Street Level updates Stafford board on Grid redevelopment: Target, high-traffic retailers and plan for central green

Street Level Development presented a detailed update on the Grid redevelopment to the Stafford Economic Development Corporation, describing tenant activity, visitor numbers, infrastructure investments and a revised plan for the central gathering green.

Brian Murphy of Street Level told the board the site began as the Texas Instruments property and that Street Level has invested heavily in infrastructure, including roads, sewer and water. Murphy said the developer put roughly $24.8 million into core infrastructure (total higher after interest) and used defined-area tax reimbursements, three bond sales and property-tax sharing agreements to finance work. He reported the site’s taxable value rose from roughly $24 million at acquisition to an estimated $442 million today and projected approximately $589 million for 2025.

Murphy described retail performance and visitor metrics: an analytics vendor (Placer) estimates about 5,200,000 visits to the Grid annually, with about 2.3 million visits from outside Stafford. He listed existing and incoming tenants by name and timing: in-construction and imminent openings include Portillo’s (opening April), Hopdoddy Burger Bar (April), Kava (July), and a Target store expected to open in fall 2025. He said some upcoming tenants are among the highest-volume locations in the state and projected another roughly $50 million in annual sales tied to new tenants.

Street Level addressed security and public safety. The developer and East Fort Bend County Development Authority have installed 15 Flock cameras with an annual cost of about $60,000 and credited the cameras with investigative assistance for recent multi-jurisdictional arrests. Murphy said his team intends to seek reinstatement of an earlier-defined-area tax provision that could fund security and maintenance for the Grid; he said the mayor previously removed that item before final approval at the state level and the developer wants the city, county and board’s support to restore it.

The development team discussed design decisions for the center area after removing an existing large structure. Murphy described a revised plan that favors a defined “green” enclosed by restaurants (a room-like design) and adaptable buildings around the lawn to support entertainment, restaurants and hotels. He said some originally planned office space has been delayed by market changes and that structured parking remains a possibility if a future office demand materializes. Murphy estimated the green and adjacent work could reach construction within roughly 18 months and that full build-out across remaining phases might occur within about four years.

Board members asked detailed questions about residential unit counts (Murphy said about 1,600 existing units with more opening) and parking/garage financing limits (the defined-area tax does not allow garage funding under current rules). Several directors and staff discussed coordinated traffic studies, permit coordination and the potential for a police storefront or patrol presence in the Grid; Murphy said he is open to discussing a public-private storefront and that increased visibility of law enforcement would be acceptable to the developer.

The board and developer agreed to continue coordination on signage placement (a 65-foot pylon with interactive display has been ordered), traffic improvements at Kirkwood and the Walmart/Airport access, and marketing partnerships with area hotels and the Stafford Center to promote events and increase midweek business.

Murphy closed by saying the Grid’s multi-year transformation aims to create a regional destination for shopping and dining while generating sales-tax revenue for Stafford.