la Frontera In the News

Round Rock Leader

April 10, 2004

More high-end stores coming to La Frontera

by Marcial Guajardo, Leader Staff

A retail project likely to resemble Austin's The Arboretum in its shops and layout is planned for La Frontera, officials said Thursday.

Atlanta-based Cousins Properties has 60 acres at La Frontera under lease and is looking to lease to retailers, said Cousins spokesman Matt Gove.

Cousins is looking for the same type of retailers the company usually looks for, Gove said.

The project has been named "The Avenue at La Frontera," signaling a new endeavor in Cousins' "The Avenue" concept.

The Avenue concept, introduced in 1998, is a "Main Street" pedestrian center smaller in scale than a typical shopping mall.

These specialty centers, often located in affluent neighborhoods, aim to combine premier national retailers, select local merchants and specialty restaurants in an attractive, open-air setting.

Cousins lists among its group of retailers Saks Fifth Avenue, Gap, GapKids, Banana Republic, Williams-Sonoma, Abercrombie & Fitch, Pottery Barn, Talbots, Ann Taylor, J. Crew, American Eagle, Victoria's Secret, Restoration Hardware, Borders, Smith & Hawken, Harold's, Chico's and Regal Cinemas.

The Avenue at La Frontera, to be built at state Highway 45 and FM 1325, will compliment La Frontera's two other retail projects.

La Frontera Village, which includes Old Navy, Barnes & Noble book store, and Marshall's, includes 880,000 square feet of retail space. Vintage Plaza includes 350,000 square feet.

La Frontera officials said they expect The Avenue at La Frontera to fit somewhere in the middle of the other two retail projects in terms of square footage.

With it, La Frontera will likely pose a considerable challenge to the Simon outdoor mall planned for the northeast corner of Interstate 35 and FM 1431 in Round Rock.

The Simon development is slated to be built on 133 acres and will include 750,000 square feet of retail space. Plans for that project, expected to be built by next year, call for a layout similar to that of The venue concept.

A timeline for The Avenue project was not disclosed.

When asked why Cousins chose the site at La Frontera, he said, "I think the site speaks for itself."

Cousins recently completed work on its Frost Bank office tower in Austin and also worked on another office park in Austin. The Avenue at La Frontera represents its first retail project in the area.