Despite rumors that Arby’s has pulled out of the development adjacent to Target, developer Dennis Crowe said negotiations are ongoing with the fast food restaurant.

Friday, September 10, 1999

Despite rumors that Arby’s has pulled out of the development adjacent to Target, developer Dennis Crowe said negotiations are ongoing with the fast food restaurant. Original plans had the restaurant opening in Austin in 2000, with construction starting this fall. Crowe said that is still a possibility.

"We’re still working together," the Oppidan director of shopping center development said. "There are still some issues."

Crowe declined to explain the issues.

In other news of the shopping center, several more stores have signed on the dotted line, he was pleased to report.

Hollywood Video signed and plans to open in early November in the building east of the shopping center. Hollywood Video is number two worldwide in video stores – after Blockbuster Video – and have more than 1,200 stores located throughout the United States. The video store will occupy part of that building; the other half remains available right now, Crowe said.

In the strip of shops located between the anchor stores Target and Rainbow Foods nearly every space is allocated. A Christian bookstore and a tobacco shop are signed on and a Quizno’s sub shop is due to open in two weeks. Both Great Clips beauty salon and Cole Vision, a Sears optical store, are being readied for opening.

That leaves only one open space in the strip mall, and one space in the separate building to the east of the majority of the shops.

Off the southern end of the strip mall, the shell of Fashion Bug is also up. Fashion Bug is the largest strip center based women’s clothing chain in the country, and specializes in the sales of fashionable, moderately priced merchandise in junior, misses, plus and girls’ sizes. The women’s clothing chain has more than 1,000 stores in 40 states. Crowe said Fashion Bug should open in the latter part of October.

Both Sally Beauty, a beauty supplies store, and Midwest Wireless, a mobile phone company, have already opened.

"We’re about where we thought we would be," Crowe said. "We’ve enjoyed the development opportunity there in Austin and Craig Hoium – city planning/zoning administrator – has been a great person to work with. All in all it’s been a very good experience."

Once the final two shops are leased, Crowe said Oppidan, primarily a property development company, would hire a different company to manage the shopping center and surrounding property.