A Minnesota-based developer that’s expanding to Texas is planning a new rental community in Farmers Branch.

Roers Companies is planning to build the more than $28.5 million, 150-unit Elara apartment community in Farmers Branch. The market-rate rental project will include 20,000 square feet of commercial space, an outdoor pool deck, fitness center, yoga studio and game room, according to planning documents filed with the state.

Family-owned Roers is a more than 11-year-old builder based in suburban Minneapolis. It has built more than 10,000 apartment units across 14 states. The company started 2,675 apartments last year, making it one of the top multifamily builders in the country.

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Construction in Farmers Branch is set to start in the next few months with an opening in late 2024. The project at 12099 Luna Road was designed by Dallas’ Merriman Anderson Architects.

It’s one of two rental communities Roers is working on in North Texas. The developer is also planning a 200-unit affordable senior housing community in Wylie.

Roers has other projects on the way in the Austin, San Antonio and Houston areas.

Dallas-Fort Worth is the country’s fastest growing apartment market with more than 60,000 units under construction.

North Texas’ pickleball tidal wave just keeps on paddling in. At Fault—a new “elevated” pickleball and eatertainment concept—announced that it’s opening its first location in the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch next spring,

To be located at 2330 Jett Street, the 40,000 square-foot facility will offer six indoor and four outdoor courts, three bars, and a 3,600-square-foot restaurant with a “top-shelf culinary experience.”

At Fault founders Chris Kostoulas, Bo Oh, and Mario Simic “saw a gap in the pickleball eatertainment space” and are stepping on the court to fill it.

“At Fault will be unlike any other pickleball eatertainment facility in DFW, with a scratch-made menu from Chef John Franke and elevated cocktails, all within a social, old school vibe,” Dallas-based Simic said in a statement. “We welcome players of all skill levels to pick up a paddle for a match or come in to watch your favorite sports team on the big screens while enjoying a beer.”

The new concept joins a long list of pickleball venues coming to North Texas, including Pickle and Social in Frisco, The Picklr in Dallas and Fort Worth, Picklemall in Dallas, and Pickleball Kingdom in the Dallas metro market.

According to Oh, the name At Fault “comes from a double entendre on making a mistake or a ‘fault’ in pickleball, and we found it to have other playful connotations that help it to stand out from other brands.”

“We look forward to hosting all players, from a pick-up game on Saturday afternoon to large corporate team-building events,” Oh added in a statement. The team said their venue will allow for private events of all sizes, with multiple options to rent out spaces based on party size.

Franke’s food and beverage menus will include locally sourced ingredients with all dishes made to order.

The chef said At Fault’s menu will offer “an elevated take on classic favorites across courtside shareables, hearty sandwiches and burgers, salads, as well as a brunch menu with both savory and sweet options.”

This could be just the start for the concept: The founders say they’re planning “at least three more locations in the next 18 months in the DFW Metroplex.”

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Fair warning to parents: A new Dallas-area playground will have kids wanting to stay up past their bedtimes. Joya at Oran Good Parkin Farmers Branch, set to open this summer, will be the first glow-in-the-dark playground in DFW and all of Texas.

Meaning: When the sun goes down, the true fun begins.

"Joya will be an inclusive glow playground that, while fun in the daytime, will come alive at night with interactive features that glow, allowing for day and evening play," a description on the Farmers Branch website says. (Watch a video rendering here.)

Translated as "jewel" in Spanish, Joya will feature both a main playground (for ages 6+) and a tot playground (for ages 2 to 5).

The main playground will span about 18,000 square feet, and highlights will include:

The 7,000-square foot tot playground will be in a fenced area and include:

Oran Good Park is located at 13300 Dennis Ln., at the corner of Tom Field Road and Valley View Lane, in Farmers Branch.

According to Local Profile, it will open in late August and will offer not just a fun, light-up playground for the kids, but also activities for the whole family, with daytime and nighttime events year round.

The project is funded by a $750,000 grant from the State of Texas Parks & Wildlife and $4,000,000 from the Federal American Rescue Plan Act, the city says.

"The Oran Good Park location was strategically selected for Joya not just for its central location and visibility but also for the unique topography and natural features of the site, most of which will stay intact," the website says. "The location features Farmers Branch Creek and walking trails which will remain."

As part of the planning process, city staff studied potential environmental impacts an negative effects of light pollution. All of their specifications are expected to meet International Dark Sky Association (IDA) and National Audubon Society guidelines, they say.

"A riparian buffer will be planted around the creek to help with runoff, pollutants and erosion, and will invite wildlife." they say. "Birds, toads, butterflies, and all other creatures will exist in perfect harmony at Joya."

To keep up with the park progress, visit the park's website and follow along on Facebook.

The Dallas dining scene is forever evolving. To help you stay in the know, we’ve gathered the buzziest openings, the unfortunate closures, and any other food news we might find fitting. The Dallas Dish is your weekly helping of need-to-know North Texas restaurant news — and will hopefully point you in the direction of your next great reservation.

The Latest North Texas Restaurant News to Know

The third iteration of an iconic Rockwall restaurant has been rescued and revamped by UNCO hospitality (Leela’s, HG SPLY CO.) and will open this Friday, September 29. Culpepper Cattle Co. takes over the original Culpepper Steakhouse, which opened in 1982. The unusual North Texas restaurant was set to close in 2022, but Elias Pope, co-CEO of UNCO and a Rockwall native, couldn’t bear to see it close. Culpepper’s iconic walls and river rock lodge-inspired fireplaces will remain, but there will be a new menu featuring fresh Tex-Mex, USDA prime steaks, and other classic Texas dishes.

Focusing on tequila, the beverage program features the signature Muchacho Grande — a margarita made with fresh-squeezed orange juice. There will also be martinis like The Cowboy Cosmo with hibiscus-infused tequila and Cointreau and a Guavatini (a favorite from fellow UNCO concept, Tina’s Continental). The spot will also offer a “Legendary Locker” program where guests can be members and have their own liquor lockers displayed in the halls of the space.

Three new restaurants are slated to open at Farmers Branch’s Mercer Boardwalk, a new mixed-use project from Centurion American Development Group.

With locations already in Dallas, The Colony, and Carrollton, Barrel & Bones Craft Bar and Smokehouse is known for its smoked meats and a large selection of bourbon and whiskey. Black Agave Cocina y Cantina (an entirely new concept) will serve Tex-Mex and Mexican cuisine, as well as an extensive tequila and mezcal list. And Dough Bro’s will debut its third location (and first takeout-only spot) at the Boardwalk. Full-service outposts are in North Dallas, Plano, and Bedford, but this Dough Bro’s will offer pick-up and third-party delivery for pizza, pasta, and more.

The Wilfred, a classic speakeasy from chef Ryan Oruch, is now open next to his seafood concept, Sea Breeze Fish Market & Grill at Plano’s Lakeside Market. The speakeasy’s entrance is available in the waiting area at the restaurant. There’s a “secret” keypad where guests must enter a code (which changes frequently). Although the code is pretty easy to access — just look on The Wilfred’s social media or the bottom of your Sea Breeze receipt.

SHOP

The space is filled with chandeliers, burgundy banquettes, and purple wallpaper. The cocktail menu features pre-Prohibition-inspired drinks created by Texas mixologists Ryan Payne and Gabe Sanchez. There are also seasonal small bites, including wagyu meatballs, lobster fried rice, and tiny Parker House rolls. Request a caviar bump to any cocktail or glass of champagne for an opulent upgrade.

From the owner of several other Irish pubs in DFW (Playwright Irish Pub, The Crafty Irishman Public House, Trinity College Irish Pub, and Cannon’s Corner Irish Pub) comes a new concept at Dallas’ Downtown Westin hotel. Owned by Alan Kearney, Patrick Kennedy’s Irish Pub offers a large bar, booth and table seating, and a wrap-around outdoor patio. Cozy pub vibes are accompanied by classic dishes like French Onion Soup, Pub Chicken & Mushroom Vol Au Vents, Traditional Irish Breakfast, Fish and Chips, and more. The new spot pays homage to former president John F. Kennedy’s great-grandfather, Patrick and his immigration from Ireland to America.

Restaurants Roots Southern Table and Roots Chicken Shak are known for paying homage to what chef Tiffany Derry ate growing up: good, comforting southern food. In 2022, Roots Southern Table earned a James Beard Award nomination, and Derry received a best chef nom.

Now she plans to jump into Italian cuisine with a new restaurant called Radici to honor Tom Foley—her business partner with hospitality group T2D Concepts—and the food he ate throughout his childhood.

“I grew up with an Italian mom, and the table was all based on her cooking,” Foley says. “Every once in a while, she would throw in dad’s Irish food, and we all complained about it and then [she] went back to her roots of Italian cooking.”

Radici means “roots” in Italian, and the restaurant is expected to open just a few doors down from Roots Southern Table in Farmers Branch. While Derry is known for her southern food concepts, she is no stranger to Italian cuisine. She spent six years working in Italian restaurants before she opened Roots Southern Table. With Radici, Derry says she wants to highlight simple ingredients and incredible produce, two things she loves about Italian cooking.

When they were brainstorming the concept, Foley says Derry asked him for recipes of foods he ate growing up and about the experiences he had around the dinner table. Foley once brought Derry a tomato sauce made using his mother’s recipe, and he says it was fascinating to watch her think of ways to recreate and enhance it.

The two took a trip to Northern Italy and ate their way through the region to figure out how they wanted to bring Radici together. They took pasta classes, visited Modena to try balsamic vinegar, and learned how to make Parmigiano.

“One of the things that we got the most excited about was that open-fire cooking,” she says. “I mean, there is no substitution for wood-fired vegetables [or] seafood.”

Derry and Foley plan to showcase an open wood-fired grill in Radici’s kitchen. It’ll be designed so the grill can be seen from any part of the restaurant, Derry says. The restaurant will also have a chef’s table near the kitchen, and guests will be able to sit close to the action.

The menu is in flux, but Derry says she wants to add a simple pomodoro sauce with fresh pasta and a special bianco lasagna with béchamel. Derry plans to use local produce when she can, but she says she “can’t imagine” not using imported ingredients like Sicilian olive oil and oregano in the food.

“And don’t let me forget about my Aperol spritz, Tom,” Derry says. “An Aperol will be on the menu, maybe in multiple ways.”

Radici is still being built—the restaurant will open late this year or early next year—but Derry says she wants the restaurant to feel like being transported to Italy. She wants to do more than just create good food; she wants to recreate the simple times when she and Foley dined al fresco in an Italian piazza and people-watched.

“There were moments I had food where I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve had a better Amatriciana somewhere else, but God dang it, this moment right here is incredible,’” she says. “You’ll come into the restaurant, and you’ll feel the vibe where you’re just loving every bit of it.”

Radici, 12990 Bee St., Farmers Branch.