Garland: Firewheel Town Center

[gc]

Garland shopping center opts for nontraditional design
06/06/2003 - By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

Like most shopping malls, Garland's new Firewheel Center will have major department stores, specialty shops, restaurants and even a movie theater.

Only one thing is missing – the roof.

After years of planning, developer Simon Property Group has tossed out its plans for a traditional enclosed shopping mall in northeast Garland.

Instead, the Indianapolis-based company – one of the world's largest shopping center owners – is building an open-air retail village that combines elements of a mall and a community shopping center.

"We started working on a closed regional mall concept a couple of years ago and were pretty far along in design," said Rod Vosper, Simon's vice president of development. "After we consulted with some of our anchors, we put the brakes on the plan for the enclosed mall."

In Simon's redesign, Firewheel Center will have several blocks of stores, restaurants and office space built around a large park. Construction is scheduled to start before the end of the year at the east corner of State Highway 190 and U.S. Highway 78.

When it's finished, Firewheel will look a lot like the downtown retail districts that enclosed malls began supplanting in the 1960s.

"It's a pedestrian-oriented and comfortable place to be," Mr. Vosper said. "It's very nostalgic."

Washington-based architect David Schwarz – whose landmark North Texas projects include American Airlines Center, The Ballpark in Arlington and the West Village center in Dallas' Uptown area – has designed Firewheel Center with a combination of street parking in front of the stores and nearby parking lots.

A combination of awnings, building overhangs and trees will keep the hot Texas sun from frying Firewheel shoppers, he said.

"Texas is fine outside as long as you can stay in the shade," Mr. Schwarz said. "There are places all over Texas that work well with outdoor shopping.

"In the summer, nobody wants to be out from 12 noon to 3 p.m., but those aren't prime shopping times anyway."

Firewheel Center is the kind of "neo-urban" retail design sweeping the country and already made popular in smaller North Texas projects such as Southlake Town Center in northeast Tarrant County, West Village in Dallas' Uptown area and the Shops at Legacy in Plano.

But so far, no developer in the Dallas area has done it on the scale planned in Garland, where Firewheel Center will have almost 1 million square feet of commercial space.

Tenants already signed include Dillard's, Foley's, Barnes & Noble, Circuit City, Gart's Sporting Goods, Linens 'n Things and AMC Theatres.

"What we are doing is taking the better components of the mall – the lifestyle center and the large mixed-use type power center – and putting them into a new format," Mr. Vosper said. "We're trying to create something new for both the retailers and customers that want a street scene."

Simon has had success with the concept in suburban Washington, D.C. Its 2-year-old Bowie Town Center in Maryland has tenants including Hecht's department store, Sears, Barnes & Noble, Bed Bath & Beyond, Old Navy, specialty shops, restaurants and a food pavilion. There's even a Safeway supermarket.

"That project was an incredible success," said Thomas Schneider, Simon's executive vice president of new development. "It opened 100 percent leased and was immediately embraced by the community.

"We are now working on five or six projects in the next few years that are open-air complexes," he said.

To some extent, Simon's plans recognize that big, enclosed retail centers aren't always the answer to a community's need for more shopping space.

"Our business is changing," Mr. Schneider said. "It's harder to find markets that really need four or five department stores [in a traditional mall]."

Enclosed shopping malls have lost favor in the last decade as consumers hunted for more convenient and pedestrian-friendly retail environments.

At the recent shopping center convention in Las Vegas, property brokers and architects said urban-style projects are the order of the day, and there are dozens of projects on the drawing boards.

"It's the latest trend," said Lance Josal, who heads the Dallas office of architect RTKL Associates. "A lot of these will be built, and only the strongest will survive."

Developers are already questioning if there are too many neo-urban projects planned.

"You just can't build these projects everywhere," said David Wilson, executive vice president with Dallas developer Cencor Realty Services. "You just can't have specialty tenants on every corner."

Even so, Mr. Wilson said, Simon's revamped plans for Firewheel drew a horde of admirers at the Las Vegas conference.

"It's like Southlake Town Center on steroids," he said.

Consumers have shown that they want something more than just regional shopping malls surrounded by acres of parking.

And real estate agents say the old stigma against open-air shopping centers in Texas is overstated.

"I don't think the climate here will have any negative impact on it," said Mickey Ashmore, president of Dallas' United Commercial Realty. "I think it will work because people want these street-oriented environments."

But dealing with Firewheel's more than 4,000 parking spaces created design headaches, Mr. Schwarz said.

"Cars are big; they take up a lot of space," he said. "But we are going to try and improve the appearance of the parking lots, just like we did at The Ballpark at Arlington."

Simon officials and Mr. Schwarz also agree that neo-urban retail centers will replace the traditional mall.

"It's unfortunate that some people take a negative attitude toward any retail form that has been as successful as malls have been," Mr. Schwarz said. "Malls are evolving, as shopping has been."

Simon Property Group owns 172 malls nationwide, including four in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

"I don't think the day of the enclosed mall is over," said Mr. Schneider. "We have a lot of money invested, and people like them. But there is clearly a place for these new centers.

"Shoppers like it. Communities like it. Stores like it."

[rantanamo]

I liked the old renderings that used to be up on City of Garland website from the ground level renderings. But what you were essentially getting is a regular indoor mall without a roof. I only wish I could locate those rendering again to compare to the redesign. I'm very excited that there seems to be a new direction from those older renderings. There was no center plaza before, and no office space. Just a bunch of stores arranged like a regualr mall. Since that corridor in Garland is quietly booming, I wouldn't be surprised to see some mixed used developments surrounding the "mall", as housing is actually in big demand in that area. Especially if another telecom boom starts. They just opened the second largest waterpark in the area, and will start construction on a special events center/arena this winter.

[chiboi]

This is great for Garland. I think parts of Garland have great potential like downtown. They already have Dart Rail, and they have a great old town square with lots of cool buildings. There is also another urban village/mixed used development being built at Arapaho and Jupiter roads, right where Richardson and Garland come together.

[rantanamo]

Garland has also been talking to some of the urban builders about refacing downtown. They have been having trouble with NIMBYs and zoning to get the urban center they'd like to build. The thing is Garland that most don't realize is the potential that still lies there. Yes, the city is fast approaching build out, but it has nowhere near the amount of retail and office space as the other suburbs. Growing up there, we always went to Mesquite or Richardson to shop. There are also tons of corporations there that could easily fill up office space instead of the on-factory, or industrial style facilities that many utilize now. I imagine many would move to an improved GBT corridor.

[CTroyMathis]

Work starts rolling in Firewheel project
Years of pursuit, planning to pay off for city, officials say
05:48 PM CST on Wednesday, January 7, 2004
By RICHARD ABSHIRE / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/localnews/city/garland/stories/010804dngarmovindirt.a1709.html

At last.

Dirt is finally being cleared at the future home of Garland's long-awaited regional mall, the Firewheel Town Center at State Highway 78 and the Bush Turnpike. Earth-moving machines have begun grade work and a construction company trailer is on the site.

"It's happening," said Paul Mayer, president of the Garland Chamber of Commerce.

While city officials and Simon Property Group executives have been working on the town center for five or six years, Mr. Mayer said, pursuit of a mall goes back 25 years or more. The mall is a key to development in the Bush Turnpike corridor, Garland's "last frontier" of large tracts of undeveloped land.

"It is our future in terms of growth," Mr. Mayer said. "Not to diminish the I-30 corridor and redevelopment opportunities elsewhere, but just because of the sheer quantity of land and the impact of 190 [Bush Turnpike]."

Les Morris, spokesman for Simon Property Group, said plans for a formal groundbreaking had yet to be finalized.

Mayor Bob Day said he planned to be there whenever the groundbreaking takes place, even if it is at 2 a.m.

"I'm delighted, ecstatic, and all the adjectives I can think of," Mr. Day said. "It's something the city has been working on and needing for years.

"It is probably the biggest impact on the city in the last 15 years. It ranks right up there with the decision to build 190 in terms of a major impact on the city."

Mr. Day said the latest information he had was that the mall was expected to open in fall 2005, in time for the Christmas shopping season.

According to Mr. Mayer, the mall will add 1 million square feet of new retail and 75,000 square feet of office space to the city's tax base.

An additional 700,000 to 800,000 square feet of development will be gained in the immediate area.

"It will mean millions of dollars in sales taxes plus property taxes," he said.

[gc]

Good for Garland. They need it.

[texcolo]

:D

This is some good news!!!

It's my hometown.

[CTroyMathis]

Simon Starts Firewheel's $126M First Phase
By Connie Gore
Last updated: Feb 27, 2004 10:58AM
http://www.globest.com/RMISNPS4IQD.html

GARLAND, TX-After years of talking and a major redesign, Simon Property Group yesterday broke ground on a 750,000-sf first phase to a one-million-sf retail and office project heralded as the largest commercial project to rise in Garland and a surefire linchpin for the far northeastern suburbs.
Firewheel Town Center gets going with letters of intent for retail space pushing north of 75%, Bill Hammer, Simon's vice president of development, tells GlobeSt.com. And, he says, "we expect to open close to full." The team has until fall 2005 to meet the expectation for the grand opening of the $126-million first phase of development. Hammer says it's a pretty safe bet that the 94-acre site will be fully built out in about three years.

Leasing for a 75,000-sf office component kicks off next week with a Cushman & Wakefield of Texas Inc. team at the helm. Director Tracy Fults, assisted by associate Allison Fannin, will market the second-floor office space for about $25 per sf. The team will court local professionals of all types for a "Main and Main" intersection with a mixed-use building on each corner in an open-air, lifestyle design with close-in parking.

Simon and Garland officials began talking nearly eight years ago when regional malls were still profitable retail tickets. In December 2002, Simon's team sat back down at the drawing board. "We made a difficult decision to set aside all the work," Rod Vosper, Simon's vice president of new development, told the hundreds of attendees on hand for the city's milestone event of the lifestyle center's launch. "But it was the right decision and I think patience paid off."

Hammer recalled telling townsfolk through the years that the project was coming. "Finally, we're here today. We had our shovels in the ground and it's really coming," he said.

Firewheel Town Center is projected to generate 2,000 jobs and $250 million in retail sales per year. City officials passed a complex, long-term abatement plan to lock in the first large block of retail for a freeway-fueled, development corridor ringed with new rooftops. The city's tab for infrastructure and sales tax sharing is $22.4 million, an exchange for a projected $89 million in total tax revenues over the next two decades.

The Indianapolis-based Simon is the lead play, but surrounding property owners are hard at work on complementary plans. Another 179 acres will be zoned retail to keep the momentum going full steam.

Firewheel's anchors are a 155,000-sf Dillard's, 140,000-sf Foley's and an AMC Theatres multi-plex. Leases are in hand for Barnes & Noble, Circuit City and Linens N Things. The first phase will bring 245,000 sf of specialty shop space and four to six sit-down restaurants.

Simon, one of the state's largest retail owners, had the center designed by David M. Schwarz, the master architect for some of Dallas/Fort Worth's finest structures. The Dallas-based Beck Group is architect of record and construction manager while SWA Group is the landscape architect and PBS&J, the civil engineer.

[rantanamo]

Here are some more of the tennants



Firewheel Town Center, Garland's long-awaited regional mall, is coming right along. The list of confirmed mall tenants includes Dillard's, Foley's, AMC Theatres, Barnes & Noble, Linens 'n Things, Circuit City, Old Navy and The Gap. The restaurants: Romano's Macaroni Grill, Bone Daddy's House of Smoke, TGI Friday's and Rockfish Seafood Grill. Mall construction is setting the pace for development across Northeast Parkway as well. Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond, and an On the Border restaurant are timing construction on Highway 78 between Home Depot and Lowe's to coincide with the mall opening. When finished, the mall will have 1 million square feet of retail space plus 75,000 square feet of office development. The 90-acre site sits at the intersection of the Bush Turnpike and Highway 78.

Typical suburban. I say good for Garland. Growing up we always wanted Garland to develop more. Its finally coming back, and seems to be focusing more on being a suburb now than sucking mfg jobs from surrounding cities. Like Dallas, its weird to look in the Homes section and see new large subdivisions for places that were supposed to be landlocked before the 2000 census.

[Geaux Tigers]

It's going to be a nice development. Too bad it's closer to Sachse than Garland!

[rantanamo]

no, it's not closer to Sachse. Its in Garland. A very fast growing part of Garland I might add. I guess I should take pics some day, but there are 4 or 5 buildings up already. Really does resemble a little town much moreso than a mall or retail strip , just from looking at the orientation of the buildings.

[js]

If I remember correctly it is about 15 buildings with either 2 or 3 tenants each.
It is going to look similar to the South Lake Town Center.

[freewaytincan]

If I remember correctly it is about 15 buildings with either 2 or 3 tenants each.
It is going to look similar to the South Lake Town Center.

Excellent to hear!

[LakeHighlands]

I have been meaning to post these. These photos are of Firewheel Town Center in Garland by Simon. This project still has a lot of building to do.

The first few are of the project from far away.

[LakeHighlands]

These are the close ups of the project.

[LakeHighlands]

MORE These are the close ups of the project.

[LakeHighlands]

The interior.

[LakeHighlands]

Take from the second floor of several buildings.

[LakeHighlands]

Dillard’s –This is one of FOUR new or expansion projects Dillard’s is doing in DFW. They will have 19 stores in DFW by 2007.* (If they are still called Dillard’s by then.)

[LakeHighlands]

The pond/ lake/ retention pond.

[freewaytincan]

It's turning out to look far better than I expected. I'll have to make it out there when I come back for my winter break as well. I noticed today on the train that the bus that runs nearby is having an alteration made to its route starting in February that will take it to Firewheel.

What do you mean, "...if they are still called Dillard's by then."?

[rantanamo]

Good shots. I've been trying to check out the site while I'm in town. Hard to believe it will be readying to open in 1 year.

[noelamador]

wow this is turning out to be a great looking center. thanks for the pics LH. it's a larger West Village(for the time being) there is a similar " town center" here in SoCal that recently opened as well and the quality and look of the buildings pales in comparsion. www.VictoriaGardensIE.com

[noelamador]

[QUOTE=UrbanLandscape}
What do you mean, "...if they are still called Dillard's by then."?[/QUOTE]

that's if the chain isn't sold to Federated(Macy's/Bloomies) or any other dept. store conglomerate

[freewaytincan]

[QUOTE=UrbanLandscape}
What do you mean, "...if they are still called Dillard's by then."?

that's if the chain isn't sold to Federated(Macy's/Bloomies) or any other dept. store conglomerate[/QUOTE]

Wow. I'm so disconnected...I used to watch CNBC constantly and read the Wall Street Journal, and now I just don't have the time. Thanks for the heads up though.

[SpaceCityDood]

It reminds me of Market Street in The Woodlands, near Houston.

[rantanamo]

Looks nice, but let's remember its in the middle of what will be an enormous sea of concrete. Not nearly as nice as the new downtowns throughout the metroplex.

[freewaytincan]

Looks nice, but let's remember its in the middle of what will be an enormous sea of concrete. Not nearly as nice as the new downtowns throughout the metroplex.

Please elaborate.

[rantanamo]

It's just a mall without the roof, basically. The mall itself sits far from HWY 78 and GBT and will be surrounded by a huge sea of standard mall parking. It looks the way it dows, because it will simulate the setup of an old Main St.

[drumguy8800]

Whoa. I had no idea they had even started. Very true, rantanamo. That's pretty dissapointing that they didn't opt for a smaller plot of land and a few parking garages..

[rantanamo]

I can understand the location. Business up there does very well with all the East Plano, Wylie, Richardson, Rowlett, and Rockwall people that shop in that area. Plus the railroad that goes by it is listed as under study by DART. Its just that its really a dolled up mall that sort of flies in the face of what could have been in downtown Garland, had zoning not faced such a hard fight.

[freewaytincan]

Whoa. I had no idea they had even started. Very true, rantanamo. That's pretty dissapointing that they didn't opt for a smaller plot of land and a few parking garages..

That is unfortunate. Does it at least meet the street?

[Jack Flack]

The development is pretty much surrounded by parking like any other mall. A crucial difference is that as the area matures, parking structures and higher density housing can be easily placed on the existing parking lots thanks to the design of the site. Over time this development could become the little piece of urban splendor we all want it to be.

[CTroyMathis]

Thanks for the construction photos up above, LH.

[freewaytincan]

The development is pretty much surrounded by parking like any other mall. A crucial difference is that as the area matures, parking structures and higher density housing can be easily placed on the existing parking lots thanks to the design of the site. Over time this development could become the little piece of urban splendor we all want it to be.

That's true. I've wondered if the same won't eventually happen at Cityplace.

[Jack Flack]

^with the buildout of the West Village development on the west side of Central and rapid redevelopment beginning to occur on the east, I could see the theater and target shopping center being replaced by something more fitting to what the area is becoming. I think it will be a while though.

[rantanamo]

Cityplace is a much different animal.

Firewheel is more like Town East without the roof. Still surrounded by a vast lot that would take decades to fill.

[freewaytincan]

Cityplace is a much different animal.

Firewheel is more like Town East without the roof. Still surrounded by a vast lot that would take decades to fill.

True indeed. Unfortunately, you're absolutely right.

[Agnus Dei]

This is a tardy boost, but I have a question: Is Simon going to close Richardson Square Mall? They just revamped it not that long ago, and Target just moved in a few years back. It's not a booming mall, but I don't see how they could possibly expect to sustain it with this so close.

[rantanamo]

Town East pretty much took most of the Garland mall business as well as those from towns east of Dallas County and east Dallas outside of loop 12. Richardson Square, on the other hand is a much more local type mall. Its far from freeways and sits in the middle of a residential neigbhorhood. The major tenant stores seem small compared to others in more regional malls. I would imagine that's how it survives now vs Collin Creek, which isn't all that far away. The Firewheel stores are huge. A much more regional approach in conjunction with its surroundings, which is/will be a huge retail area that is in a visible location(especially when 190 opens all the way to I-30). Collin Creek is one I always forget about. Lots of new customers in Wylie, N. Garland, Richardson, South and east Plano. I'd think currently these are Collin Creek shoppers. Firewheel will be very convenient to these people, and will certainly offer something different. Of course though there are more people in that area than in Mesquite, so maybe it can support all three.

Or scenario 3, Firewheel doesn't catch on. I would be surprised though as retail in that area seems to do very well so far. Don't know how North Texans will take to shopping outdoors.

[Geaux Tigers]

Don't know how North Texans will take to shopping outdoors.

Please see the thread on Southlake Town Square expanding as fast as possible.

[rantanamo]

Southlake Town Square = 291,000 sq/ft with much smaller retailers, a real town square, city hall and library. Much different experience than Firewheel. One wouldn't do bulk Christmas type shopping there. Firewheel is purely a mall. 800,000 sq/ft withouth the theater (now up to 18 screens) and adjacent pad sites which would take it to over 1,000,000 sq ft. Its like going to a normal mall, but with no roof, so no heat or a/c. Its probably the first true outdoor shopping test for North Texans in a while.

[Tnekster]

Another one coming is the new outdoor center in Cedar Hill. It will be 700,000 sf and will also be outdoors. I believe it will have have a central focal point that will feature a fountain and possibly some restaurants around the center. I have not seen any renderings of this project yet but get the impression it has a slightly different feel than firewheel.

[rantanamo]

preliminary concept
http://garlandonline.com/images/news/Firewheel%20TC%202.jpg
http://www.ravensnesthoa.com/images/firewheelMallSign.jpg
http://www.ravensnesthoa.com/images/firewheelMallSketch.jpg


preliminary concept
http://www.michaelholden.net/Firewheel_TC_12.jpg


Final concept
http://www.firewheelretail.com/Renderings/View7.jpg
http://www.firewheelretail.com/Renderings/View6.jpg
http://www.firewheelretail.com/Renderings/View3.jpg

[img]http://www.firewheelretail.com/Renderings/View2.jpg

There are hotel and residential plans. I only wish they were more integrated with the retail.

[tamtagon]

For sake of those living trying to make a better community for Garland, I hope the developers have enough foresight to allow for these outdoor malls to be quickly and inexpensively enclosed. The open air shopping mall is doomed venture in Texas, if you ask me - although the conversion options of a greenhouse would work very well in Texas. The big department stores may do just fine at Firewheel, but just because they offer a complete variety of products in a climate controlled environment. But the stores with the unique product line will suffer when customers dont feel like wondering around looking at stuff in the turbulent North Texas weather. Now, for the most part, the weather is great nine months of the year, but not consistent enough for niche retailers almost entirely dependent on the foot traffic generated by a wide variety of niche retailers. The smaller retail operators in a shopping mall depend on window shoppers and browsers, and the environment needs to be allow for a comfortable 1-3 hours of walking around with 3-10+ pounds worth of purchases.

A town square is a collection of mostly single destination venues, and the open air can create a very pleasant experience. Open air town square window shoppers look around before/after a movie or after a meal typically browsing for 30 minutes or so. The town square should be designed for very frequent short visits, while a shopping mall should be comfortablly designed for infrequent long visits.

[rantanamo]

The one hope is that people still filled the large outlet malls in San Marcos, which are Half Town Center, half strip mall. The times I've been it was in excess of 100 degrees and people were still walking around. Maybe we exagerate the north Texas weather a bit though and during those bad weather months, you have Christmas and the school shopping seasons. We shall see though.

You can see from the aerial how close it is to a DART ROW. If DART ever goes up there, I hope they'd cross over 78 and provide a stop there.

[utgf]

Firewheel looks like another tired pastiche from David Schwarz along the lines of South Lake Town Center, Frisco Town Center, West Village, and original Victory plans. Luckily for Dallas, I believe he is no longer involved in Victory or rest of Cityplace.

[vman]

Firewheel looks like another tired pastiche from David Schwarz along the lines of South Lake Town Center, Frisco Town Center, West Village, and original Victory plans. Luckily for Dallas, I believe he is no longer involved in Victory or rest of Cityplace.

I have to agree....these developments are all starting to look alike.

[freewaytincan]

What's on the upper floors of the buildings?

I feel like the large area that appears to be reserved for pad sites and the parking lots really defeat the purpose of the whole thing.

[rantanamo]

^second floors are office space and second floor for some of the stores.

Those are pad sites. One of which will house an 18 screen AMC theater. I'm lost at the defeated purpose though? It is a suburban mall. You drive there to shop. Drive to the pad sites. There is no functional municipal space like Southlake or Frisco that are trying to recreate a missing downtown. This is purely mall. Take the roof off of Richardson Square and this is no different.