Planning commission hears proposal for Main Event at former Sears in Towne East; staff recommended approval

Garrett Langford, planning staff with the Mesquite Planning and Zoning Commission, presented item 4, an application (C0325-0390) for a conditional use permit to allow a family entertainment center (Main Event) in the former Sears building at 1738 North Town East Boulevard (also cited as 3000 East Town East Mall).

The staff report said the proposed Main Event would occupy about 58,000 square feet of the first floor of a building the presentation estimated at roughly 200,000 square feet overall, on an 18-acre site. The applicant described planned uses as a full-service restaurant, bowling, laser tag, arcade games (an estimate of about 130 games), party rooms and other recreational activities. Garrett Langford told the commission that staff believes the request meets the conditional-use criteria and recommended approval.

Steve Meyer, a representative of SRB Mesquite LLC, identified himself as the property owner’s representative and said the project is the first phase of a longer redevelopment of the Towne East Mall Sears site. Meyer told the commission the owners are negotiating leases for the ground floor (including Main Event and a proposed sit-down restaurant he named as Vedora) and pursuing a planned development (PD) overlay and replat for outparcels. Meyer described the overall redevelopment as approximately a $30,000,000 private investment and said the owner has been working with city planning staff on site improvements, landscaping and pedestrian connections.

Jill Valkovic, operations representative for Main Event/Dave & Buster's, addressed operational questions the commissioners raised about alcohol, supervision of minors, safety and crowd management. Valkovic said Main Event’s policies include a requirement that anyone under 18 be accompanied by a responsible adult of at least 25 years of age (with limits on the number of minors per adult for non‑prearranged events), ServSafe certification for staff who handle alcohol, and a mystery-shopper compliance program (described in the record as the “bars program”) that sanctions employees who fail to check IDs. Valkovic said alcohol sales are a small portion of the company’s revenue—“less than 10% of our overall revenue”—and that laser-tag rooms are kept beverage-free. She described the venue as an open-floor plan with managers and security present; she said mall entrances would be closed when the mall closes and that Main Event typically staffs at least one security guard on weekday evenings and two on busy weekend nights.

Commissioners asked staff and the applicant about the city’s alcohol-separation rule and about how the business would balance family and adult audiences. Garrett Langford explained the city code includes a 300-foot property-line separation rule that bars off-site alcohol sales within that distance, and he said the city code provides an exception if a business obtains a food-and-beverage certificate from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC). Langford noted the TABC requirement is tied to a minimum share of sales that must be food (he said the percentage has changed recently and was either “40 or 50%,” per the staff remark).

Commissioners also raised life‑safety and egress questions; Langford noted that building-permit review will require submittal of life-safety plans showing emergency exits and related details before tenant improvements proceed. Discussion included concerns about noise, mall access management when the mall closes, staffing and how minors will be supervised in an open-floor entertainment environment.

After the public hearing closed, a motion was made to approve the conditional use permit with staff recommendations by Commissioner Hammond; the motion was seconded. The transcript does not record a roll-call vote tally or the commission’s final vote outcome for the motion.

Next steps identified in the hearing record: if the commission’s action moves forward (and following required city processes), the applicant would submit building-permit plans and pursue a PD overlay and replat for outparcels; landlord and tenant construction would proceed in phases. Meyer and staff said the owner and applicant are conducting ongoing coordination with planning staff and expect to return to the city for required approvals.

Evidence excerpts in the transcript show staff presentation, applicant remarks and operational answers from Main Event representatives, and commissioners’ questions on alcohol, safety and mall integration. The record includes statements about staffing (an estimate of about 200 total employees for the site), anticipated hours of operation (presented as typically 11 a.m. to midnight with extended hours Friday and Saturday), and the applicant’s description of building and site improvements anticipated as part of a future PD and replat.

The commission discussion did not include a recorded dollar-value public subsidy or city funding commitment; the redevelopment budget figure was stated by the property representative as a private investment estimate. The commission session also recorded a brief informational comment noting the city adopted a juvenile curfew ordinance in 2023 and that recent state law changes limit local curfew authority, which was raised during public comment.

For transparency: direct quotes in this article are attributed only to speakers identified in the meeting record: Garrett Langford (planning staff), Steve Meyer (SRB Mesquite LLC representative), Jill Valkovic (Main Event/Dave & Buster's representative) and Commissioner Hammond (Planning and Zoning Commissioner). Where the transcript did not provide exact vote tallies or a final commission vote outcome, this article reports that those results are not specified in the transcript.