College Park Planned Projects Recent Projects

College Park Becoming a Downtown Hub

Center Park

College Park represents a unique collaboration among the University, the city and the church to create a new hub of activity that complements redevelopment now being realized in downtown Arlington.

The recently completed Center Street Bridge and revitalized Center Street corridor have created a natural gateway into the heart of downtown Arlington. Center Street now leads right up to what will become the University’s new front door — the emerging College Park District.

The district includes a broad range of amenities including central Arlington's first true residential and retail development and the 6,500-seat College Park Center now under construction south of Second Street.

The 4 story, $80 million College Park residential and retail mixed-use development will be a catalyst for revitalizing downtown Arlington. It will include a residence hall and apartments for 500 students, a welcome center, retail shops and restaurants, and an 1,800-car parking garage.

At the nucleus of the College Park District is UT Arlington’s long-anticipated special events center — College Park Center. This $78 million, 218,000-square-foot facility will seat 6,500 guests and will become home to a variety of University and community events. The center is expected to be complete in late 2011, with events scheduled there in 2012.

Just to the south of the construction for the College Park Center is The Green at College Park, an inviting green space and oasis for students, neighbors, downtown visitors and friends to gather and relax. The Green connects the city's Center Street Trail system and is part of an international pilot project devoted to sustainable landscape design, construction, and maintenance.

The Green at College Park is a joint project between the city and the University. For more information about the College Park District visit www.uta.edu/collegepark.

Center Street Station

Center Street Station is a $30 million mixed-use project in downtown Arlington, home to Babe's Chicken Dinner Houseand the historic Arlington Music Hall. This catalyst development when completed, will feature a mix of entertainment, retail, boutique-type specialty stores, office space and restaurants which include the popular Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers. Center Street Station will become a signature destination for Downtown Arlington.

Center Street Improvements

Providing a new gateway to Downtown Arlington on Center Street at Division, the Center Street public streetscape improvement project was a huge new commitment to the downtown vision and was designed to be both a demonstration and catalyst project started by the public sector. The new streetscape was completed in December 2006, and is already stimulating nearby investment and redevelopment, with several new construction and historic rehabilitation projects emerging on adjoining private properties. For more details on this project, visit www.sradesign.com.

Projects adjacent to this new streetscape include: The historic Vandergriff Building, Center Street Station and the Arlington Music Hall; and the Vandergriff Town Center, a new 30,000 square foot commercial building with a lower level that is available for custom tenant occupancy.

Center Street Development Project

The City of Arlington created a Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area (NRSA) as part of its 2005 – 2010 Consolidated Plan. Resources will be concentrated in the NRSA for the purpose of revitalizing an area most in need. The targeted strategy area is shown in the NRSA map (pdf) and is bordered roughly by Randol Mill, Collins, Abram and Davis. The City of Arlington Community Services Department with authorization of the City Council has dedicated funding from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to implement improvements in housing and economic development in the NRSA. The Center Street Town Home Project is one of the first new owner occupied housing activities resulting from the dedication of these resources.

UTA Special Events Center

The UTA Special Events Center will raise awareness for the University and Downtown Arlington! This 6,500 seat facility is being planned for university and community sporting events, school concerts, etc, and could also be available for public use. The events center will be built at the northeastern corner of campus between South Center and South Pecan streets at West Second Street, near the UT Arlington Bookstore and four major residence halls.

UT Arlington’s “College Town”

The University of Texas at Arlington has evolved over the last decade into a large, world-class university, with more than 25,000 students and 7,000 faculty and employees, with many students living on campus, creating a demand for both housing and mixed-use retail and entertainment. This vision for a “college town” street adjacent to the campus edge and linking the downtown commercial core with the University has been in exploration and planning for several years, and numerous forces are coming together this year to move this vision forward as part of the University’s Master Plan and near-future development plans.

This project would involve University land and several joint ventures and partnerships once finalized and will include: 6 mixed-use housing units with retail/business on the ground floor; 4-story structures; 94,160 sf of retail; 376,526 sf of residential; and 279 residential units.

Grease Monkey Burger Shop opens in Arlington's Vandergriff Town Center

The Grease Monkey Burger Shop and Social Club opened this summer in the Vandergriff Town Center at Division and Mesquite streets. Besides displaying historical photos of downtown's well-known auto dealers, like Vandergriff Chevrolet, the restaurant features large garage doors that open to a patio seating area. Managing partner Greg Gardner said recent investments by the city, as well as the University of Texas at Arlington's growing enrollment and the draw of Cowboys Stadium, are making downtown more attractive for investors like himself.

Mellow mushroom Pizza Bakers opens in Downtown Arlington

Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers opened this fall in it's new Arlington location on the corner of Front and Center Street, next to Arlington Music Hall, located at 200 North Center Street.

Kim and Montie Slawson, owners said they chose Arlington as their second location slated to open because “Arlington is such a strong community and the Center Street Corridor is an important part of bringing that community together. We are thrilled to be here and to be working with our local vendors, distributors and businesses to build a fantastic downtown destination spot.”

Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts at Founders Plaza

The private sector successfully raised $1.2 million dollars to bring this magnificent outdoor amphitheater to Downtown Arlington. The Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts Arlington is the crowning jewel in Founders Plaza, located across from City Hall. The first concert series ran from October 10 through October 31, 2008. The Levitt will come alive again in Spring 2009 with more than fifty free concerts. Read more about the Levitt Pavilion here.

This new community gathering place will help define a new future for Downtown Arlington.

Founders Plaza at 101 W. Abram Street, Downtown Arlington.

Vandergriff Building

The V is the oldest commercial building from the original township of Arlington! The restoration of this building will maintain its historical qualities. The first floor of the building will provide approximately 9,000 square feet of divisible space, with the second floor of the building being occupied by the owner/developer SCM Realty.

3 Bridges/I-30 Project

Major new freeway access will open up a new Center Street corridor from I-30, along with three other new bridges that will address needed infrastructure and access into central Arlington. For more details on this major freeway and bridge project, visit www.sradesign.com.

Center Street Pedestrian Trail

The Center Street Pedestrian Trail provides nearly two miles of improved streetscape on the west side of Center Street from Randol Mill through downtown, along the UTA campus, to the edge of Johnson Creek at Ray Street. Financed by Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, the project is a commitment to the city's vision for revitalization in central Arlington, which includes enhanced mobility for pedestrians and connectivity to new mixed-use retail, office space and housing. The project is also intended to serve as a catalyst for redevelopment.