D
irt dominated headlines this week. While high‑rise developments and arena plans made headlines, the focus was on land. In Houston’s Montrose, a former 24‑hour grocery known as “Disco Kroger” was demolished in 2021, and now a mid‑rise apartment complex is being built on its site by the Southeast Company. The project aims to honor the area’s LGBTQ heritage while adding new housing.
Across the state, Fort Worth is turning a 30‑acre flood‑control site into Panther Island, a mixed‑use development along the Trinity River. The Tarrant Regional Water District is selecting developers, and the city council has approved higher density, setting minimum height limits for 15 acres.
A quirky dispute at the Texas‑Mexico border saw SpaceX and Cards Against Humanity settle over a parcel of land. The card‑game company alleged that Elon Musk’s Starbase had dumped trash on the property in protest of the border wall in 2017; the parties reached an undisclosed settlement last month.
In Dallas, the Uptown district is losing ground from the south. Major firms such as Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Deloitte are relocating from downtown’s blocky 1980s towers to Uptown’s walkable streets and trolley line. Yet Harwood International, a local landlord, is struggling. Its Harwood District office portfolio has seen four properties sold to San Francisco hedge fund TPG, and the company faces its third foreclosure this year. Harwood No. 1 at 2651 North Harwood Street, the first of its developments, will be auctioned next month. The building carries a $37.45 million debt, roughly $355 per square foot. Despite these troubles, Uptown’s office market still enjoys low vacancy and high rents.
On the basketball front, the San Antonio Spurs demolished the Dallas Mavericks and are eyeing a new arena under Project Marvel, a $4 billion downtown redevelopment. Two ballot measures will decide funding: Proposition A would allow the county to raise $192 million for renovating Frost Bank Center and Freeman Coliseum into a show and rodeo district; Proposition B would authorize $311 million for a new arena. Polls show 44 % support for A and 40 % for B. Critics, including Mayor Gina Ortiz, demand the Spurs contribute more. The city plans to invest $489 million, while the Spurs would add $500 million.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks are exploring options to leave the American Airlines Center. The city has floated a centrally located site at City Hall, the I.M. Pei‑designed brutalist landmark that has accrued costly deferred maintenance. Dallas is considering selling and redeveloping the building into a new arena.
