Burleson Draws New Retail Development
The newest member of the Burleson Area Chamber of Commerce, Wilshire Gardens, hosted a groundbreaking to officially welcome the development of a new retail strip mall set to be finished in January.
“People say ‘another strip mall’ but since I’ve lived in Burleson it has always been an overgrown lot with temporary office building so I’m excited for this new development for the city,” Chamber President Sherri Sechrist said Thursday.
Developed by Larkspur Capital Partners, LLC, out of Dallas, the space will include two retail buildings housing five to seven different restaurants and retail businesses, with a pad site for an additional 6,895-square-foot retail building under contract of sale.
When Wilshire Gardens is complete, the project will total 20,432 square feet.
The development will also include an extension of Southwest Johnson Avenue from Gardens that will provide a direct connection to Wilshire Boulevard and the shopping center.
Several businesses have already committed to open their doors in the new development like Schlotzsky’s, Cinnabon, Baskin Robbins and Dunkin’ Donuts.
Larkspur Managing Partner Carl Anderson said now that Wilshire Gardens has broken ground they’ve received a lot of interest from retailers.
“We’re really excited about the project and working with the city,” Anderson said before the ceremony. “We still have a few available spaces left and we’re talking to a few prospects.”
The firm’s leasing agent Mason Bishop said because the project is located next to an intersection that Wilshire Gardens will drive lots of interest from businesses and the public.
Mayor Pro Tem Dan McClendon said the event is important to the city and one of those rare projects that come through city council where everyone is excited.
“The Wilshire project is one of those projects that comes through our city council and projects that come through city council get various responses,” he said during the ceremony. “They get a ‘fine’ sometimes and get sent back and this and that ... but there are two words that I associate with this project since the first time I saw it, and those two words are, ‘Oh yeah.’
“The plan that they have, the site, what they intend to use for this property that’s laid here for so long ... I say, ‘Oh yeah.’”
State Rep. Rob Orr, R-Burleson, said being a part of the community he can’t wait for this “fun” project to finally open.
“What a great development this is going to be and how excited Burleson is to have this development ... I mean this is where the fun is going to happen. Baskin Robbins, Cinnabon and all the fun things are gonna happen and with the Dunkin’ Donuts you know it’s going to be a safe place, right?” he said while the attendees laughed. “This is going to be a place to be.”
Economic Development Director Justin Bond said that over the last year Burleson has seen a lot of success from the industrial front.
“You go down High Point Business Park and Bethesda and [Farm-to-Market Road] 917 on [Interstate] 35 you can see all the development happening there. But I think it might not matter how many jobs if people can’t say, ‘I can go through the drive thru and say, ‘I’d like an Original Sandwich with extra olives,’” Bond joked, referring to the Schlotzsky’s development. “I’m glad we’re doing a groundbreaking like this along Wilshire. This is an important corridor for us as a city.”