Construction Starts on UT Arlington's MAC, Houston Pavilions

UT Arlington broke ground on its new $34.5 million Maverick Activities Center, while construction on the $200 million Houston Pavilions, a nearly 800,000-sq.-ft. mixed-use project, got under way.

A rendering shows the future MAC at the University of Texas at Arlington, where construction recently began on the $34.5 million recreation center.

UT Breaks Ground on MAC Center

The University of Texas at Arlington recently broke ground on its new Maverick Activities Center, known as the MAC, a $34.5 million recreation facility.

The architectural firm is PageSutherlandPage and the general contractor is Hunt Construction. The facility will open in two phases: Phase I in September 2007 and Phase II in February 2008.

The MAC will boast approximately 190,000 sq. ft. including a 20,000-sq.-ft. weight and fitness room (with more than 80 pieces of cardio equipment, three circuit training units and a free weight area); four multipurpose rooms to accommodate yoga, martial arts, aerobics and more; five indoor basketball courts; eight volleyball courts; an indoor soccer gymnasium; two indoor tracks; six racquetball courts; 10 badminton courts; a game room; a social corridor with group seating and space for activity viewing; an Internet cafe with a juice bar; health-club style locker rooms; and convenient parking.

Houston Pavilions Breaks Ground

Developers of the Houston Pavilions recently announced that groundbreaking on the $200 million, 800,000 sq.-ft. mixed-use project, was scheduled for early November.

D.E. Harvey Builders of Houston is the project's general contractor. The architect is HOK Inc, headquartered in St. Louis Mo. Construction activities will be coordinated and supervised by the Wells Partnership of Denver, Colo.

Renderings show the main entrance of the future Houston Pavilions (top) and a night aerial (bottom) of the downtown Houston entertainment, retail, office and urban residential hub, designed by HOK.

The future downtown Houston entertainment, retail, office and urban residential hub, recently secured $140 million in construction financing from North Houston Bank.

Developed by William Denton and Geoffrey Jones, the Pavilions will bring an array of new restaurants and retailers to downtown Houston.

Multiple leases have been signed for space.

Spanning three city blocks, Houston Pavilions will be bounded by Dallas to Polk streets, and Main to Caroline streets.

The project will include
approximately 350,000 sq. ft. of retail space and 200,000 sq. ft. of loft office space. A 1,600-space parking garage is included in the project scope.

The Pavilions will also include two high-rise residential towers totaling 200,000 sq. ft., being developed by a separate partnership that purchased the air rights from Houston Pavilions LP.

In addition to the construction loan from North Houston Bank, Houston Pavilions LP has lined up an $8.8 million development grant from the city of Houston and $5.5 million from Harris County as partial funding. The site of the development will be part of the Main Street/Market Square Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone. An additional $1 million grant has been provided to the project by the Downtown District. Houston Catalyst LP, a partner in the project.

Wichita Falls New Retail Center Started on Former Industrial Site

San Antonio-based Blackburn Properties recently announced that construction has started on Quail Creek Crossing, which will be the largest non-mall retail center in Wichita Falls.

The area, a former industrial park developed in the 1930s, sits along Quail Creek. At approximately 225,000-sq.-ft., the center will be one of the largest retail commercial projects in the city's history.

Designed by Dallas-based O'Brien & Associates Architecture, the center is 75 percent pre-leased, with the first phase of the 23-acre project scheduled for completion by spring.

Construction financing was acquired through Houston-based Key Bank. Wichita Falls-based Biggs & Mathews is serving as the civil engineer working with Blackburn Properties and the city on drainage control and Federal Emergency Management Association-related matters. Dallas-based W.B. Kibler Construction Co. is the general contractor.

Laredo Health Center Opens

The new $11 million, three-story, 64,000-sq.-ft. Gateway Community Health Center in Laredo more than doubles the health care capabilities for the region.

The center was needed to meet the challenge of providing quality, cost-effective medical care in the low-income, medically underserved area on the Texas-Mexico border. A 60 percent rise in patients since 2000 meant Gateway Community Health Center had outgrown its previous 28,000-sq.-ft. facility.

The Neenan Co., a Fort Collins, Colo.-based design-build firm, designed the center to accommodate the added demands of continued patient growth.

Ground was broken in August 2005. In July providers and staff started moving in. In late October, the Gateway Community Health Center showcased its new facility at an inaugural ceremony.