rent-a-Center Inc.

"We love helping those tenants that need new corporate homes," Van Amburgh said. "We seem to understand them. We listen to them carefully and we build what they want so it's a true build-to-suit for them."

Earthwork will start in late May after a ceremonial groundbreaking May 17, Van Amburgh said. The building shell is slated for completion in December, with move-in set for the second quarter of 2008.

Van Amburgh declined to disclose the construction cost because the project is out for bid. He also declined to release the budgeted cost because the scope of the project has changed, he said. For example, Koll is strongly considering making the building LEED-certified, a system implemented by the U.S. Green Building Council to rate energy efficiency and sustainability.

Riis Christensen with Transwestern and Jeff Ellerman with The Staubach Co. represented Denbury Resources in negotiating the lease renewal and build-to-suit.

"This is a large transaction," Christensen said. "The combination of these two deals, at 200,000 square feet, is one of the biggest one-two punches the area has seen in a long time."

The expansion is the largest in Legacy since Koll built a 170,000-square-foot corporate campus for Rent-A-Center last year, Christensen said.

Economic incentives are expected to be part of the Denbury package, but details remain under negotiation and have not been approved by the Plano City Council, said Elaine Hamm, the Plano Economic Development Council's director for business retention and expansion.

"We are thrilled that Denbury is growing and expanding their business here in Plano," she said. "They're a very prominent business and we're especially pleased that they will remain here and continue to grow here."

Gensler Architects has been named architect of the project and Furstenwerth Bagley Design will handle the interior design.

Increased production
The new building will form an L-shape with the existing building and open into a plaza, said David Botello, director with Gensler Architects. The old and new wings will be linked by a glass connector.

"Part of the design objective is to create more of a campus atmosphere," he said. "The new architecture will complement the existing building in respect to material colors, glass colors and the articulation of the windows. The new building is somewhat more streamlined and contemporary with respect to the old one."

Denbury officials did not return phone calls by press time requesting more specifics about the types of jobs that will be created or when those jobs will be phased in.

Denbury (NYSE: DNR) on May 3 announced record quarterly production for the first quarter of 2007, averaging an 8% increase over production levels overall in the first quarter of 2006. Significant increases in the company's tertiary oil production and Texas Barnett Shale natural gas production offset production declines in Louisiana, according to company reports.

Production for the quarter was 38,305 barrels of oil equivalent per day, compared with 35,454 BOE/d in the first quarter of 2006.

Denbury owns more than 74,700 acres of leases in the Barnett Shale area, which stretches north and west of Fort Worth. The exploration and production company acquired the acreage in 2001 and did only limited development until 2005. As of Dec. 31, 2006, Denbury had about 252.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent (Bcfe) of proved reserves in the Barnett Shale area valued at about $243.5 million.

During 2006, Denbury drilled 46 horizontal wells, significantly increasing its Barnett Shale production. Average production from the Barnett Shale increased to 6,989 BOE/d in the first quarter of 2007, up from 3,953 BOE/d for the first quarter of 2006 and 5,925 BOE/d in the fourth quarter of 2006.

Denbury expects its Barnett Shale production to grow significantly during 2007 as it drills 35 to 40 more horizontal wells, all of which are scheduled for Parker County, according to company statements. Denbury drilled 12 wells in the first quarter of 2007.

bhethcock@bizjournals.com | 214-706-7125

[dfwcre8tive]

Plano tree lighting's demise linked to developer's incentives
Plano: Shops at Legacy developer canceled popular event partly as payback, he says
12:00 AM CST on Tuesday, December 18, 2007
By THEODORE KIM / The Dallas Morning News
tkim@dallasnews.com
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-treelighting_18met.ART.State.Edition1.37197b2.html

In other cities, corruption often fuels political intrigue, but in suburban Plano, lights and decorative fountains are the pot stirrers.

The developer of the Shops at Legacy said he canceled the shops' popular annual holiday tree lighting this year, in part, for political payback.

His target: city leaders and others who lobbed criticism at him last year after his controversial request for a city grant to help pay for a $3.5 million fountain at Legacy.

Dubbed Lights of Legacy, the tree-lighting event, which usually takes place in November, might never return.

"If you're going to do it, you want to feel that the community is 100 percent for it," said Fehmi Karahan, Legacy's creator and a well-known figure in Dallas development circles. "It cannot just be on the shoulders of the developer."

Responding to Mr. Karahan's comments, one City Council member called the move "sour grapes."

"It's sour grapes on his part because he didn't get a million bucks," Shep Stahel said.

The holiday hullabaloo began last December when Mr. Karahan requested a $1 million city grant to build a Las Vegas-style fountain at Legacy.

City Council members approved the grant at first. But the panel later rescinded its vote after a surge of opposition from residents who viewed the project as evidence of over-the-top government largesse.

The project became known derisively as "Fehmi's fountain." Some residents threatened to bring the matter to a referendum through a petition drive. Opponents also drew attention to other Legacy subsidies.

Though Mr. Karahan withdrew his request, the debate underscored the delicate relationship between the city and one of its most powerful real estate developers.

A final frontier

Urban planners often hail the $1 billion collection of apartments, retail and office space that constitute Legacy as a model for town-center-style development. Moreover, the project is seen as one of the last frontiers in an aging suburb where open land is becoming hard to come by.

In turn, Legacy has received incentives. Before the fountain request, the council granted a separate $1 million grant for Mr. Karahan to install a series of longhorn sculptures at Legacy. The city also has agreed to temporarily halve the sales tax for one of the flagship tenants, Angelika Film Center and Café.

Taxpayers also have spent nearly $140,000 over the past three years to subsidize the Lights of Legacy event, which Mr. Karahan said costs about $300,000 a year. Mr. Karahan's private event is in addition to the city's official tree-lighting ceremony in downtown Plano.

Whether the tree lighting will return is unclear. Last year, the fifth annual event attracted more than 20,000 people and emerged as one of the city's biggest draws.

"If citizens and city leaders next year aggressively pursue it, then hopefully it will come back," Mr. Karahan said.

Scaled-back fountain

One thing is clear: The fountain is a go. Mr. Karahan hopes to break ground on a scaled-back, $1.6 million version soon. The project could be finished by September, he said.

But last year's defeat still stings for the developer.

"Going forward with these events and developments, you would hope there would be community participation," Mr. Karahan said. "As a developer, you go there to the city and ask for city funds. And all of a sudden, you find yourself in a debate."

Although Mr. Karahan didn't offer names, his comments appear to be aimed at Mr. Stahel, who defied his colleagues last year and spearheaded the opposition to the fountain.

Mr. Stahel thinks the city was right to reject the subsidy request.

"The Shops at Legacy is a very nice place. But the bottom line was, he wanted a million bucks to build a private fountain during the middle of a drought," Mr. Stahel said. "There was a groundswell of citizen outrage."

Plano Mayor Pat Evans, who has been supportive of Mr. Karahan, offered a more measured response.

"Mr. Karahan is an outstanding civic supporter, and his contributions to our city have been immeasurable," she said. "We've appreciated everything that he's done. It's been a great partnership over the past few years."

[dfwcre8tive]

First Nylo 'lifestyle' hotel opens in Plano
Nylo's Plano hotel has distinctive touches
07:00 AM CST on Tuesday, December 18, 2007
By SUZANNE MARTA / The Dallas Morning News
smarta@dallasnews.com
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/121807dnbusnylo.26dd13e.html

PLANO – Inside the lobby of the Nylo Hotel, glass chandeliers are made to look like antlers, a pod chair hangs from the ceiling, guests check in at an electronic kiosk, and staff members are decked out in chic uniforms designed by Project Runway alum Daniel Vosovic.

Around the corner, the "Game Room/Library" has a polished stainless steel bar reminiscent of an airplane wing, pink cowhide area rugs, ultrasuede upholstered banquettes and space for a disc jockey.

This is not your father's business hotel.

It's Atlanta-based Nylo Hotels LLC's first property, opening Tuesday in Plano's Legacy development. It's also the latest brand in the emerging "lifestyle" hotel segment, whose hallmarks include modern decor, clublike lobbies and bar areas, and loft-style rooms that can accommodate tech-savvy travelers' myriad gadgets.

Lifestyle hotels have gained popularity, thanks largely to Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.'s stylish W Hotel and Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants LLC's chain of small, sophisticated boutique inns, such as Dallas' Hotel Palomar.

Until recently, those high-style rooms were mostly limited to full-service hotels – and guests with a hefty travel budget.

But Nylo, along with its peers at Hyatt Place, Cambria, Hotel Indigo and Starwood's soon-to-open Aloft, are taking aim at travelers who stay at select- or limited-service properties. Nylo's operators, like their peers, believe those customers will pay a premium – up to 20 percent more – for a hotel with a distinct personality.

"People want something different," said John Russell, Nylo's chief executive. "I could probably blindfold you and put you in 20 hotel rooms, and you couldn't tell me if you were in a Marriot Courtyard or Hilton Garden Inn. But you'll know right away you're in a Nylo room."

Mr. Russell is targeting suburban markets, where land is cheaper than in gateway cities and where there's little competition in the way of hip, stylish hotels.

In Plano's Legacy development, Nylo hopes to capture its core business from its roughly 50 neighbors who have corporate or regional headquarters there.

The $22.8 million, 176-room property was designed to look like an urban loft, complete with brick walls, exposed ductwork and polished concrete floors. Ceilings exceed 10 feet, and windows take up almost an entire wall of the guest rooms.

Tapping into the interest in "green" efforts, Nylo hotels will get about half of its energy needs from wind power. Lights in rooms will go on automatically when a guest arrives and shut off automatically when the guest leaves.

Nylo also hopes to tap into more sensitive travelers. The hotel's second floor has beds and pillows outfitted with allergy-free cases and high-tech air filters to kill any stray bacteria.

The hotels will have a local feel, using artwork from local artists and decor that taps into regional sensibilities. Nylo's Plano hotel will have an urban cowboy look; its location in Rhode Island, which is on a river and near the Atlantic, will have a water theme.

Nylo has also created a line of clothing and music, in hopes of creating marketing buzz.

Lifestyle hotels are a sharp turn from the development approach of the last few decades, when hotels built their brands around offering a consistent look, no matter the city.

"They institutionalized the guest experience so there would be no surprises," said Mark Woodworth, an executive vice president of hotel consultancy PKF Consulting in Atlanta, who added that lifestyle hotels now are the "hottest category, development-wise."

By using a conservative approach to design and style, hotels hoped to appeal to as many customers as possible, a strategy that lifestyle brands have set aside.

"Now hotels are targeting a discreet group of travelers who see a lot of value in the experience, driven by the look and feel of a hotel," Mr. Woodworth said.

Dan Williams, development director for Carrollton-based Aloft developer Aimbridge Hospitality LP, said customers in the lifestyle segment are looking for more of an experience – rather than just a place to sleep – out of their hotel stay.

"People are looking for more than just another business trip," Mr. Williams said. He pointed to similar shifts in consumer habits, such as going to Starbucks instead of a standard coffee shop or visiting a Whole Foods instead of a traditional grocery store.

"Across the economy, you see people going for more of an experience," he said.

Aimbridge has Aloft hotels under construction in Plano, Las Colinas and Frisco. The company hopes to break ground soon in Houston, Long Island, N.Y., and downtown Atlanta.

In addition to its Warwick, R.I., location under construction, Nylo plans to break ground in Las Colinas early next year. The chain, which will begin franchise sales in January, hopes to have 50 locations open or being built by 2010.


NYLO HOTELS

Headquarters: Atlanta

Locations: Plano; Las Colinas (building begins next year); Warwick, R.I. (under construction)

Expansion plans: The company hopes to have 50 locations open or under construction by 2010, largely through franchising.

Typical room price: $109 introductory rate

What: A stylish, boutique feel at the price of limited-service hotels

Competitors: Traditional hotels including Marriott Courtyard and Hilton Garden Inn, along with lifestyle brands such as Aloft, Hotel Indigo and Hyatt Place

[sterling]

I'm with the developer on this one. Too bad about the fountain idea being downsized or postponed. Guess Plano doesn't know when it's got something good. It seems in the Dallas area, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree after all. I wouldn't throw those grinches a Christmas party (at my own expense) ever again.

[NThomas]

"The Shops at Legacy is a very nice place. But the bottom line was, he wanted a million bucks to build a private fountain during the middle of a drought," Mr. Stahel said. "There was a groundswell of citizen outrage."

At the time it did seem kinda ironic to help pay for a fountain while we keep getting told from Gloria Campos & John McCaa drought conditions are at there worst. Seeing the fountain at Bellagio is really something else, and now that we've passed up on something that could have well been a North Texas landmark, years from now Plano might just be kicking itself in the @$$. We are well out of the drought now, I wonder if it would pass the city if they reapplied for it...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Fountains_bellagio.jpg

[noelamador]

Huge independent bookstore to open at Plano's Shops at Legacy
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/041008dnbusbooks.38803a3.html
10:40 PM CDT on Wednesday, April 9, 2008
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
stevebrown@dallasnews.com

Plano's Shops at Legacy complex will soon have one of the largest independent bookstores built in the U.S. in years.

The 24,000-square-foot bookseller plans to open in late summer near the northeast corner of the Dallas North Tollway and Legacy Drive, occupying a three-level store in the newest section of the Shops at Legacy.

"All you hear about is independent bookstores going under," said Teri Tanner, managing partner of Legacy Books. "Well, we are opening one."

Ms. Tanner – a Tyler native whose retail experience includes both big nationwide book chains – was working with Borders a few years ago when it considered a location at the Shops at Legacy.

Borders ultimately decided not to do the deal, but Ms. Tanner couldn't get the site out of her mind.

"This is a great niche location in Plano," she said. "The demographics are great, and this is a place where people like to hang out."

On any day of the week, thousands stop by to catch a movie at the Angelika Film Center, eat at the more than two dozen restaurants or shop in one of the center's specialty stores.

But developer Fehmi Karahan still wanted a bookstore in his 6-year-old project.

"Since the beginning, we've had a strong desire to do a bookstore," Mr. Karahan said. "But we just weren't able to do a deal."

These are tough times for book retailers.

After years of competition from low-cost Internet sellers, discounters including Wal-Mart and Costco are now hammering book merchants.

Borders has lost $300 million in the last two years and is considering a sale.

Barnes & Noble's net profit was down about 10 percent in the last year, and the company has warned investors that its profit could fall about 10 cents per share this year.

Still, Ms. Tanner said her Legacy store will sell entertainment as much as it will peddle books.

"Sure, you can get it cheaper on the Internet," she said. "But what's lacking is the interactive experience."

Mr. Karahan is hoping that the bookstore will be as much of a customer draw for his shopping center as the Angelika theater.

"What they have done on the south side of the project, the bookstore will do on the north side," he said.

Legacy Books plans to offer the expected magazines, books and coffee bar, plus an area for cooking demonstrations and a separate Wi-Fi bar.

The store, now under construction, will be done in a modern style designed by Dallas architect Morrison Seifert Murphy, which also did the new One Arts Plaza tower in downtown's Arts District.

The interior plans show an open space with floating staircases, bright-colored fixtures and large windows.

"It's an inviting interior space that happens to be a bookstore," said architect Pat Murphy.

Ms. Tanner said she's patterning the store after independent booksellers in other U.S. cities.

She's spent hours visiting Seattle's Elliott Bay Book Co., Denver's Tattered Cover, BookPeople in Austin and other one-of-a-kind stores.

"We're planning on having 100,000 titles," she said.

Avin Mark Domnitz, chief executive of the American Booksellers Association, said while other independents are opening around the country, Legacy Books is the largest in memory.

"I cannot tell you how thrilled we are that an independent of such scope is opening," Mr. Domnitz said by e-mail. "Also the fact that they are opening in Texas makes us even more excited.

"Texas has a long and rich history of grand independents," he said.