A Sunday afternoon with temperatures nearing a sunny 90 degrees would’ve been enough to make my entire weekend a success. Of course, as was the case this past Sunday, our home team, the Texas Rangers were grabbing their brooms as they prepared to sweep the very high-dollar Boston Red Sox, a team that many have picked to challenge the Rangers for the American League title we now hold.

Oh, my favorite part wasnt the weather, or the fact that the Rangers blasted their way to a convincing victory that day. The best aspect to the whole scenario was that I enjoyed both the weather and the game by simply walking a couple of minutes from my front doorstep.

You heard me right: I’m a resident of Chelsea Park Townehomes. So basically, the sunshine and baseball-fueled good time that I had this Sunday is but the beginning for me. Growing up a baseball fan, I found myself continually jealous of the folks in the great baseball towns of Chicago and Boston, where it seemed like their teams played in everyone’s backyard. Also, the new, downtown stadiums of San Francisco and Seattle also filled me with envy, as I witnessed how easy it was for urban-dwelling fans to have a walkable ballpark experience. I would think, “How cool would it be to stroll to the Ballpark in Arlington the same way that many take a casual walk through the park??” Truthfully, it’s also pretty great to not have to waste any beer money on parking for the game (hey, you were thinking it!). Well, I get to do that now! 

I’ve been going on and on about the sportsy happenings, just outside of my window, but the greatness of my Chelsea Park Townhome that lies within my walls only makes this whole experience that much more rewarding.

Sure, shopping and entertainment of various sorts are all within short walking or driving distance. Without a doubt this is as centrally perfect location, but again, for a baseball fan like myself, it is made even more excellent by the fact that the Rangers will defend their AL crown in my neighborhood – literally.

Called  Chelsea Park Townhomes, I was immediately struck by just how close it was to both sports venues.  It was so close, in fact, that people were paying to park in nearby lots to walk to that night’s Rangers game against the Seattle Mariners, a game which the Rangers, sadly, lost 4-2.  I thought to myself about how nice it would be to just be able to go to the ballpark on a Monday night without having to make the baseball game the central part of my day, since this sort of access is usually enjoyed only by Yankees, Red Sox and Cubs fans.

Chelsea Park is located on a piece of prime real estate heading into the 2010-2011 football season.  With the screens on the outside of “Boss Hogg Bowl”, residents could actually watch the game from their rooftop balconies.  Seeing as the complex is only one-half mile away, residents resident Cowboys fans wouldn’t have to spend hours in traffic , yelling at everyone on the road to get out of the way.  (This, ultimately I suppose, would preserve the aforementioned fan’s voice for when it is needed most, during the game.)  Whether or not the Cowboys make it to the Super Bowl this coming season, Arlington will be the site of one of the biggest sporting events in the world, Super Bowl 2012, and Chelsea Park will be in the middle of all of the action.

Sports not your bag? The complex’s residents can also walk to shopping and dining areas.  Lincoln Square Shopping Center is located within walking distance and contains restaurants such as Hibachi 97 and Olive Garden.  Retail stores such as Gap, Jones New York and Nine West also call Lincoln Square home.  Nightlife is is  active as well with establishments such as Sherlock’s Baker St. Pub and Grill and Xtra Innings Sports Bar.

Chelsea Park’s central location acts as a gateway the conveniences of both Dallas and Ft. Worth.  I-30 is quickly accessed from the townhomes making both cities reachable within 30-45 minutes, depending on traffic.  The complex is also 15 minutes from DFW International Airport and getting to the airport and back is a breeze, so frequent travelers will really enjoy Chelsea Park.

Chelsea Park Townhomes makes for a great homebase for anyone, be it their first home or a second, home away from home. The complex is gated and each apartment and is pre-wired for an intrusion alarm system so when you’re not there, your place is always protected.  These brownstone-styled townhomes define luxury. Each unit comes with a 2-car garage with remote, a pre-wired living area with surround sound, European-style concealed hinge cabinetry and granite slab countertops.  The bathrooms are impressive with oval garden tubs and semi-frameless glass shower enclosures.  Upgrades are available such as jetted tubs in the master bathrooms and pre-wired speakers on roof decks.  The complex also includes courtyards in between the buildings, plenty of green space and, bonus, the townhomes are in close proximity to hiking and bike trails.  While the townhomes are located in a bustling area, these green spaces provide a tranquility to the complex.  Inside the gates of the complex, it is quiet and relaxing.

With its central location, proximity to what is fast becoming the entertainment capital of the DFW area, and luxurious construction and amenities, Chelsea Park Townhomes is definitely worth checking out if you’re looking to move to the great city of Arlington or searching for a second home.

By GARY REAVES / WFAA-TV
DALLAS — The stadium Jerry Jones promised will be the finest football stadium the world has seen is now 50 percent complete.
As of yet, all one can see from an outside view is steel girders and concrete, which is why News 8 took a sneak peak at the Cowboys‘ future from the inside.
For those who want to see what $1 billion looks like, just enjoy the Arlington tour of the construction site. While the first arch is already up, the second of two arches that will support the massive roof is also almost done.

Almost all the concrete has been poured, supporting stands that stretch 30 stories up from the floor in which the Cowboys will soon play with enough air conditioning for a 100-story building.

“I worked on the Ballpark and the American Airlines Center,” said Jack Hill, a construction manager at the stadium. “[The stadium] is a lot bigger. I’ll say that.”
Hill gave the tour of the stadium, which is double that of the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The American Airlines Center would fit inside. While some may feel the Texas Stadium feels closed in, the new one should not.

“There will be doors on the main concourse that go up 120 feet wide and 180 feet up,” Hill said. “They will completely open up and show the vista all the way to the Ballpark.”
Work has already started for the walls of the suites, which will be on five levels.

“Right now its half done, with some big challenges still to come,” Hill said of the stadium.

From an engineering standpoint, potential troubles that come to mind are the retractable roof and the issue of a scoreboard that weighs over one million pounds that will be suspended from that roof.

Construction is 22 months into a 40-month project, which means an opening for the 2009 season. So far, they have only announced the prices for the best seats, which would be $340 each. Even with Arlington taxpayers footing a big part of the bill, a $1 billion building is not likely to have very many cheap seats.

Cowboys’ new stadium fuels interest in as many as 90 nearby properties

Jud Heflin, who is developing land around the Dallas Cowboys’ new stadium on behalf of owner Jerry Jones, has purchased 18 parcels west of the team’s new Arlington location. It’s a  move that could be just the beginning of a land grab involving more than 90 properties in modest neighborhoods, surrounding the new complex.

The result: Fifty-year-old homes ranging from 900 square feet to 1,400 square feet on quarter-acre lots are going for about double what they normally would. And now that the stadium is rising near the intersection of East Randol Mill Road and North Collins Street, so are expectations for landowners who stand to benefit.

“Without the stadium, the properties would be going for anywhere from $60,000 to $85,000 for a home that was renovated,” said Realtor Joe Boston with Beantown Inc., who has purchased properties in the neighborhood for investment purposes. Now, real estate agents say, they’ve seen homes go for as much as $150,000.

Clearly, the intention will be eventually to demolish the wood frame homes or other properties to make way for the crowds the $1 billion stadium is expected to generate. What’s not so clear is the specific use that Heflin has in mind for the land. Heflin is the director of stadium development for Blue Star Development Co., which is Jones’ development company. Heflin could not be reached for comment, but county records show he bought the properties under the name of Arl Properties LLC, which has the same address as Heflin’s residential listing.

Many of the parcels bought by Arl Properties are quarter-acre lots that line Web Street, about four blocks west of the stadium site. The most substantial acquisition is a 6-acre parcel off Slaughter Street that was the former site of the Bethel Baptist Church.

Howard Beckerman, whose group owns a parcel nearby, suspects the Cowboys might be buying up land to bolster parking availability for the new stadium.

Beckerman, whose Dallas-based Bruder Co. owns a commercial property at 1010 N. Collins St. in Arlington, said an existing building there might be torn down and replaced by a building that would feature an upscale, two-story restaurant with a clear line of sight to the stadium.  Diners would actually be able to watch the stadium’s exterior video screen from the restaurant. He hopes to include a parking garage in what would be a five-story development. But that’s only if the city would agree to improve drainage around the property. “If we went vertical, we could put in some kind of a banking facility with a parking garage,” Beckerman said.

“You’ll get your name in lights, right over the stadium,” he said. “I picture some kind of cool restaurant right at the end of the building. We’re studying design concepts.”

Westside properties

Jones, the Cowboys’ owner, didn’t run into trouble assembling parcels east of Collins Street because the city of Arlington used its powers of eminent domain to acquire land for the stadium and its related developments. But the eminent- domain legislation stopped at Collins Street, leaving entrepreneurs to fend for themselves to the west. Further, in November, the Arlington City Council approved an entertainment district overlay for most of the stadium and ballpark property, extending the district west of Collins to the Truman Street residential neighborhood. The entertainment district overlay would allow a broad mix of uses, including retail, restaurants, bars, apartments and offices.

Beckerman thinks Collins Street, as well as the streets behind it, could become a hot area if the properties can be assembled in larger parcels. The problem, he said, might come if tenants or property owners make unreasonable demands upon buyers interested in redeveloping the stadium.

Already, speculative buying has occurred in the area of Truman and Web streets.

Said Boston, the real estate agent, “There’s investors swarming all around there.” Boston said he bought properties on both Web and Truman street with the intention of cashing out when the price is right. Records show he purchased the properties in 2007. And he is certain others are doing the same.

“The person whose home I have listed (on Truman Street) is just waiting,” Boston said. “His family’s owned the property since the 1940s.”

Justin Brown, the Keller Williams Realty Inc. Realtor who is representing a client on Truman Street, said he thinks the neighborhood will take off once the parcels are assembled.

“Who wouldn’t want to live near the stadium?” Brown asked.

ARLINGTON – Construction on the first phase of a project to ease flooding and erosion along Johnson Creek could begin
in July, the City Council heard Tuesday. Mark O’Leary, the senior ecologist and consulting services director for Applied
Ecological Services, which is working on the plan, updated the council.

Project overview

The first phase, between the lakes at Ameriquest Field and Sanford Road, includes trails and footpaths along the creek,
basins to capture sediment, and plants to stabilize the creek’s banks.
Status check

About 50 percent of the project’s design is finished, O’Leary said. Permit applications to the Army Corps of Engineers will
be submitted next week, he said. The plan should be finished in May, and the city could request bids for the project in
June.
What’s new

The plan includes:
Trying to save as many trees as possible; some will have to be replaced.
Making a deep channel in the stream bed with boulders to channel water to the center of the creek and gently sloping banks.
Building a sculpture garden area for the Caelum Moor stones near the west lake at Ameriquest Field.
Surrounding the west lake with more natural vegetation, rather than the existing lawn-type shore. The original plan called for turning this lake into a stream, but O’Leary said rehabilitating the pond is more ecologically feasible.
Who’s paying

The project is expected to cost $13 million to $15 million, said Pete Jamieson, Parks and Recreation Department director.
The Dallas Cowboys and one of the Glorypark developers, Steiner + Associates, will each pay about $1.9 million of the project cost, he said. Money generated from the new Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone in the entertainment district will pay the rest.
This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.

IN THE KNOW

Arlington City Council

Also on Tuesday:

Red light cameras. The council unanimously approved a contract with American Traffic Solutions to provide up to 40 red-light cameras at Arlington’s most dangerous intersections. The first 10 cameras are scheduled to be up by the end of February.
Smoking ban. A City Council committee informally supported the Park Board’s recommendations to ban smoking in high-use areas of public parks. The proposed ban, which must be approved by the City Council, would prohibit smoking in certain areas of athletic complexes, in park restrooms, within fenced areas of swimming pools and within 50 feet of dugouts, bleachers and play areas.
Downtown development. The council unanimously approved giving developer Gary Walker $360,000 from the
Downtown Arlington Tax Increment Finance District to rehabilitate the long-vacant Vandergriff Building at 100 E. Division
St. Walker plans to move his commercial real estate company to the top floor and rent out the bottom floor as office space.
Neighborhoods. Neighborhood Coordinator R.J. Blair announced that the second Neighborhood Summit is scheduled for
Nov. 10 at the Bob Duncan Center. At the summit, residents can learn ways they can work with the city to reinvigorate
their neighborhoods.
Glorypark. The council decided to continue the public hearing on zoning changes for the mixed-use development.
Residents will have another chance to comment at the council meeting Jan. 23.
Sally Claunch, 817-548-5566 sclaunch@star-telegram.com

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