It took Tom Hicks long enough to develop the land around the Ballpark in Arlington -- about a decade, more or less, and I do mean less if you've seen the unimpressive torn-up parking lots out in Arlington. But you can't say Hicks is slow on the draw elsewhere -- say, in the Los Angeles area, where his Hicks Holdings is in play to build lofts, office towers and a friggin' retail district near Angel Stadium, where the city of Anaheim wants to put a football stadium should the city ever get an NFL franchise (un-like-ly).
Reports the registration-required Los Angeles Times today, Anaheim officials late Tuesday said three developers -- Hicks Holdings, Windstar Communities and Archstone-Smith and Hines -- were still being considered to develop the land around the baseball field. "All three have options to build housing, which cannot be constructed without the permission of the Angels under terms of the team's 1996 stadium lease," reports the paper.
Hicks' bid, it says, "calls for apartments, offices, shops, a parking garage and a 400-room hotel." That's similar to what Hicks Holding's supposed to be doing near the ballpark and the Dallas Stars' practice facility. About time, right.
Then again, Hicks probably has more interest in his California gold rush than in growing the land in Arlington: "The site is desirable not only because of its proximity to Angel Stadium and the Honda Center arena," reports the Times, but also because it is close to Disneyland." What? Six Flags ain't good enough for ya, Mr. Hicks? --Robert Wilonsky
