Asian restaurants, grocery stores and dessert shops have helped revive a part of Carrollton once in decay.

Why it matters: The businesses along the President George Bush Turnpike and Old Denton Road intersection bring in millions of dollars in tax revenue every year, helping sustain the rest of the city, Carrollton Mayor Steve Babick tells Axios.

The big picture: New developments in Carrollton have brought about $25 million to the city since he joined the City Council in 2014, Babick says.

Flashback: One side of the intersection used to be anchored by a Mervyn’s department store. The other side had a Hobby Lobby, some South Asian businesses, and a Bally Total Fitness.

State of play: Dozens of businesses have since opened along all four corners of the intersection, bringing in thousands of people a week.

Meanwhile: The businesses don't just serve Carrollton's Asian population — they're an opportunity to educate others about the many facets of Asian culture.

Officials say they found thousands of fentanyl-laced pills stuffed in the suspect's microwave.

CARROLLTON, Texas — An alleged top supply source in the Carrollton juvenile fentanyl case has been federally charged, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas announced Friday.

This case has resulted in at least 14 juvenile overdoses, including four deaths, officials said.

Julio Gonzales, Jr., 18, was charged July 14 with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. His roommate, 19-year-old Adrian Martinez-Leon, was arrested as well and charged with drug conspiracy.

Officials say DEA agents found thousands of fentanyl-laced pills stuffed in the microwave while searching the suspects' residence, as well as nearly a kilogram of cocaine in a plastic food storage container, hidden bulk currency in the closet, and several firearms throughout the home -- including a pistol with an illegal Glock switch attached.

Credit: DEA Dallas

“Another domino has fallen in the Carrollton juvenile fentanyl overdose saga,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton in a statement. “Rest assured, the Justice Department will not stop until their entire fentanyl trafficking infrastructure has been dismantled. Our kids’ futures are too important to allow this to continue.“

A 16-year-old dealer and four other cooperating defendants identified Gonzales, called "J-Money," as their supplier, officials said. They tied him to an address in Oak Cliff and immediately identified him in a photo as the man they knew as "J-Money." One dealer reportedly told agents the thousands of pills sold during a DEA-controlled purchase sting were supplied by Gonzalez, and Instagram messages between Gonzales and defendants corroborated these deals.

Agents reportedly saw Gonzales conduct a hand-to-hand drug transaction in June, officials said, as well as seeing Martinez-Leon conduct transactions outside their front door.

“These arrests demonstrate the continued resolve of DEA Dallas to investigate this organization to the fullest extent possible,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Eduardo A. Chávez in a statement. “Local street dealers, transporters, bulk suppliers, and anyone in between should know DEA Dallas is still committed to holding everyone in this organization, and others like it, accountable for selling fentanyl to our communities.”

Gonzales and Martinez-Leon are the ninth and 10th defendants charged in the Carrollton overdose investigation. Five people arrested have pleaded guilty so far, officials said.

If convicted, Gonzales and Martinez-Leon face up to 40 years in federal prison.

In the USA, the German engineering giant Siemens has selected a site for its second US electric mobility manufacturing hub. The facility is meant to enable the goal of manufacturing more than a million EV chargers for US markets over the next three years.

++ This article has been updated; please continue reading below. ++

The facility will be located in Carrollton in Texas. The existing plant on the site that covers 80,000 square feet (around 7432 square metres) is to be retrofitted. The company says this will enable it to “ramp up quickly to meet significant EV market and customer demand.”

“In the next decade, the United States will need millions of chargers to support the rise in EV adoption. With this investment, Siemens is continuing to grow our US EV charging manufacturing footprint to help answer this call and continue preparing the nation’s infrastructure as we steadily head to an all-electric future,” said John DeBoer, head of Siemens eMobility North America. “We’re committed to bringing production closer to where it’s needed so we can meet the growing demand for EV chargers quickly while also creating high-skilled, quality manufacturing jobs and supporting regional supply chains.”

The region is already quite familiar to Siemens since several of the company’s facilities are already located in the area, such as its manufacturing hub in Grand Prairie, where it develops equipment that supports essential power infrastructure, along with the company’s EV charging distribution centre in Southhaven in the nearby state of Mississippi.

In August last year, Siemens announced it would expand its US operations to support charging infrastructure in America. The company said that the VersiCharge product line of commercial and residential EV chargers would be key for the company to manufacture over one million such chargers for the US over the next four years.

At the now-located site in Carrollton, Texas, Siemens will manufacture its new Buy American-compliant Level 2 AC electric vehicle charger, VersiCharge Blue.

Siemens has opened the doors to its revamped EV charging manufacturing hub located in Carrollton, Texas, less than six months after announcing the plans for the plant. The company will manufacture EV chargers specifically designed to serve the US market.

The Texas facility is the company’s second EV charging plant in the United States and will contribute to the company’s goal to build 1 million EV chargers for the US market. Siemens added that it would create 100 new jobs at the site and across its regional supply chain footprint.

Wyntron, an existing Siemens partner, will part operate the plant.

Siemens will manufacture its new Buy American-compliant Level 2 AC electric vehicle charger, VersiCharge Blue, as mentioned above.

The Carrollton plant marks the latest Siemens investment to strengthen and expand its US footprint, including $3 billion in manufacturing expansions and strategic M&A activities over the past four years.

“We’ve seen monumental growth in the US EV market over the past several years, spurred in large part by federal investments,” said John DeBoer, head of Siemens eMobility North America. “The investments we’re making in communities like Carrollton and the work that our skilled employees will be doing to bring EV charging infrastructure to life will have an impact much further than just these city limits.”

siemens.com, siemens.com (update April ’23)

Finding a parking spot in Carrollton’s Koreatown is never an easy task. If you do, you’ll see that many of the license plates are from out of state, says Ravi Shah, Director of Development Services for the city of Carrollton.

That’s because Koreatown has become one of North Texas’s premier destinations for Asian-focused restaurants and retail shopping.

Over the years, Koreatown has brought in millions of dollars in tax revenue and recently welcomed projects from luxury condos to townhomes across its intersection on Bush Turnpike and Old Denton Road.

How it achieved this level of success when previous occupants failed is a question worth considering.

Robert Winningham, the Director of Economic Development for Carrollton, believes it’s the introduction of H Mart in 2008 and 99 Ranch in 2014.

“The two shopping centers together are really what’s created this synergy,” Winningham said.“We did our part (…) we just need to get out of the way and help where we can.”

Previously, the property was home to a series of slow and eventually bankrupt businesses.

Winningham said that H Mart and 99 Ranch became great anchors drawing other small businesses into their orbit.

“H Mart was the first domino that fell, and then all those little restaurants started coming into that retail center,” he said.

After seeing that success, development partner for New Quest Properties, Heather Nguyen, saw an opportunity to bring a similar business model to the southeast corner.

“[We] kind of took what we learned from building shopping centers that were more mainstream and applied it with the concept of being more Asian-focused,” Nguyen said.

The goal was to appeal to the younger generation by creating a modern space.

The relationship between tenant and developer, Nguyen says, is what sets Carrollton’s Koreatown apart from other shopping centers.

The Houston-based New Quest had a target list of businesses they wanted to bring in from out of the country, but Texas wasn’t necessarily at the top of their list.

“It was a challenge,” Nguyen said. “Most of these concepts from overseas want to be on the coast.”

Nguyen said the recruitment process was slow, but after one had success, “the next one would see the light.”

Before they lease space to a tenant, however, New Quest conducts a rigorous evaluation and vetting process.

“It was an experiment for me to figure out what formula works and what concepts do well together, [as well as] figure out the tenant mix that will attract everyone,” Nguyen said. “I want to take brands that we want here in Texas that don’t exist yet.”

That mixture is not limited to Korean influence. Thai, Japanese, Indian, and Pakistani-themed businesses and restaurants are peppered into the development — many of which have been featured in prominent local publications like D Magazine and Axios Dallas.

“It’s a foodie destination,” Nguyen said, pointing out that a lot of the businesses have made Carrollton their only Texas location.

Moreover, another key is the symbiotic relationship each small business has with the other.

“It’s by design,” Nguyen said. “We put in the tenants that have different peak hours so they will carry the tenants that aren’t always usually busy at that time … so it’s a balance.”

A customer might initially be drawn to what Nguyen calls the “daily needs,” via grocery shopping, but then may decide to go have dinner, shop, or wish to be entertained with gaming and karaoke bars, or peruse an authentic collection of manga/anime books.

Plus, as Shah pointed out, the multiple buildings provide a “pedestrian-oriented development,” meaning each store can be accessed within a short walk.

Since the opening of 99 Ranch, Winningham said that the occupancy rate of the surrounding properties went from 15% to 100%. And with a high demand for space near H Mart, rent increased from $17 in 2008 to $40 per square foot.

Nguyen said out of her six Asian-focused shopping centers throughout the country, Carrollton remains one of her most successful endeavors.

“Our tenants in there have record sales,” she said.

“From an economic standpoint,” Winningham said. “We recognize that this particular intersection in Carrollton has become a destination for Asian-centric food lovers and retail lovers from all across the metroplex.”

Martin Friedenthal is a summer 2023 intern for Star Local Media, focusing on reporting in The Colony, Little Elm, Lewisville and Carrollton.

Sales

M Crowd Restaurant Group has purchased a 25,300-square-foot office and technology building, located at 2455 McIver Lane in Carrollton. The two-story building will house M Crowd’s corporate headquarters, employee training, test kitchen, warehouse and distribution. The company is moving from its current headquarters at 250 East Royal Lane in Irving in the fall. Pat Hanahan and Rick Currey of Fobare Commercial L.P. brokered the building sale with Jim Struble of Jim Struble Realty LLC.

Apricus Realty Capital has purchased a nine-acre truck trailer storage and maintenance facility at 11801 CF Hawn Freeway in Dallas. The site is 14 miles from downtown and includes 200 truck and trailer spaces. Apricus is affiliated with Dallas commercial real estate firm Younger Partners.

A local investor has purchased a 6,708-square-foot three-tenant retail center located in the 194-Acre Glade Parks Towne Center on State Highway 121 in Euless. The tenants in the center are Pei Wei, My Eyelab and Floyd’s 99 Barbershop Tim Axilrod and Tayler Rose of the Shop Cos. brokered the sale.

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Extra Space Storage purchased a 741-unit, climate-controlled self-storage facility at 7557 Greenville Ave. next to Royal Oaks Country Club in Dallas. Jones Lang LaSalle’s Brian Somoza, Steve Mellon, Matthew Wheeler and Adam Roossien handled the sale.

KeyCity Capital has purchased Villa Gardens, a 142-unit multifamily property on Fyke Road in Farmers Branch. Greysteel’s Doug Banerjee, Jack Stone, Andrew Mueller and Sterling Warren brokered the sale.

Corson Cramer Development has purchased 43 acres at the northeast corner of Weston Road and Trinity Falls Parkway near McKinney from Hicks III Investments Inc. The property will be used for a 104-home residential community for Perry Homes.

Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers has purchased 1.1 acres at the southeast corner of U.S. Highway 380 and Cypress Bend Dr in Princeton. Brian Sladek of Resolut Real Estate brokered the sale.

A local investor has purchased a 12,428-square-foot retail center in Aledo. The property on FM 1187 south of Interstate 20 is fully leased. Tim Axilrod and Tayler Rose of the Shop Cos. brokered the sale.

Bridwell Capital has purchased Canopy at South Lakes, a 240-unit apartment property located off Interstate 35E in Denton. Institutional Property Advisors’ Drew Kile, Taylor Hill, Michael Ware and Will Bathrobe brokered the sale by SPI Advisory.

Chicago-based Midloch Investment Partners and its joint-venture partner WindMass Capital have acquired Riverwalk Apartments, a 176-unit multifamily community at 12920 Audelia Rd in Dallas. Riverwalk was constructed in 1981.

Leases

Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc. has leased a 393,625-square-foot industrial space at 3700 Pinnacle Point Dr. in Dallas. The lease with Cohen Asset Management allows Kumho Tire to substantially expand its regional distribution center. Colliers International’s James Min, Brad Balke, Chris Teesdale and Tom Pearson handled the transaction.

LiteOn, a Taiwanese-based provider of consumer electronics, has leased a 79,720 square-foot industrial space at 3605 E. Plano Parkway in Plano. George Tanghongs and Brett Lewis of Lee & Associates handled lease negotiations.

Quality Honeycomb has leased 60,000 square feet of warehouse space at 624 107th St. in Arlington. Mark Graybill with Lee & Associates negotiated the lease with Cullen Dickey and Scott Voelkel of Dickey Property Co.

PDE Receiving & Storage LLC has leased an 18,475-square-foot industrial space at 5151 Norwood Road in Dallas from Stonelake Capital Partners. Stephen Williamson and Matthew Johnson of Lee & Associates Dallas-Fort Worth negotiated the lease with Robert Blankinship of NAI Robert Lynn.

Lone Star Event Rentals Inc. has leased a 12,000-square-foot building with a fenced storage yard at 10312 Bickham Rd. in Dallas. The events supplier will consolidate three locations in the area into the new space. Jason Finch and Michael W. Spain of Commercial Real Estate Services negotiated the lease.

Palm Beach Tan Inc. has leased 9,904 square feet of industrial space in Gateway South, 6025 Commerce Dr., Irving. Erik Blais and Jared Laake of Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services negotiated the lease with John Doubleday of Shop Cos.

HOA Management has leased an 8,264-square-foot office space located at Two Mission Park,1202 Richardson Dr., Richardson. Jessica Reinhardt and George Tanghongs of Lee & Associates DFW negotiated the sale.

CapturePoint Solutions LLC has leased 5,690 square feet of office space in the Office Campus at Allen, 1101 South Central Expressway in Allen. Jared Laake of Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services negotiated the lease with Kent Smith of NAI Robert Lynn.

The Dent Spot has leased 5,360 square feet of flex industrial space at 2809 W. Euless Blvd. in Hurst. Jason Finch and Michael W. Spain of Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services negotiated the lease with Andre Shaw of Epique Realty.

All Texas Lighting has leased 4,110 square feet of warehouse space at 2206 Joe Field Rd. in Dallas. Kyle Espie and Brian Pafford of Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services negotiated the lease with John Torres of Transworld Commercial Real Estate.

Another Life LLC leased 3,500 square feet of commercial space at Colleyville Towne Square on Colleyville Boulevard in Colleyville. John Lucas with Century 21 Commercial negotiated the lease with Tracy Gray and Reilly Clark with Holt Lunsford Commercial.

Tripaga Inc. has leased 2,373 square feet of office space at 8406 A Sterling St. in Commerce Office Park in Irving. Jason Finch and Michael W. Spain of Bradford Commercial Real Estate negotiated the lease with Marilyn Kittrell of KW Commercial.

Cypress Bend Dental leased 2,250 square feet of commercial space at Princeton Office Park, 200 Cypress Bend Pkwy., Princeton. Dylan Macon of Practice Real Estate Group negotiated the lease with Darrell Rogers of The Rogers Team.

Sulak General Contractors LLC has leased 1,850 square feet of office space in Tollway Towers East, 5441 Knoll Trail Dr., Dallas. Melanie Hughes of Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services negotiated the lease.

Jim Scrivner has leased 1,800 square feet of industrial space at 10709 Tube Dr. in Hurst. Jason Finch and Michael W. Spain of Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services negotiated the lease with Edie West of Edie West Realty Group LLC.

Bad Ass Coffee has leased 1,748 square feet of retail space at 11651 FM 423 in Little Elm. Chris Flesner of Resolut Real Estate negotiated the lease.

Dr. Matt Sheehy leased 1,200 square feet of office space at Hays Office Park at Prosper Town Center Condominiums, 291 S. Preston Rd., Prosper. Max Burrows of Practice Real Estate Group negotiated the lease with Samantha Rollins with SHB Development.

All Secure Inc leased 1,140 square feet of industrial space at Northeast Business Center in Richland Hills. William Wilson and George Jennings with Holt Lunsford Commercial negotiated the lease.

Real estate editor Steve Brown compiles this list.