Argyle may be the new home for a state-of-the-art Brookshire’s grocery store, if the proposed development is approved at the January 28 Town Council meeting; it should be a slam-dunk.
Argyle Town Manager Charles West said that a grocery store was one of the top things on the town’s wish list and a website set up by the retail developer has received positive feedback from area residents.
“We’ve had more than a thousand positive postings on our myargylegrocer.com website,” said co-founding partner of real estate developer DEMA Management Partners Doug Chandler. “And, it’s not from only Argyle residents. The folks who live in Robson Ranch and other surrounding areas are all really looking forward to having ‘their own’ local grocery store.”
Argyle residents currently have to drive several miles south to Roanoke, north to Denton or east to Flower Mound/Highland Village when they need to “run out” for some bread or milk.
“One of the big reasons people are so enthusiastic about the development is that it’s more than just a new generation of Brookshire’s, it’s the entire setting and the surrounding retail and commercial additions,” said Chandler.
“The whole design is that of a ‘lifestyle’ development. The sidewalks are going to be 100-feet-wide promenades and ‘head-in’ parking —like in the historic McKinney square downtown area—that will allow outdoor restaurant seating and outdoor retail displays. It will be a place people will gather and socialize, not just a ‘buy-some-groceries’ and return home trip.”
The six-acre site, located east of Hwy 377 behind the existing Shops of Argyle, is currently zoned agricultural. The complementing retail and commercial uses are all within walking distance from the existing residential component of Argyle Town Village, as well as original Old Town Argyle.
The Argyle Planning and Zoning board recommended approval of the planned development amendment for Argyle Town Village/Brookshires by a vote of 6-1 on Jan. 7.
According to Richard Luedke, Argyle’s director of Community Services, town staff is enthusiastic about the development and hopes that the project will create some synergy that will have some spin-off development in the general area.
Brookshire Grocery Co. has a history dating back to 1928, when Wood T. Brookshire opened a small, 25 x 100-foot store in downtown Tyler. Today, Brookshire’s has more than 150 stores operating in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.
“There’s a Brookshire’s in Denton, but it’s a much older grocery store; nothing like the new-generation supermarket that’s planned for Argyle,” said Chandler. “This 42-thousand square foot store is like the latest generation supermarket in Joshua. On the myargylegrocer.com webpage, there are three tabs people can click; one of them is ‘look and feel’ so people can actually view more than just artistic concepts.”
The DEMA Partners Management reputation for high-quality projects in the North Texas area is a major component behind the support for the development, said Chandler. In addition to Chandler, co-founder of both DEMA and Craftsman Village Homes is Derek DeGuire, CEO at DeGuire Properties and Craftsman Village Homes founder John Michaels.
Argyle Town Manager Charles West was quoted last summer as saying: “We are going to do whatever we can to make this (grocery store) a reality.”
If all goes well at the Jan. 28 Town Council meeting, shoppers one day soon can anticipate pushing shiny-new carts down grocery aisles in Argyle.
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