Balch Springs EDC approves $2.2 million amendment for Alexander Village mixed‑use project

The Balch Springs Community and Economic Development Corporation (Type B) approved a $2.2 million amendment to a Chapter 380 economic development agreement for the Alexander Village Mixed‑Use Development on May 28, voting 4–1 to recommend the amendment to city council.

The amendment would add incentives and a contribution toward a new collector road to serve a roughly 14‑acre site behind local businesses identified in the packet as the Alexander Village project. The board’s action covers incentives, a reimbursement schedule for infrastructure work and revised allocations for restaurant, retail and family‑entertainment users; the EDC Type B motion was made by Director Wanda Adams and seconded by Director Katisha Bruner.

Why it matters: the developer projects a $50 million buildout including four restaurants, about 15,000 square feet of retail, a family‑entertainment user and roughly 200 market‑rate apartments. The amendment adds a share of funding for a collector road that would connect the site to Interstate 20 and South Beltline Road and changes how the EDC’s incentives are distributed.

City staff described the amendment as an update to the economic development agreement previously approved by the city council in September 2024. Staff said the collector road is estimated to cost $3.4 million and that the cost would be divided among the developer, EDC Type A and EDC Type B: staff reported Type A has agreed to contribute $1.5 million, Type B would contribute $400,000 (split between $300,000 in the current fiscal year and $100,000 next fiscal year) and the developer would contribute up to $2.0 million toward the road.

Under the revised incentive schedule described to the board, Type B incentives include a $500,000 reimbursement pool for infrastructure tied to “qualified expenditures” and staged payments after completion; staff said reimbursements would be triggered after infrastructure installation. The amendment reduces the restaurant incentive to $100,000 per restaurant (four restaurants, $400,000 total) from an earlier $500,000 total, reduces the family‑entertainment incentive to $400,000 (from $500,000) and leaves the retail incentive at $500,000 as previously approved.

Representing the developer, Chuck Branch said the developer has invested in design and engineering and “about a hundred thousand we put into the to this project.” Branch said the development team expects to put additional private capital into on‑site construction and that a bank guarantor will require additional guarantees during financing.

City staff and the board emphasized several protections in the agreement: the EDC Type A land conveyance is conditioned on the developer completing at least $4.0 million in qualified infrastructure expenditures before property conveyance; the agreement includes a first lien for the developer’s lender and a right of repurchase or other protections should the developer default. Attorney remarks on the dais noted that incentive payments are not made up front as a lump sum but are paid upon achievement of specified milestones (certificate of occupancy, infrastructure completion and other triggers).

Staff outlined commitments the project must meet after construction: targeted commercial users listed in an exhibit to the agreement; a requirement that the commercial portion maintain a minimum of 34 full‑time equivalent jobs by Sept. 30, 2028; and timing milestones that would allow the developer to seek permitting with TxDOT for the driveway access. If the Type B board’s recommendation is approved by city council in June, staff said the project will proceed to planning and zoning reviews and could begin construction late summer or early fall, per materials presented to the board.

The board vote was 4 in favor and 1 opposed: Katisha Bruner — yes; Rick Brumfield — no; Wanda Adams — yes; Helen Shelby — yes; Kelvin Hill — yes. After the vote, staff said the item will go to city council in June and that the EDC will provide monthly status updates to the Type B board.

Notes and limitations: dollar figures, parcel descriptions and schedule come from the staff presentation and the draft agreement presented to the EDC. Some address numbers in the transcript were transcribed inconsistently; the article reports the project location as described in the staff presentation (collector road connecting I‑20 to Beltline).