Five restaurants including a new concept, MAVS Sports Grill, will be among the first retail tenants in UT Arlington's 20-acre College Park District development, scheduled for completion this summer.

The restaurants reflect the diversity of The University of Texas at Arlington and include a pizza franchise, a Vietnamese-style noodle house, a Mediterranean grill and a frozen yogurt shop. Finish out of the retail space will take place throughout the spring, and additional tenant announcements are expected soon. A grand opening is set for Sept. 1, 2012.

MAVS Sports Grill is a new, sports-themed concept that will occupy about 4,500 square feet of prime space on the north side of Moritz Plaza, directly across from the College Park Center entrance. The MAVS Sports Grill ownership group also will operate Pho Xpress, which will occupy an adjacent 3,500 square feet just west of the new Dan Dipert University Welcome Center.

"We have been striving for a strong and diverse mix of tenants, and we are well on our way to achieving that," said John Hall, UT Arlington's vice president for administration and campus operations. "This development will certainly serve our students, faculty and staff, but it will also be a draw for the downtown Arlington area, guests attending events at College Park Center, and the entire community."

Other College Park restaurants will include:

• GRIP Mediterranean Grill, a new, fast casual concept from the owners of Terra Mediterranean Grill and Ali Baba restaurants. Patrons will be able to "grip" custom sandwiches wrapped in a 10-inch, pita and choose from a selection of salads and sides. Grip will occupy 2,000 square feet at 115 W. Second St.
• Pie Five Pizza Co., a concept from Pizza Inn Holdings Inc., has announced that it will open at UT Arlington's College Park. The restaurant specializes in personal-size pizzas assembled in front of the customer, baked and ready to eat in less than five minutes. The outlet will operate from 2,200 square feet at 501 S. Pecan St.
• Coolberry Frozen Yogurt, which offers more than 90 flavors of frozen yogurt and more than 20 smoothie varieties. The franchise will occupy 1,600 square feet at 439 S. Pecan St.

A map of the restaurant locations can be seen here.

Jennifer Tran, a representative of the MAVS Sports Grill and Pho Xpress group, said owners are finalizing architectural plans this spring but aim to include elements such as garage doors that open to a patio area, a fire pit and at least 30 high-definition, Samsung flat-screen televisions for game-day events.

MAVS Sports Grill will offer a traditional grill menu, with sliders, chicken tenders and sandwiches and an average customer ticket of $10 to $20. Pho Xpress will offer healthy options in the Vietnamese style with an emphasis on quality food at an affordable price and a convenient delivery service, Tran said.

Of the total 27,000 square feet of street-level retail space at College Park, only about 4,600 square feet - or approximately two-to-four spaces - remains available at 400 Center St. and UTA Boulevard, just south of First Baptist Church of Arlington. SRS Real Estate Partners of Dallas is consulting on leasing and prospective tenants, which will bring even more diversity to the retail mix.

In addition to the significant addition of retail space on campus, the mixed-used development includes living space for about 600 students in Vandergriff Hall and The Lofts at College Park, a student apartment complex. Student housing and retail spaces are wrapped around interior parking structures with space for about 1,850 vehicles. College Park Center, the University's 7,000-seat special events venue, anchors the development to the south.

College Park Center events are expected to draw up to 400,000 patrons in the first year of operation. College Park Center opened Feb. 1 as the home court for UT Arlington basketball and volleyball. It also will host a wide variety of concerts, lectures, commencements and community events.

UT Arlington's enrollment is almost 33,500 this spring. About 15 percent of the student population will live on campus when College Park fully opens in August.

Frank Bullock, executive vice president and market leader for SRS Real Estate, called the College Park leasing to date "phenomenal" and said that it speaks to the synergy that the special events venue is creating in downtown Arlington.

Jack Burgher, an SRS Real Estate associate who also is working on the College Park development, said prospective tenants are attracted to the sense of place that the mixed-used project is creating.

"College students want a unique place to live, hang out, study and grab a meal," Burgher said. "This kind of development is what helps make a University the place where people want to be."

For UT Arlington College Park leasing opportunities, please contact Frank Bullock at SRS Real Estate Partners at 214-560-3290 or by email, [email protected].

The University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive research institution in the heart of North Texas. Visit http://www.uta.edu/ to learn more.

Article provided courtesy of UT Arlington