A Dallas-based developer has its sights set on what could be Double Oak’s last large commercially viable tract of land, with early talks underway that include a potential grocery store.
Double Oak announced earlier this month that it has begun working with Dallas-based Direct Retail Partners to develop the southwest corner of FM 407 and Simmons Road, with negotiations now underway with potential tenants.
Chris Hipps, vice president of development and leasing services for Direct Retail Partners, said the company plans to build a shopping center anchored by a national grocer.
In addition to the grocery store, the development will include full-service sit-down restaurants as well as quick-service eateries, where customers order at a counter and dine on site.
The site will also include neighborhood service retailers, health and wellness businesses, and potential office space.
The 23-acre site is expected to generate significant tax revenue for the town.
“This is a very important development for Double Oak,” said Mayor Patrick Johnson when the project was announced. “It’s designated for business, so it will have a great positive financial impact on future budgets and will keep our property taxes as low as possible.”
Hipps said this site will likely be the final opportunity for large-scale business development in the town.
“It is probably the last opportunity for the community to have a commercial project in Double Oak and, from a scale perspective, it is also the first,” said Hipps. “They have some other commercial tax base in town, but this is the first of this scale and we’re excited to be working with them on it.”
Hipps acknowledged the presence of nearby grocery stores but said some customers in the area remain underserved and would benefit from a grocer at the site.
While the project is centered on businesses, Hipps said the firm is also focused on creating a space that fits Double Oak’s aesthetic standard.
That means including green spaces and open corridors that help the development fit the rural, small-town feel.
“Our goal on each development is to create a community center,” said Hipps. “The best way to do that is effective and efficient planning and creating architecture and pedestrian areas that encourage that community center.”
Hipps added that the firm is hyper attentive to detail, which has helped them build a history of work in Flower Mound, including Highlands Ranch, the Highlands of Flower Mound, Robertson’s Creek and Cross Timbers Village.
“We don’t build typical, we spend an enormous amount of time focusing on the details,” he said. “Whether it’s architecture, how pedestrians get from the parking lot to a store or where the patios or a park are located, it’s all carefully planned.”
The developers are in the process of talking and negotiating with possible tenants, but none have been confirmed, yet.
Hipps didn’t provide a timeline for when businesses would start opening, but Mayor Johnson was clear that the process is still in the planning phase and the public still has the opportunity to give input on the project.
The project must still go through the rezoning process and receive approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Town Council.
