For those that missed it, there was a very positive article in Sunday's Dallas Morning News Metro section about the new Parkside at Firewheel apartments that already has residents. The timing made it a good follow to my post: Preparing to Move into Parkside. The strength of the Firewheel name is getting stronger and stronger.

Garland's Firewheel development mixes homes, stores, offices

Targeting young professionals, Firewheel development offers apartments, stores and offices

 

10:58 AM CDT on Monday, August 6, 2007
By ALLISON WISK / The Dallas Morning News
awisk@dallasnews.com

 

Some hard-core shoppers say they live at the mall.

 

It's not just shopaholics who are seeking out the more than 300 apartments and townhomes that eventually will accompany the retail offerings and offices at Firewheel Town Center.

 

Photos by REX C. CURRY/Special Contributor
Each unit at the Parkside at Firewheel features contemporary architecture and design. Outside, the development features a pool, fitness center and landscaping. Its location - close to stores and restaurants - is an added bonus for busy young professionals. With the July 26 opening of Parkside at Firewheel, Garland's mall is now a lifestyle choice.

"These units are more for the young professional," said Rod Vosper, vice president of new development with Simon Property Group, which manages the property. "We've been attracting people from all the surrounding communities – Rockwall, Rowlett, you name it."

 

On Saturday, Gary Pinson of Little Rock, Ark., was waiting patiently for his turn to talk to a leasing agent. He'll soon start at a job nearby and was driving around checking out the area when the apartments caught his eye.

 

"I tend to like very unique things," Mr. Pinson said. "I don't want the plain old cookie-cutter apartment."

 

Firewheel opened in October 2005 with the kinds of retail typically found in traditional malls. But officials left room for the site to grow, and plans call for diversifying the property's uses.

 

"We had pretty much a clean slate out here," Mr. Vosper said. "We're kind of at a strategic crossroad with the George Bush Turnpike project and [State Highway] 78. This site was destined to become more of a regional shopping destination."

 

But the north side of the shopping and office venue – the area farthest from the intersection of the highways – was left undeveloped.

 

"We had a parcel ground that was well-positioned for that use; we had to go back in and get the city to approve it," Mr. Vosper said.

 

The finished project will have 312 efficiencies, apartments and townhomes with a pool, fitness center and landscaping that will tie the units in with the surrounding shopping center. The leasing office and some units are open and ready for use. Other units are in the finishing stages of construction, with sections set to open this month and next.

 

Along with the contemporary feel one might expect for the interior of a new residential development, proximity to all kinds of stores is a big selling point – as evidenced by the activity in the leasing office on Saturday.

 

"Firewheel Town Center is a great environment to live in," Mr. Vosper said. "You've got access to all the retail and restaurants within the area, so the project itself is probably the biggest amenity to help sell the units."

 

In addition to the residences, new businesses continue to spring up around the mall. One of the most recent arrivals is furniture store Ethan Allen. Plans for several new restaurants also are in the works.

 

"I'm into location and convenience," Mr. Pinson said. "Right now in Little Rock, I live in a very walkable community. I walk to dinner and the grocery store. Here, I'd be in the same situation. I could pretty much do what I want to do without getting out of Firewheel."

 

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