The city of Richardson is working with a private company to start looking at plans for development around Arapaho Center Station. The stop serves DART's Orange and Red lines and is two stops south of the Silver Line which is scheduled to open later this year.
"On the Red Line, you can connect to Downtown Dallas and soon on the Silver Line, you'll be able to connect all the way to DFW Airport," Richardson City Manager Don Magner said.
Richardson and CBRE are accepting proposals from private companies to develop 14.5 acres of land around Arapaho Center. They say the site would have more than 1 million square feet of space.
"What we envision at this station is a mixed-use development that will include house, commercial, restaurant, retail, and services," Magner said. "We're trying to create a regional destination."
Magner said Richardson has had success with mixed-use projects at its other light rail stations, but Arapaho Center can become a "gateway" to the city's tech hub called the Richardson Innovation Quarter. The city says the 1,200-acre corridor has 1,100 businesses and 20,000 workers.
"We want the talent those companies need to be successful to call Richardson home for more than just their employment," he said.
Magner said the site would increase access to public transit and provide housing and commercial options a skilled workforce would want without having to travel to another city in the metroplex.
"We can create that mix of uses that will be very attractive to the talent that is so sought after here in Texas," he said. "By creating a destination and really differentiating ourselves from other communities, we think it can be a local and regional draw."
Magner said Richardson is a "willing partner for a public-private partnership" to develop the land.
Information about how to submit a plan for development is available here.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Tell your Smart Speaker to "PLAY 1080 KRLD"
Sign Up to receive our KRLD Insider Newsletter for more news
Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube