Bird's Fort: Building to Start Next Fall

The 2,000-acre parcel will have about 800 acres of office, residential and retail development, Phillip Huffines says.

By ANDREA JARES
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

The new owner of the Lakes of Bird's Fort in north Arlington plans to start construction by next fall.

Phillip Huffines, who co-owns master-planned development company Huffines Communities with his brother Donald, said Monday that the 2,000-acre parcel east of Farm Road 157 and north of Northeast Green Oaks Boulevard will have about 800 acres of office, residential and retail development. The remainder—most of the property is in a flood zone—will be set aside for lakes and wetlands.

The company has wanted to buy the land for years, Huffines said. Not only is the land close to Fort Worth and Dallas, but it also has a natural shape that gives it the feel of an enclave, he said.

"It's really a clean palette that one can paint on," Huffines said. He added that the land's natural beauty will resonate throughout the development.

If construction equipment does start pushing more than 5 million cubic yards of dirt into formation next fall, it will set into motion a development that has confounded landholders for years.

"A lot of people have gone broke out there," said Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck, referring to a string of owners who had hoped to develop the property. "With Huffines, I have total confidence. We're in strong hands."

Huffines has developed several large communities in the Metroplex that have distinct architectural themes and elaborate amenities such as water parks. Among them are Waterview, near Rowlett, and Providence, near Denton.

California-based Calthorpe Associates is spearheading the project's design. The firm specializes in environmental and large, mixed-use urban planning, principal Peter Calthorpe said. Calthorpe is a founding member of the Congress for New Urbanism, a group that advocates mixed-use developments.

"It's a way to build strong communities," Calthorpe said.

Huffines and Calthorpe describe the Bird's Fort project as one with pockets of densely packed offices, retail and housing woven through lakes and wetlands. The homes would range from town homes and condominiums to homes on large lots, with a starting price higher than $200,000.

The look of the development would likely reflect indigenous Texas elements such as limestone, Calthorpe said.

Huffines said the project's retailers will fit in with the distinct walkability of the project, making big-box stores unlikely.

He said a hotel and a grocery store may be part of the project.

Huffines said he hosted a two-day workshop this month for officials from the city of Arlington and the Arlington school district. He said meetings with the city's planning department could start in a month.

Because the plans are still preliminary, there are no renderings for the project.

Huffines said Bird's Fort would likely have many similarities to Calthorpe's 4,700-acre redevelopment of the Stapleton Airport in Denver, which includes mass transit and a mixed-use development on the site of Denver's former main airport.

The developers are working on getting a rail station stop at Birds Fort, Huffines said.

The Trinity Railway Express line crosses the north part of the property.

There are several sites earmarked throughout the project for gas-well development, said Huffines, whose company does not own the mineral rights.

The gas wells will likely be developed before the housing gets under way, Huffines said.

Cluck said the project will add an environmental element to a degree that is not in Arlington.

"We don't really have anything like that," he said.