August 2008 
There are 300 blog entries for August 2008.
Bush Turnpike Rolling In
Monday, August 25th, 2008 at 7:08pm. 424 Views, 0 Comments.
Groundbreaking took place this morning on the $1 billion, 9.9-mile stretch that will connect SH 78 in Garland to I-30.
The Bush Turnpike extension—along with the 2012 arrival of Dallas Area Rapid Transit light rail—is expected to create about 13,000 jobs and $18.9 billion in economic impact over 20 years.
Rowlett’s two upcoming mixed-use projects will assist in the economic boost. Northshore is a 1,000-acre planned commercial and light industrial district along the northern part of the extension. The city also plans to develop a 300-acre retail and restaurant center along the turnpike just north of Lake Ray Hubbard.
Tolls will range from 40 cents to $1.50 for TollTag customers and from 65 cents to $2.20 for drivers without TollTags.
Actual…Green certification growing fast in Texas
Monday, August 25th, 2008 at 7:07pm. 356 Views, 0 Comments.
Almost 800 builders, remodelers and other professionals have earned the Certified Green Professional certification in its first five months, and Texas leads the way with 107 designees. The National Association of Home Builders program is for all home building professionals and is open to nonmembers. To earn the designation, one must take 16 hours of classes and eight hours of business instruction, and must have at least two years of experience in the industry.
Texas ranks among ten lowest-taxed states, study shows
Monday, August 25th, 2008 at 7:06pm. 441 Views, 0 Comments.
Texas residents pay a smaller percentage of their incomes for state and local taxes than 42 of the 50 states, according to a new study released by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation. Texans paid an average of 8.4 percent of their income in state and local taxes, compared to the 9.9 percent national average. The state has placed among the ten lowest-taxed states in every one of the 32 years the Washington-based group has conducted its survey. Texas' ranking is in large part because it has no income tax and a favorable business tax structure. New Jersey residents pay the most, at 11.8 percent. Alaskans pay the least, at 6.4 percent. The estimates are based on the 2008 fiscal year, which ended June 30. Economists said tax rates often give a signal about a state's…
West Seventh redevelopment: plenty of eateries
Friday, August 22nd, 2008 at 7:59am. 405 Views, 0 Comments.
The redevelopment of West Seventh Street will introduce about 25 restaurants to an area no longer than a mile. Several mixed-use developments are executing a massive overhaul of the corridor, gradually adding more than 635,000 sf of retail space to the city's Cultural District. The number of restaurants in the area will double within the next year. The SoSeven mixed-use development, located across from Montgomery Plaza, has signed Primo's Bar & Grille and Dom Wine Bistro to open within the 25-acre project. The company also is negotiating with a coffee shop, a French bistro and a hamburger restaurant, and expects SoSeven to include five or six restaurants altogether. The first tenants should open in spring 2009. Meanwhile, Museum Place could include as many…
Chesapeake Energy Corp. to drill in downtown Fort Worth
Friday, August 22nd, 2008 at 7:55am. 391 Views, 0 Comments.
(Fort Worth) - Natural gas producer Chesapeake Energy Corp. is expected to be the first company to drill a well in downtown Fort Worth to access minerals in the Barnett Shale. The Oklahoma City-based company will use its Trinidad Rig to drill a well on the south edge of the downtown area, behind the old Fort-Worth Star Telegram warehouse on Lancaster. The Barnett Shale is a gas-rich geological formation that stretches across several North Texas counties, including Tarrant County. Once the process begins, Chesapeake will be drilling in a westerly direction, away from the downtown area. Chesapeake has four other downtown sites for future drilling. Those sites include the Ron Site, located behind the Ashton Depot; the Dakota site, northwest of downtown near…
