Heather Goodwin | The Courier-Leader

The DFW Metroplex is already home to more Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers than any other market in the country but until recently, Caniacs in The Colony haven’t had a Cane’s to call their own.

Raising Cane’s The Colony opened July 16 at 3851 Plano Parkway. It marks the company’s 29th location in DFW, its 79th in the state of Texas and the 226th in the nation.

Grand opening festivities began with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony courtesy of The Colony Chamber of Commerce and other community leaders. First-time visitors will be treated to traditional cheers and other high-energy chants to launch the location in unique Cane’s fashion, compliments of its 45-50 newly hired crewmembers. Deuce, a Frisco RoughRiders mascot, joined guests for photos.

The first 10 paying, dine-in customers ages 13 and older received free Cane’s for a year. In addition, the first 100 paying, dine-in customers ages 13 and older received a free Cane’s The Colony T-shirt, along with a voucher for a free box combo.

“This will be my eighth Raising Cane’s opening, and I have to say I’ve never been more pumped,” said Brian Gibson, general manager. “My team and I are excited to be apart of The Colony community and become actively involved.”

During the grand opening, Gibson presented a $1,000 check to the Hungry Hearts Food Pantry on behalf of Raising Cane’s. That follows a team volunteer day on July 10, when Gibson and roughly 15 crewmembers helped stock, organize and clean the food pantry.

“Hungry Hearts is an absolutely first-class organization, and it has been our honor to support them through our grand opening community service project,” said Gibson. “But that’s just the beginning of our outreach in this city.”

Raising Cane’s is also supporting The Colony Youth Baseball Association, The Colony ISD and the summer reading program at The Colony Library.

Hours of operation at The Colony restaurant are Sunday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.

Read original article at The Courier-Leader.

Maria Halkias | Dallas Morning News Biz Beat Blog

Berkshire Hathaway is making progress on its $1.5 billion Grandscape development anchored by Nebraska Furniture Mart in The Colony.

A winding lake and boardwalk that are part of the 433-acre project are under construction.

Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen is the first restaurant to open. The restaurant added 200 part-time and full-time jobs.

Hard Eight BBQ & Hampton Inn & Suites are under construction. Mi Cocina and Rock & Brews are in the design phase, said Grandscape spokeswoman Katie Rager, and more tenants will be announced later this year.

Read the original article on the Dallas Morning News website.

Recon 2015

In an effort to promote additional economic development, enhance the local tax base, and create new jobs, representatives from the City of The Colony and Economic Development Corporation were among more than 1,000 public officials and 35,000 retail real estate professionals who traveled to Las Vegas this month to attend RECon, the global convention sponsored by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).

The three-day event featured educational sessions on retail and economic development issues, more than 1 million square-feet of exhibit space showcasing leading retailers, developers, leasing agents, brokers, public sector professionals, and industry product and service providers.

“RECon is a must-attend event if you are trying to create any type of retail real estate development in your community,” said Keri Samford, Director of The Colony’s Economic Development Corporation.  “In just three days, we were able to meet with numerous shopping center developers, owners, and retailers to ensure that they are aware of the incredible opportunities in our community.”

According to ICSC, approximately 50 percent of all retail real estate industry deals are conceived of or consummated at RECon.

“Participating in RECon through the years has proven to be a very viable component of our comprehensive retail recruitment strategy,” added Samford. “Many of the retail projects now complete or underway in The Colony were sparked through our networking and one-on-one meetings at past RECon conferences, and interest in our community this year was extremely high.”

Shopping centers generate more than $2.5 trillion in retail sales annually in the U.S. and raise nearly $145 billion in sales tax revenue for state and local governments.  In 2014, there were 12.7 million shopping center-related jobs in the U.S.

In Texas, shopping centers generate more than $ $236.5 billion in retail sales annually and raise nearly $14.8 billion in sales tax revenue for state and local governments.  In 2014, there were 1 million shopping center-related jobs in Texas.

121 Growth A Matter of Time

impact news | extract

Activity along SH 121 has exploded in recent years in The Colony and Plano. The Grandscape development in The Colony, for instance, opened its anchor store, Nebraska Furniture Mart, in May and is expected to help in the city’s economic growth. On the Frisco side of SH 121, Crest Auto Group is building three new car dealerships and a Wal-Mart is going in the Custer Bridges development.

“The [land] pricing today is as low as it will be for the foreseeable future. Prices are only going to continue to increase as demand increases.”

– Bill Cox, principal for commercial real estate firm Carey Cox Co.

Read full article at www.impactnews.com.

NFM Grand Opening

Carla Wade, WFAA ABC Channel 8

With 560,000 square feet of showroom space divided between two floors, Nebraska Furniture Mart Texas may partially bear the name of another state — but it’s a Texas-sized shopping experience.

“It’s exceptional,” said shopper Glenn Allen.

The store held its Grand Opening Thursday morning. City and county leaders joined the company’s President and COO Ron Blumkin outside the store for a giant ribbon cutting.

The Colony Mayor Joe McCourry said seeing the finished store was the culmination of years of planning to bring more economic development to the area.

“Years ago the council said that this corridor was going to be an entertainment destination and a lot of people laughed at us,” said McCourry. “But now though, we stuck to our guns, we followed our intuition and we went after those things that would make it happen.”

The new store offers furniture, appliances, electronics and flooring. It could take you three to four hours to walk the entire store. Some experts estimate the retailer will make at least $1 billion in sales the first year.

“What really excited us about coming to Texas was how great the economy is here and how great the culture of people is here,” said Store Director Ed Lipsett.

The store had a “soft opening” back on March 4. It’s taken two months to get workers, more than 2,000 of them, trained for Thursday’s Grand Opening.

“Including and on down to the people who install products for us, to our sales people, to even our delivery services that work for us,” said Lipsett.

Workers armed with tablets can ring up customers anywhere. And prices in the morning could differ by the afternoon. Nebraska Furniture Mart Texas uses digital tagging — scanning prices from other stores and instantly changing prices multiple times a day.

The distribution center is more than a million square feet and it’s filled with merchandise ready for pick up or delivery.

“I like it, “Allen said with a huge grin. “This is where you can come and find everything you need in one place.”

Lindsey Lessner drove in from McKinney to see the store.

“My mom lives in Fort Worth and she’s talked about coming to visit,” she said. “And I just think it has a lot to offer that was missing in the DFW market for furniture.”

View original story and video at WFAA.com

Candace Carlisle | ccarlisle@bizjournals.com | Dallas Business Journal

Fast-growing Quest Resource Management Group LLC, a subsidiary of Quest Resource Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: QRHC), was running out of space at its Frisco headquarters, which is why it needed a new build-to-suit corporate office.

“I consider myself a person who can see opportunity a few steps before someone else and has the competitiveness and the drive to go out and try it,” Quest CEO and President Brian Dick recently told my colleague Nicholas Sakelaris. “That’s a core philosophy of mine.”

In February, Quest Resource Management was a $180 million company with 120 employees that recycles products from 20,000 locations. The new headquarters will help Dick further the company’s goal of expanding its business.

“Like anything else, you do something well and word starts to spread and we continue to expand our business,” he said.

Construction is already underway on the single-story, 36,000-square-foot headquarters at Plano Parkway and Destination Drive at Austin Ranch in The Colony. Dallas-based Billingsley Co. is the developer of the project.

This would move Quest Resource’s corporate office to The Colony from Frisco adjacent to Toyota Stadium.

Dick was sold on Austin Ranch’s location based on its proximity to the Nebraska Furniture Mart-anchored Grandscape on State Highway 121, which gives employees easy access to the new corporate office.

Quest’s new headquarters is one of three office buildings at Austin Ranch, which Billingsley Co. has named Old Oak Pond. Sanyo Energy U.S.A. Corp. decided to expand and relocate its growing headquarters to the site last fall.

Steve Wentz of Cushman & Wakefield of Texas Inc. represented Quest in the company’s real estate search. Marijke Lantz of Billingsley Co. represented the landlord in the deal.

“This is truly a hot spot for development in DFW and this location was a great fit for Quest to boost their corporate image and a great space for future growth, said Wentz, a director at the real estate brokerage.

The work is slated for completion in September. The new building is expandable and can grow with Quest’s business plans, which has experienced tremendous growth since its inception in 2007.

Read original story at the Dallas Business Journal

NFM WFAA 8

Sebastian Robertson, WFAA ABC Channel 8

Nebraska Furniture Mart ‘s reach extends far beyond furniture. The megastore is set to open in The Colony sometime this spring.

For the next few weeks, however, hundreds of shoppers contacted by e-mail and mailer will be among the first to browse the 560,000 square foot emporium. By way of comparison, Ikea’s sprawling store in neighboring Frisco encompasses 310,000 square feet.

Nebraska Furniture Mart is all in, and it has some big name backers — including financier Warren Buffett — as seen in a promotional video for the surrounding development.

“We’re going to have a store that really blows people’s minds away,” Buffett said.

The furniture store serves as the anchor behind a massive multi-use development spanning 400 acres. It will be the first development of its kind in The Colony.

Keri Samford on WFAA

The Colony EDC Director Keri Samford on WFAA ABC Channel 8 News.

“If you drive along the [Highway] 121 corridor, there is a tremendous amount of growth and development taking place,” said the city’s economic development director Keri Sanford. “For example, we have six new hotels that have either been announced or are under construction currently.”

A billion dollar project dubbed Grandscape is about more than shopping. Renderings depict a vibrant mixed-use development featuring a convention center, restaurants, and an outdoor amphitheater.

“It’s been traditionally a bedroom community, but now this transitions us to having a better and more broad base, with commercial development as well,” Sanford said.

Store officials haven’t announced an official opening date for the general public, but do say it could come in the next few weeks.

“It’s humongous,” said shopper Reva Nathanson, one of those who has had a sneak peek. “It’s an amazing stadium of furniture. It’s going to put The Colony, Texas on the map.”

When complete, city officials predict the development could attract as many as eight million shoppers a year. ​

See original story and watch the video at WFAA.com

Raising Cane's Opening In The Colony

By Heather M. Goodwin | hgoodwin@starlocalmedia.com | The Colony Courier-Leader
The Metroplex is already home to 27 Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers restaurants, but local Caniacs can’t seem to get enough. The Louisiana-based chain recently broke ground on its newest location, in The Colony. It is tentatively scheduled to open in late June.

The newest restaurant extends DFW’s lead as the most populated market in the entire Raising Cane’s system. It will also be the first constructed to the company’s new and larger prototype specifications.

“The Colony is a great spot for Raising Cane’s and building a restaurant here is a very big milestone for us and for all of the Caniacs that live, work, and play in this great city”, said Luke Overman, area director of operations. “I have also received feedback from many of our customers that they have been waiting for a Raising Cane’s to open in The Colony, so we believe this is a win for everybody. Our culture is rooted in the relationships we build in each community we serve, so our crewmembers will definitely be reaching out to area schools and organizations of all types in the months ahead to see how we can become an active community partner.”

The Colony’s first Raising Cane’s will be located at 3851 Plano Parkway, just south of the Sam Rayburn Tollway.

See original article at The Colony Courier-Leader

The Colony Chamber of Commerce

By Heather M. Goodwin | hgoodwin@starlocalmedia.com | The Colony Courier-Leader

Changes are coming to The Colony Chamber of Commerce, and its new leader hopes it will allow members to get more out of the organization.

“There are definitely a lot of changes coming,” said Robyn Bowers, president of the chamber board. “I want to see the chamber be very prosperous and allow our members to get the most out of The Colony.”

Recently, the chamber has appointed all new board of directors members after the previous members resigned. Bowers said the board has also been meeting weekly. The chamber is also reshaping its member benefits package and welcome bags that are given to new residents.

“There is a collaboration of people wanting to change things. I think I’m able to use my background to help drive the chamber, but there is a great board in place that has stepped up and wants to see The Colony grow and succeed,” Bowers said. “Everyone on the board is very engaged. We’re exchanging ideas and brainstorming with each other.”

From 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Drunken Donkey Bar and Grill, 4897 State Highway 121, the chamber is inviting all previous, current and potential members to attend an event meant to introduce the community to the new chamber board.

“We want people to meet and get to know us,” Bowers said. “They’ll see that the chamber is a fun environment and has a lot of networking opportunities.”

Tuesday is also the deadline for businesses to add to the chamber’s welcome bags. Bowers said the bags include information about local businesses.

“I encourage creativity, bring your business cards, flyers, brochures or whatever you want,” Bowers said. “The goal is to stand out.”

Business owners should bring enough to fill 500 bags.

In addition, the chamber is partnering with Nebraska Furniture Mart and other new businesses coming to the Grandscape for sponsorships of other event. Sometime in March, NFM will partner with the chamber for a soft opening of the store to allow chamber members a sneak peak of the mart. Bowers said the chamber is trying to fill up its calendar with other events and fundraisers.

“We’ve also met with the city to get more involved, and we want to work with the schools. It will take some time, but it will happen,” Bowers said.

Bowers said while the previous board members were “great,” every now and then fresh volunteers are needed.

“It’s hard to maintain because these are volunteer positions,” Bowers said. “Now we have the opportunity to step in with new faces and see it prosper.”

Bowers is not only new to the chamber; she is new to The Colony and to Texas. She moved to the area in May and joined the chamber in October.

“I opened a new business in The Colony and wanted to get involved,” Bowers said. “I was involved with the chamber where I lived before. As a small business owner I know how hard it is when you first start up, and I want to offer my experience.”

Bowers said she wants to see a strong community. By the end of the year she hopes to see more than 100 members attend chamber events on a regular basis. She said the chamber will also roll out a new website in the coming months.

“I encourage feedback and suggestions from everyone,” Bowers said. “We’re trying to rebuild, so right now is the time we can implement just about anything.”

Interested members may join the chamber online at thecolonychamber.com or at Comerica Bank, 4730 State Highway 121.

“I would be happy to sit down and go over the benefits of becoming a member with anyone,” Bowers said. “I think every business owner should be part of it because we’re about to see things take off.”

Read more at The Colony Courier-Leader

Hampton Inn Breaks Ground at Grandscape

Korri Kezar | kkezar@bizjournalscom | Dallas Business Journal

A 115-room, 6-story Hampton Inn and Suites has broken ground at the Grandscape development in The Colony.

Nebraska Furniture Mart is spending $1.5 billion to anchor and develop Grandscape, which will stretch across 433 acres. Its first phase includes two Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HLT) hotels developed by Carrollton-based Atlantic Hotels Group, which has done construction for other well-known names including Marriott and Holiday Inn.

The hotels will include the Hampton and a 126-room Homewood Suites by Hilton. Both hotels will be upscale to cater to transient and extended-stay customers, a company news release said.

“We are extremely excited to be developing for Hilton inside Grandscape,” said Perry Molubhoy, Chairman and CEO of Atlantic Hotels Group. “We look forward to providing The Colony and our customers with a luxurious, quality product that will make them always (come) back for more – a home away from home.”

Atlantic is set to complete construction in early 2016. The hotel will cost $12 million to build.

Other businesses slated to join the development include restaurants Mi Cocina, Cheddars, Hard Eight BBQ and Rock & Brews.

“The biggest thing that differentiates us from other developers is that we are under no financial pressure to sign tenants,” Jeff Lind, Granscape president, told the Dallas Business Journal in January. “We can tweak anything that we need to tweak and as we open the store, we’ll take our time and do it right.”

More at www.bizjournals.com

Abuelos Resturant Moving To The Colony

Posted by LewisvilleTexan

Abuelo’s Mexican Restaurant announced this week that on February 15th, it’s location on 2520 S. I-35E in Lewisville will close its doors. The property has been purchased through eminent domain by the Texas Department of Transportation for use in the Interstate 35 expansion project. The state’s purchase price was not listed as of Thursday, but the property was on the tax rolls at $2.6 million. The restaurant had been in business at the location since 1999.

Food Concepts International, the Lubbock based parent company of Abuelos, said they were in the process of finalizing plans for a new location in The Colony, near the new Nebraska Furniture Mart on SH 121. They hope to open the restaurant there by September of this year.

“With regret, we are closing our location in Lewisville,” said Robert Lin, president of Food Concepts International. “We are very thankful to our guests and employees for their loyal patronage and service over the past 15 years in Lewisville. We invite everyone to visit us at any of our other DFW locations, and we are looking forward to a new opening in the Colony area soon.”

This story contains material from a submitted report. Photo by Nick Weaver.

Read Story at Lewisville Texas Journal

Nebraska Furniture Stocking Shelves

Candace Carlisle | ccarlisle@bizjournals.com | Dallas Business Journal

After promises that shelves would begin to be stocked at Nebraska Furniture Mart’s new North Texas store in The Colony, work began Wednesday on filling the 560,000-square-foot retail showroom with appliances, furniture and electronics.

The retail showroom will anchor the $1.5 billion, 433-acre Grandscape development and is part of the larger 1.9 million-square-foot Nebraska Furniture Mart, which includes a distribution center.

The showroom at the southeast corner of the Sam Rayburn Tollway and Plano Parkway in The Colony is expected to open to customers by this spring, with Nebraska Furniture Mart organizing their development tenant mix for the rest of the massive project.

The 77-year-old retailer, an affiliate of Warren Buffett’s Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire Hathaway, plans to take its time recruiting other tenants to its Grandscape development, said Grandscape President Jeff Lind.

“The biggest thing that differentiates us from other developers is that we are under no financial pressure to sign tenants,” he told me. “We can tweak anything that we need to tweak and as we open the store, we’ll take our time and do it right.”

Thus far, the following tenants have been confirmed: Hampton Inn & Suites, Homewood Suites, Cheddar’s Casual Cafe, Hard Eight BBQ, Mi Cocina and Rock & Brews.

Lind said he expects the Texas showroom is expected to be one of the largest grossing retail stores on the planet.

Read more at www.bizjournals.com

Nebraska Furniture NBC5

Deanna Dewberry | @Deanna_Dewberry | NBCDFW.com

Nebraska Furniture Mart, the largest home furnishing store in North America, is opening its biggest retail space to date this spring in The Colony.

Nebraska Furniture Mart, the largest home furnishing store in North America, is opening its biggest retail space to date this spring in The Colony.

The 560,000-square-foot store with be situated in the same complex with its gigantic distribution center. The two combined are the size of 31 football fields. The store sells furniture, flooring, electronics and appliances all under one roof.

To give DFW area consumers a sense of what to expect when it opens, NBC5’s Consumer Specialist Deanna Dewberry traveled to the company’s flagship store in Omaha and sat down with NMF’s President and Chief Operating Officer Ron Blumkin.

“We have a lot of people counting on us to do well,” said Blumkin, who calls those who work for him teammates rather than employees.

The store will have 2,000 employees and has already hired hundreds to prepare for the grand opening. With Nebraska Furniture Mart being a family business, Blumkin feels the pressure.

In 1937, his grandmother Rose Blumkin founded the company in the basement of her husband’s shop in Omaha. She spent the next several decades growing the business. Then in 1983, with a handshake and a $60 million deal, NFM joined Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway empire.

The company has locations in Omaha, Kansas City and Des Moines. The location in The Colony will be the company’s first venture out of the Midwest. Ron Blumkin and his brother Irv, sit at the helm.

“As Mr. Buffett so eloquently puts it, ‘the Blumkin kids, we won the ovarian lottery,’ ” said Ron Blumkin. “It’s true.”

And grandma had a golden rule. “The founder’s mantra was we’re going to sell cheaper than our competitors, period,” Blumkin said.

It does so by constantly monitoring the competition, which includes big box stores like Target and Walmart, Home Depot, Best Buy, Internet retailers, and scores of local, regional and national furniture stores.

In electronics and appliances, NFM even has digital price tags so with the flip of a switch it can change prices. Blumkin also said if consumers see a product cheaper elsewhere, NFM will often beat that price.

“That’s the goal,” he said.

Stores like Target, Walmart, Home Depot and Best Buy also have price matching policies. That means when NFM opens in The Colony, DFW-area residents should shop around because the competition will be good for consumers.

But Blumkin believes the store in The Colony has one very big competitive advantage: Its colossal distribution center.

It holds 500,000 pieces of merchandise, everything from electronics to furniture and has 13 miles of aisles when placed end to end.

“Some of my competitors think that it’s one of the stupidest moves every attempted,” said Blumkin. “I think they’re wrong.”

The on-site distribution center offers consumers the convenience buying a couch, mattress or computer, and in many cases, bringing it home the same day, according to Blumkin.

The store is organized in sections. Next to furniture is flooring. Appliances and electronics are in a separate area. Doors will access each so consumers don’t have to walk the entire space to find what they need. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t wear comfortable shoes.

As for the grand opening, Blumkin is giddy with excitement, like a kid in a candy store, or in his case, a mega home furnishing store.

“Wow. How excited do I appear to be?” he said with a smile.

See more at: www.nbcdfw.com

Jackson Shaw Breaks Ground

Dallas.citybizlist.com

Jackson-Shaw marked the construction of the Marriott Courtyard in The Colony with a groundbreaking ceremony and luncheon on October 30. More than 50 guests joined on-site at the final phase of Cascades at The Colony, located along Sam Rayburn Tollway and two miles west of the Dallas North Tollway. The Jackson-Shaw Foundation is making a major contribution the Friends of The Colony library to demonstrate its commitment to early childhood literacy as well as the City of The Colony. Jackson-Shaw is a national real estate development company headquartered in Dallas that develops diversified commercial properties. For more information visit www.jacksonshaw.com. –

See more at: http://dallas.citybizlist.com

Marriott At The Cascades

Candace Carlisle | ccarlisle@bizjournals.com | Dallas Business Journal

Dallas-based real estate development firm Jackson-Shaw plans to begin construction on its third Marriott hotel at Cascades at The Colony — a five-story, 125-room Marriott Courtyard.

This new hotel on the Sam Rayburn Tollway, about two miles west of the Dallas North Tollway, signals the final phase of the Cascades at The Colony, a 100-acre master-planned commercial and residential community in The Colony.

The Marriott Courtyard is a flag of success for the Cascades and the community in The Colony, said Michele Wheeler, president and COO of Dallas-based Jackson-Shaw.

Along with the hotel, Jackson-Shaw plans to develop three restaurants — which are scheduled to break ground in spring 2015 — for the final phase of construction. The Marriott Courtyard is scheduled for completion in fall 2015.

Key Construction Inc. is the general contractor for the project. Merriman Associates Architects Inc. is the project architect. Sovereign Bank is the construction lender on the hotel.

Jackson-Shaw is currently developing projects throughout the United States, including Texas, Florida, Maryland, Arizona and Colorado.

Read the Full Story at www.bizjournals.com

Grandscape 5,000 Jobs

By Heather M. Goodwin | hgoodwin@starlocalmedia.com | Lewisville Leader

The Colony has already seen an economic benefit to bringing the Nebraska Furniture Mart to the city, but that is just the beginning of what it and the entire Grandscape development has to offer.

“We’ve already seen a huge benefit of the development, including the addition of Top Golf, to The Colony,” said Tod Maurina, assistant city manager. “We’ve already seen an economic impact from having the construction people in town. We don’t have numbers to quantify that now, but we know it’s there.”

Keri Samford, economic development director, said to her knowledge every piece of vacant property along State Highway 121 is either under contract or being developed, including Specks, Rooms to Go and Peter Piper Pizza.

“We also have office condos coming in, and developers are rebuilding the Marriott hotel,” Samford said.

Maurina said he believes that is a direct result of the investment the city made to bring Grandscape to fruition.

Once Nebraska Furniture Mart opens, March 4, 2015, it will have about 2,200 employees. It has already hired more than 400 people.

“They are actively hiring and have held a couple job fairs,” Maurina said. “The big push will be this fall. They’ve brought in a certain amount of people from other locations to help teach the culture, but they have also hired a high number of local people in prominent positions in the organization.”

Maurina said initially the city estimated that the mart would bring 1,900 new jobs to the area and the Grandscape as a whole, about 5,000 new jobs. He said the city’s goal is to hire at least 50 percent of people from The Colony and Denton County.

“Our goal is to keep it as local as possible, and I think that’s good for them [the businesses] too,” Maurina said. “Businesses don’t like people commuting 45 minutes to work. There’s a certain area they want their employees to be in to make sure they’re reliable.”

Maurina said the mart is good at maintaining its employees. He said they have more than a 94-percent retention rate over five years.

“It’s very common to meet employees of the mart that have been there more than 10 years,” Maurina said. “At this location, a couple who works as the project manager and distribution manager have both been with the mart more than 20 years. They’re very conscience of keeping people, and they’re going to be a great employer.”

The mart will employ both part time and full time positions. Maurina said the jobs will span from warehouse distribution, which itself will have more than 800 people, to entry level cashiers, to craftsman who will make repairs to the furniture, to high-end sales positions.

In addition to bringing in new jobs, Maurina said the city is projecting that the mart will generate $50 million dollars a year in sales tax.

“This is bigger than The Colony. I don’t think it’s an accident that some headquarters have been coming into area cities such as Plano. There’s been development all along the 121 corridor, including Lewisville and Frisco,” Maurina said.

Maurina said area cities are seeing development where there was none before. He said that’s what The Colony always envisioned, that Grandscape was a regional wide opportunity.

“We’re glad to see our neighbors benefit as well as we are because it helps create traffic and make Grandscape be successful,” Maurina said.

Read the Full Story at www.starlocalmedia.com

Cheddars Restaurant

By Heather M. Goodwin | hgoodwin@starlocalmedia.com | The Colony Courier-Leader

The Colony could soon be home to a Cheddar’s restaurant following a vote by the planning and zoning commission.

On Tuesday, commissioners approved a development plan for Cheddar’s restaurant that specializes in homemade dishes. Developers are planning a 8,066-square-foot restaurant that would be located on the south side of Nebraska Furniture Mart Drive and 400 feet east of Bargain Way directly west from the Nebraska Furniture Mart parking lot. The planning and zoning commission approved the preliminary plat Feb. 26. The item will now go before the city council.

The Savant Group completed a traffic study on the proposed site and recommended several roadway improvements meant to ease the projected increase in traffic in the area. The improvements include adding a double diverging diamond over State Highway 121 at South Colony Boulevard, which will divert much of the Nebraska Furniture Mart development-bound traffic from the intersections of State Highway 121 at both Paige/Plano Parkway and Spring Creek.

In addition, roadways on the site will include Nebraska Furniture Mart Drive, which extends from Plano Parkway at Tittle across the north side of the Grandscape site and connects to both the South Colony Boulevard overpass and Grandscape Boulevard, which continues east to connect with Headquarters Drive at Spring Creek and a cross street, called Bargain Way that connects the State Highway 121 frontage road with Plano Parkway.

Mike Joyce, director of planning, said due to the anticipated number of people visiting the Grandscape site, roadway improvements were necessary.

“The road improvements are part of the infrastructure package that was agreed upon by the city and the developers,” Joyce said. “The roadway improvements are based on the anticipated number of vehicles and visitors, which is eight to 12 million visitors per year, to the Grandscape site.”

The site plans calls for the restaurant to have direct access off of Nebraska Furniture Mart Drive. There will be no cross access to the Nebraska Furniture Mart. Developers are planning to provide 170 parking spaces, which is more than the required 41 spaces.

In order to adhere to landscaping requirements, developers are planning to use a combination of Shumard Oak, Eastern Redbud, Sea Spray Juniper and Elderica Pine. Developers would also use Tuscan Blue Rosemary, Knock Out Roses, Dwarf Fountain Grass, Big Blue Liriope and other plants to screen the parking spaces along Nebraska Furniture Mart and surround the building.

See original news post at The Colony Courier-Leader

Progress moves along in The Colony, TX. Just one year after the official ground breaking, NFM’s Grandscape is starting to take shape.

The city’s partnership with one of the nation’s premier entertainment and dining venues has again been honored by the business media with an annual award.

On a night that featured dignitaries from the city of Dallas, the George W. Bush Presidential Center, and the Dallas Cowboys, The Colony’s own TopGolf facility was recognized as the Dallas Business Journal’s Best Retail/Restaurant Deal for 2013.

The award was presented during the Dallas Business Journal’s 22nd annual Best Real Estate Deal of the Year Awards on April 29 at The Ritz-Carlton in Dallas.
Diane Baxter, Director of Communications and Tourism for the City of The Colony, said the city was proud to partner with TopGolf and excited to see a member of the local business community be honored alongside the best of the best in Dallas-Fort Worth.

“The leadership at both City Hall and the Economic Development Corporation were very aware that TopGolf would be a fantastic addition to our community and draw visitors from all over the Metroplex,” she said. “Continued recognition by the region’s business analysts goes to show this deal was a hole-in-one.”

The award comes on the heels of TopGolf-The Colony being recognized by D CEO Magazine in March as the Best Retail Deal of 2013.

For more information, contact visit www.topgolf.com/us/the-colony and www.bizjournals.com.

D CEO magazine’s Commercial Real Estate Awards program for 2014 chose TopGolf, The Colony as the winner in the Best Retail Project category.

With business booming at its two other North Texas locations, TopGolf began looking for a third site in 2012. It tapped Luke Wilson and Terry Syler of The Retail Connection to help. The brokers evaluated 15 locations, culling through piles of market statistics and demographics. The trick was to find something in the northern path of growth, but not so close as to cannibalize TopGolf’s existing facility in Allen.

Negotiations were underway on a site when TopGolf hired a new real estate director, Zach Shor. The search ultimately was refocused to the State Highway 121 corridor, particularly a stretch near where Nebraska Furniture Mart’s massive DFW store is under construction. The Colony stepped forward with a compelling incentives package, and a decision was made.

Shor says working with The Colony was a breeze. “If I could copy and paste them all over the country, I’d do it,” he says. “They’re incredibly easy to work with and a very fun group. I’m in 40 markets, and they are atypical.”

TopGolf’s venue in The Colony—its new prototype—opened in November 2013, and performance is already exceeding expectations. Along with Nebraska Furniture Mart, TopGolf is helping to create a brand new retail trade area, Shor says: “The whole area is just continuing to grow, and can only get better.”

Read the full article online at dmagazine.com.