LH Press Library
Kingsley Square to Receive Makeover
LA Fitness among big names onboard with shopping center
Lake Highlands People, by Kristina Chesnutt
September 23, 2005
Last week work crews broke ground on a new development at Kingsley Square shopping center.
Charter Holdings plans to remodel the shopping center and fill it with businesses that will draw customers. Ray Washburne, the owner and CEO of Charter Holdings, said the first order of business as part of updating the square is the relocation of the restaurant Mi Cocina, which will be moved to the end cap of Skillman. They also will be tearing down the abandoned Whole Foods store and replacing it with an L.A. Fitness health club.
“Hopefully, we’ll create a boutique shopping center that will serve the neighborhood well,” Mr. Washburne said.
Mr. Washburne said the Mi Cocina restaurant will be open in December, and L.A. Fitness will be open by next May. He expects the shopping center to be completely renovated by next May, and said the shopping center is fully leased.
The new center is in the same area as a proposed Town Center project at Skillman and Kingsley Road that has been publicized as an uptown-style commercial and residential center.
The project was put on hold earlier this year after Fort Worth-based Trademark Company decided not to purchase rental property on Skillman. Plans call for demolishing these aging apartment complexes to make way for the proposed urban center that would combine offices, stores, loft apartments and townhouses on a 59-acre site, in addition to a new DART light-rail station.
City Councilman Bill Blaydes said that although the deal with Trademark fell through, the project is still very much alive. He said there are three different developers they are working with on the center in Trademark’s place.
“We’re just trying to get the developers in line with things that make economic sense,” Mr. Blaydes said.
Because they are still in negotiations with the developers, Mr. Blaydes could not release their names or any more details, except to say everyone is still very much onboard with the project, including the DART officials.
Even though he would be thrilled if they were breaking ground on the Town Center project, he said the refurbishing of Kingsley Square has been anticipated for some time.
“I’m excited about finally getting ready to see something take place that we’ve been talking about for awhile now,” Blaydes said.
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