✅The Crescent drawing a crowd; Barbershop offers more than cuts

An 836-acre development, called the Estate at Eagle Mountain Lake, just outside Fort Worth city limits, could yield 1,100 single-family homes planned by Dallas developer Centurion American. It is bound by Peden Road to the north, Bonds Ranch Road to the south, and Morris Dido Newark Road to the west. Homesites will be a half-acre to one-acre and are within a few miles of Eagle Mountain High School, which is set for completion this year. Centurion already manages the 540-acre Resort on Eagle Mountain Lake.

E-commerce industrial distribution company McMaster-Carr will start building its regional headquarters and distribution center in AllianceTexas starting next month, with completion expected in 2028. McMaster-Carr is a supplier of hardware, tools, raw materials, industrial materials and maintenance equipment.

What big cities can learn from Fort Worth: On this podcast, Mayor Mattie Parker talks with former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter about how she’s guiding Fort Worth through a population boom.

American Airlines is investigating flight attendants who may be using delays to earn double pay. 

Antonio Igbokidi, a fourth-year medical student at Burnett School of Medicine at TCU, started the Barbershop Talk Therapy Project in 2021. The goal was to create a safe space for Black men to come together to openly discuss their mental health. Three years later, the program is getting attention.

Virginia (Ginger) Head Gearheart passed away Saturday. Her love for others, creativity and love of the arts were constants throughout her life. She won local, state and national awards for her work with arts organizations, most notably the 20 years she led Imagination Celebration.

Fort Worth's Development Services Department has launched the Small-Scale Infrastructure Program (SSIP) to support the development community by optimizing the design, review and construction timelines for developer-funded, small-scale infill development projects. 

Commercial real estate firm JLL shares highlights from its Fort Worth Q1 Office Insight Reports and Stats. Download the report here.

• Realized demand from net absorption was relatively flat with fewer occupier movements in comparison to quarters the past two years. Total vacancy has increased by only 0.2% since last quarter.

• One of the largest leases of the quarter was an in-market relocation by Farmer Brothers in the former Galderma building in the North Fort Worth submarket.

• Following the delivery and pre-leasing of The Crescent Fort Worth, three more Trophy/Class AA office properties have announced groundbreakings by the end of 2024 in the West 7th/Cultural District.

Significant stat: Office couches are back as more offices convert space for employees who no longer work from home. Office couches tend to be less cushiony and more firm and are in high demand. Before the pandemic, 12 percent of office space was lounges and huddle rooms; during 2023, it rose to 19.3 percent.

Snippets:

• Eight finalists have been selected in the Fort Worth Business Plan Competition. First prize is $10k.

• If you won (or lost) big on March Madness bets, the IRS expects you to report it.

• Retailers shuttered roughly 4,600 closed stores in 2023 -- 80 percent more than in 2022, according to Coresight Research data. 

Announcements:

• Baylor Scott & White Health: Adds Elizabeth Hayward as Manager - Emergency Department.

• The National Jurist: Ranks Texas A&M Law School Dean Bobby Ahdieh fifth-most influential individual in legal education. 

• JTaylor: Hires Joshua Glenney as a Consulting Analyst.

• Paslay Group: Appoints Kris Vogt Executive Program Management Director of Operations.

• Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education Northeast Region: Hires Rosalinda Martinez as PR Officer.

• Diane Brandon Moody: Launches coaching company as dianebrandonmoody.com.

Last poll results: When was the last time you wore a cowboy hat? Today/yesterday (6%), In the last week (9%), In the last month (15%), In the last year (23%), More than a year ago (18%), Never (29%).