Mike Copeland: Highway 84 grocery store priority reviewed; Shorty’s, Fuego nominated; Hotel 1928 cited

KBar Group has proposed the mixed-use development called The Concourse on land vacant for decades. The Dwyer family told the Tribune-Herald it waited for just the right prospect, and KBar Group reportedly fits the bill.

The site lies within the city of McGregor, but is surrounded by the city of Waco, and under a long-ago agreement between cities, negotiations related to zoning changes and infrastructure improvements have involved both parties. Zoning issues have been addressed, said Adam Vought, with the Onward Real Estate Team at Keller Williams, who expects the land to change hands in July or August.

Onward Real Estate has prepared a marketing flyer that lays out how the proposed development will evolve. Topping the list in Phase 1 is a grocery store, the store itself and related retail and other uses expected to cover 296,208 square feet. A grocery store was given top priority since Day 1. Developers and planners said it would come first, then the balance of The Concourse would take shape around it. Names tossed out as favorites included Trader Joe’s, Costco and Whole Foods. Vought said dedication to a grocery store remains strong, but absolutely, positively making its presence a critical first step, one that could make or break The Concourse, has been reviewed, reconsidered and subjected to second opinions.

The bottom line is that give-and-take could prevail.

Elsewhere, planners envision a shopping center, multifamily units, office space, a hotel, shopping center, patio homes and more.

Waco’s Fuego Tortilla Grill and Shorty’s Pizza Shack have been nominated to receive Texas Restaurant Awards during the Texas Restaurant Foundation’s annual Lone Star Bash, July 13-15 in San Antonio.

The Texas Restaurant Association is the nation’s second largest restaurant association and represents the state’s $106 billion restaurant industry, which encompasses more than 57,000 locations and a workforce of more than 1.4 million staffers, said a release from the association.

Ted “Shorty” Browning, an Austin native and Baylor University graduate, opened the original Shorty’s Pizza in 2011, after working in restaurants in Hawaii following graduation. Other owners/partners since have joined the party at 1712 S. 12th Street, near the Baylor campus. A Shorty’s delivery location has opened off Hewitt Drive, according to its website.

Fuego Tortilla Grill has locations in College Station and San Marcos. Its Waco restaurant serves up dishes with names like Holy Frijoles, I-Chee-Wa-Wa, South Padre and Nine Juan Juan, just to name a few worthy of chuckles. It specializes in craft tacos made with beef, chicken, pork and fish.

Baylor University Board of Regents on May 17 approved a 2024-25 operating budget totaling $962 million, an increase of $62.4 million, or 6.9%, from last fiscal year. The budget, says a Baylor release, “supports critical investments in faculty and staff; continued progress on affordability initiatives such as the Baylor Benefit Grant; strategic capital priorities for current and future competitiveness; and improving stewardship of the University’s physical plant and infrastructure. It also undergirds the progress made during Baylor’s transformative Give Light philanthropic campaign.”

Give Light has blown past its $1.1 billion fundraising goal, and will conclude with more than $1.5 billion raised, “the most successful comprehensive fundraising campaign in Baylor history,” said the release. Baylor now has a $2.1 billion endowment, the largest since its founding in 1845.

Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Hotel 1928 was named one of 15 outstanding projects during the annual TxA Design Awards hosted in Austin by the Texas Society of Architects. The awards program “recognizes outstanding architectural and urban design projects by architects practicing in Texas to promote public interest in design excellence,” said a release.

All winning projects will be featured in the September/October 2024 issue of Texas Architect magazine. They also will be recognized at the TxA 85th Annual Conference & Design Expo Oct. 3-5 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. The jury picked from among 251 entries.

Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, Chicago-based but with a national clientele, did the honors on Hotel 1928, a boutique luxury hotel at Seventh Street and Washington Avenue featuring 33 guest rooms, dining, 6,600 square feet of event space, retail shop and rooftop terrace, says an online description.

The San Antonio River Walk placed seventh nationally among destinations most popular with Memorial Day travelers, according to MaxTour, a Las Vegas-based tour company that asked 3,000 families where they would most like to spend the holiday with their loved ones if distance were not a factor.

Texas had one other location on the list, with Zilker Park in Austin placing 86th nationally. The park was described as “one of Austin’s most beloved spots, offering wide-open spaces for picnics, a playground, and access to Barton Springs Pool. The park also hosts free events and is a great spot for kite flying or just relaxing under the shade of its many trees.”

The top 10, according to MaxTour, includes First Landing State Park, Virginia Beach, Virginia; Cape Cod National Seashore, Cape Cod, Massachusetts; St. Simons Island Beaches, St. Simons Island, Georgia; Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia; Clearwater Beach, Clearwater, Florida; Island Beach State Park, Seaside Park, New Jersey; San Antonio River Walk, San Antonio, Texas; Ocean City Boardwalk, Ocean City, New Jersey; Outer Banks Beaches, North Carolina; Liberty State Park, Jersey City, New Jersey.