Home Care In Carrollton, TX

A transit-oriented development that’s 20 years in the making this week celebrated the start of the first building in the Carrollton project.

The 25-acre Trinity Mills Station development is being built at the southeast corner of Bush Turnpike and Stemmons Freeway — adjacent to rail stations for DART and the Denton County Transportation Authority.

The building site is jointly owned by the city and DART, which started work two years ago on infrastructure for the mixed-use project.

Carrollton bought land on Dickerson Parkway in 2003 after DART opened its Green Line commuter station.

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The city and the transit agency built a 3-acre esplanade park running through the property to the rail stations.

“This is the only site in the entire Metroplex that’s got two train stations and two highways,” Carrollton urban development director Ravi Shah said Friday at a groundbreaking for the first apartment community at Trinity Mills Station.

Atlanta-based Integral Group is developing the 436-unit Eviva Trinity Mills apartments just east of DART’s station. The five-story rental community is scheduled to open in November 2025.

Integral Group chairman Egbert Perry said the project is one of the few to get funded in the currently constrained financial environment. He said the project will change the landscape in Carrollton.

“The challenge is always creating the there, there,” Perry said. “That’s what we are doing. You can feel the energy taking place. That’s what transformation is about.”

Irving-based developer Koa Partners is seeking tenants for a 125,000-square-foot, six-story office building it plans to construct across the park from the new apartments.

“The office market is challenging but we are getting some good activity,” Koa CEO Harry Lake said. “All the successful projects have been curated around apartments.”

Carrollton hopes to build on the first phase of Trinity Mills Station and eventually grow the transit-oriented development district to include 300 acres.

“Trinity Mills Station is the largest publicly owned transit-oriented development site in North Texas and the most connected,” Carrollton mayor Steve Babick said. “It is truly a catalyst and transformational work in process.”

The area of Carrollton stretching south from Bush Turnpike to downtown just east of Interstate 35E includes stations for DART’s Green Line, the Denton commuter train and DART’s new Silver Line, which runs to DFW International Airport.

“Just as we were founded 100 years ago on our rail system, as we look to the future, we will see a similar interchange of these rail systems,” Babick said.

Talks are underway about a unified regional transit agency to serve all of North Texas.

It would require funding and legal changes from the state.

A transit-oriented development that broke ground in Carrollton Friday is an example of how other communities might benefit.

The Eviva development is near the intersection of I-35E and the George Bush Turnpike, adjacent to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit agency’s Trinity Mills station.

A-Trains from the Denton County Transit Authority also stop at Trinity Mills.

“It really represents a focal point of regionalism where DART And DCTA come together to serve common population,” DCTA Chief Executive Officer Paul Cristana said.

If a regional transit agency is created, DART and DCTA could actually merge with Tarrant County’s Trinity Metro.

The latest news from around North Texas.

“I’m on board with anything that makes things more seamless for the customer,” DART CEO Nadine Lee said.

More transit-oriented development would be a goal of such an arrangement to help serve a booming North Texas population.

Renderings from developers The Integral Group and Koa Partners show the mix of 436 apartments, offices, stores and restaurants. A hotel is also planned.

A 549-space parking garage is already under construction that will be surrounded by the other buildings.

“This is the epitome of a live work and play environment, that urban hub if you will, where you have the green space in the center, restaurants, that hustle and bustle,” Carrollton Mayor Steve Babick said.

A park is already finished on land assembled over the years by the city and DART.

“What we don't want is a big void between the neighborhood and the transit stop because it makes for a place where nothing happens during the day and we think there's a lot better use for that land,” DART CEO Nadine Lee said.

DART has been supporting apartment construction in vast parking lots at other rail stations.

One station south in Carrollton on DART’s Green Line is the old Downtown Carrollton station, where a new stop is under construction for DART’s new Silver Line between Plano and DFW Airport that will cross there.

New apartments have also been constructed near transit in Downtown Carrollton.

Babick said another new transit line is also planned in the future from Downtown Carrollton to Frisco and Sherman, two cities that are not involved with a transit agency now.

The three existing transit North Texas transit agencies are funded with fares and sales taxes collected in member cities.

DART cities contribute a full 1 cent of sales tax. Trinity Metro and DCTA cities contribute ½ a cent.

Other cities like Arlington and Frisco which are not members of a transit authority have committed their sales taxes to other purposes.

“That has to somewhat change, up at the state level. We have to think about new ways to fund our transit,” Babick said.

Carrollton’s mayor serves on the North Central Texas Council of Governments Regional Transportation Council which has initiated the study of regional transit consolidation and expansion.

Babick said a new formula for regional transit funding could involve state money instead.

“Why wouldn’t we be looking at funding these regional transit centers right at the top of the state budget from a sales and use tax perspective, because that’s what they’re driving. They’re driving commerce. They’re driving prosperity. And the local economy is all predicated upon that,” Babick said. “So as we sort of reimagine what a transit agency looks like to support the North Texas region, that's what we're talking about there.”

Transportation planners say roads alone can’t handle the millions more people expected to keep moving to North Texas.

“How do people want to travel in the future, if people don’t want to be stuck in traffic,” Lee said.

Encouraging more DFW density with transit-oriented development is a way to support more population and transportation.

“Right now, we have 8 million people. In 20 years we're going to have 11 or 12 million people. If you think about 50% more cars than are on the road right now, people are going to get stuck in traffic,” Lee said.

Her view for transit in the future could also support package delivery to remove some of those vehicles from the road.

On day twelve of the auto workers' strike North Texas auto workers organized a caravan and rally, joining forces with those demanding change.

The group gathered at the Chrysler Parts Distribution Center off East Belt Line Road in Carrollton. Organizers told NBC 5 they want to apply pressure for their demands.

In red shirts, with signs and bullhorns, their chants Tuesday night were loud and clear.

Workers for GM, Ford and Stellantis are demanding a 40% pay raise over four years, among other demands, including restoration of traditional pension plans for newer workers, and a 32-hour work week for 40 hours of pay.

Organizer Pauline Mims is the Labor Council UAW representative for Tarrant County and works at the GM plant in Arlington. She's been with the company for more than 20 years and said a lot was sacrificed around the time of the 2008 auto industry bailout. Mims said it’s now time to reap the reward of years of hard work.

“Mortgages have gone up, everything has gone up, and yet our pay has stayed stagnant,” Mims said. “The companies have continued to make money and grow, and yet leave us paycheck-to-paycheck. At one point it was a great job to have, and now currently it's just a job.”

GM, Ford and Stellantis have been responsive throughout the entire process. Each company released recent statements that read in part:

GM said it has presented five record proposals, saying in part, “Our focus is not on politics but continues to be on bargaining in good faith with the UAW leadership to reach an agreement as quickly as possible.”

Ford, in a statement, said they are going to be the ones to “solve this by finding creative solutions to tough issues together at the bargaining table.”

For its part, Stellantis pointed it its track record, saying it has offered wage increases that top 20% and "requires a balanced agreement that fairly rewards its workforce without significantly disadvantaging the company.”

The companies have said they must be able to continue to invest profits in a costly transition from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles.

Economists say the strike has already exceeded $1.6 billion in economic impact.

"In negotiations, you're going to reach a little bit," said J. Carlos Martinez, a professor at Dallas College and economist with Crescent Securities Group, Inc. "So, I would probably say the 32-hour workweek is probably off the table, I would think, resuming the pension for new employees probably off the table. But wage increase and cost of living, I think are on the table."

Workers at a Stellantis distribution center in Carrollton joined a nationwide strike demanding increased wages, enhanced job security and improved conditions for temporary workers.

Employees at a General Motors parts distribution center in Roanoke and another at a Stellantis distribution center in Carrollton are the latest to join the strike against the major companies.

These workers are uniting with approximately 12,700 of their fellow colleagues across three assembly plants situated in Missouri, Ohio and Michigan, broadening the scope of a strike that was initiated over a week ago. The strike expanded to encompass workers at 38 different locations spanning across 20 states, primarily in distribution centers.

“This will impact these two companies’ repair operations,” United Auto Workers union president Shawn Fain said during a Facebook live video. “Our message to the consumer is simple. The way to fix the frustrating customer experience is for the companies to end price gouging — invest these record profits into stable jobs and sustainable wages and benefits.”

According to AP, only 12% of the union's membership is participating in the strike. The UAW possesses the potential to significantly increase the number of workers involved in the strike, potentially affecting assembly plants and parts facilities operated by General Motors, Ford and Stellantis.

One of the central points under discussion in the negotiations revolves around the need for increased wages, bolstered job security, fair treatment of temporary workers and the elimination of the existing "tier-based" pay systems within these companies. Fain expressed optimism in the live video, noting that there has been some headway regarding tiered wages. However, he also emphasized that achieving a resolution will require substantial effort and pressure on the part of both GM and Stellantis.

On Sept. 15, 2023, General Motors released a statement about the initiation of the strike at the first three assembly plants.

“We are disappointed by the UAW leadership’s actions, despite the unprecedented economic package GM put on the table, including historic wage increases and manufacturing commitments,” the statement said. “We will continue to bargain in good faith with the union to reach an agreement as quickly as possible for the benefit of our team members, customers, suppliers and communities across the U.S.”

President Joe Biden showed support for those participating in the strike and will join the workers against the automakers. He is set to arrive in Michigan on Sept. 26, days before Donald Trump is set to give his own speech in Michigan.

New bar and restaurant Boozy Bird in Carrollton is obsessed with chicken wings. You can get ‘em Buffalo, glazed with spicy apricot sauce, laced with Jamaican jerk seasoning, or tossed in Sichuan hot sauce. Or rubbed with Italian Parm, black truffle sriracha, maple sugar or Old Bay.

Boozy Bird’s chef-partner Chris Conlon grew up in Buffalo, N.Y., home of the Buffalo wing. He knows his way around a chicken pun.

“Wings truly are my childhood comfort food, and that deep-rooted love and passion fueled the creation of Boozy Bird,” he said. “I firmly believe that the Carrollton community and beyond will flock to Boozy Bird time and time again — drawn in by the local beer and family-friendly games, but undoubtedly staying for the melt-in-your-mouth wings.”

The cocktails are “clucktails” and the chicken options are called “boners and breasts.”

And here’s a first: Instead of an espresso martini, theirs is called a Boozy Coopuccino. They’re really running wild here — it’s a menu full of free-range chicken jokes.

Other than chicken, the restaurant serves bar bites such as crispy mac and queso, mushrooms stuffed with pimento cheese, and potato chip-crusted onion rings.

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The restaurant comes from the owners of sushi restaurant Musume (in Dallas and newly in Fort Worth), Dallas speakeasy Akai, and sports bar Chopshop (in Dallas’ Victory Park, Las Colinas and McKinney).

It’s spacious, at 7,500 square feet, with pingpong, beer pong, shuffleboard, billiards and 20 TVs.

Boozy Bird is at 2661 Midway Road, Carrollton. It opened Aug. 1, 2023.

For more food news, follow Sarah Blaskovich on X (formerly Twitter) at @sblaskovich.