Soon the whole world will get a taste of what we already know and love—the restaurants, the bars, the whole North Texas vibe. So whether you tune in for the big game or the commercials, we’ll see you right back here in February.

FORT WORTH, Texas (July 21, 2010) — Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief and Ed Bass, developer of Sundance Square, announced today ESPN, Inc. has chosen downtown Fort Worth’s Sundance Square as its production headquarters for Super Bowl XLV. More than 80 hours of ESPN television coverage, as well as ESPN Radio shows, and other related content across ESPN’s multimedia platforms will be based out of Sundance Square. On-site telecasts will begin Monday, January 31st, 2011, and all shows will be open for free public viewing.

“I cannot think of a better partner for Fort Worth than ESPN,” said Mayor Mike Moncrief. “Super Bowl week is going to be very special for our citizens and ESPN will add to the excitement. We welcome the ESPN team into our family.”  ESPN selected Sundance Square for its ability to showcase the historic Tarrant County Courthouse, skyscrapers and the notable settings in and around Sundance Square.

ESPN will construct a large outdoor set in the Chisholm Trail lot at the heart of Sundance Square with Richard Haas’ three-story trompe l’oeil The Chisholm Trail mural as the backdrop. A separate ESPN Radio set and a demonstration field will also be built in this area. Equipment and production trucks will sit adjacent to the Chisholm Trail lot on the parking lot near the Flying Saucer.

Some of ESPN’s most popular programs will originate from Sundance Square throughout the week, including daily editions of Mike & Mike in the Morning, SportsCenter, NFL Live, a special three-hour edition of Sunday NFL Countdown on Super Bowl Sunday and more.

Chris Berman, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Ron Jaworski, Keyshawn Johnson, Suzy Kolber, Stuart Scott, Hannah Storm, Trey Wingo and Steve Young are among the many on-air commentators expected to be featured throughout Super Bowl week, along with top guests from the world of sports and entertainment. Program schedules will be released at a later date and all shows will be open for public viewing.

“This is one of the biggest broadcasting opportunities we have ever hosted,” said Ed Bass, Sundance Square developer. “As the cultural heart of the city, Sundance Square offers the perfect location, availability of space, and built-in audience where ESPN can interact with our visitors. ESPN will benefit from this dynamic urban environment and Fort Worth will be showcased as a vibrant, authentic, and diverse city to millions of people across the country.”

ESPN the Magazine has also chosen Fort Worth as the site for its annual NEXT event, one of Super Bowl week’s top parties. ESPN the Magazine will announce the event venue later this year.

ESPN’s Super Bowl week coverage from Fort Worth will be seen and heard across ESPN’s many domestic networks — including in Spanish on ESPN Deportes — and available in more than 100 countries and territories via ESPN International. In addition, ESPN Radio 103.3, the wholly-owned ESPN property based in Dallas-Ft. Worth and one of 750 ESPN Radio affiliates nationwide, will broadcast from Sundance Square during the week.

“The city and business leaders from Fort Worth and Sundance Square have welcomed ESPN with open arms, and we are thrilled that our production headquarters, ESPN The Magazine’s NEXT party and other related events will originate from this world-class destination throughout the week of Super Bowl XLV,” said ESPN Executive Vice President John Skipper.

Super Bowl XLV will be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on February 6th, 2011.

One way the magazine does this is by turning to its readers once a year to ask their opinion on Tarrant County’s finest on everything from the trendiest restaurants to the hottest hangout spots. Well, when it comes to popular places to live, this year the people spoke loud and clear, naming the 7th Street area as the Best Development for 2010.

Here’s what the magazine had to say about our favorite stomping grounds: “Sluggish economy? Nobody seemed to let the 7th Street corridor between downtown and the cultural district know about it. Quickly becoming a hub for retail and commercial activity in Fort Worth, 7th Street shows no signs of slowing down.”

To see the article for yourself, visit the magazine’s online publication.

When we say that Brownstone is new, we mean it. The 5,000 square-feet restaurant just opened last week, and already it’s drawing the attention of foodies, critics and So7 residents alike.

In addition to its stellar location, Brownstone has the talent to match. The Executive Chef is none other than Casey Thompson. You may remember Thompson as the runner-up from season three of Bravo’s hit TV show Top Chef.

Known for her ingenuity and ability to pair wines perfectly with dishes, Thompson is considered a rising star on the national culinary scene. Her experience includes serving as the Executive Chef at the ever-popular Asian restaurant Shinsei right here in Dallas. She’s also worked at some of the most well-respected wineries in Napa and Sonoma.

So what kind of fare can you expect from Brownstone? According to their website, the menu “features small plates, heavier fare and a selection of sides that captures the essence of the South’s unique culinary flair with dishes comprised of the freshest regional ingredients ranging from familiar and classic to modern interpretations.”

The concept was developed by the Sameni Entertainment Group (the same folks who brought you Wish Ultra Lounge and the nightclub Joyce Champagne Lounge) and Executive Chef Thompson. Brownstone’s warm, welcoming interiors were the vision of Hatsumi Kuzuu of Kuzuu Designs in collaboration with Matthew Giese.

We’re guessing that you’re probably a little intrigued (and a little hungry) at this point, so we’ve already pulled Brownstone’s number for you: 817.332.1555. Call and make your reservations today. You’ll need them!

By Steve Brown

It’s a breezy summer morning, but nobody’s at the pool yet at the new Ritz-Carlton Tower Residences in Uptown. A couple of dog walkers are making their runs through the marble-floored lobby, but the staff outnumbers the residents on hand.

About a third of the 95 units in the 23-story luxury high-rise have been sold, according to tax records. But the building sales staff says business has picked up.

“We’ve closed 10 sales since the first of the year – $21.5 million in sales,” said Joseph Pitchford, the senior vice president of development for builder Crescent Real Estate Equities. “That’s significant, considering the challenges we faced in 2009.”

The recession put the brakes on many condominium buys last year. As the economy inches up, Dallas-Fort Worth condominiums are making a comeback.

Condo and townhouse sales in North Texas have jumped 24 percent in the first five months of 2010 from a year ago.

Sales are still below where they were in 2008, according to statistics from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University and North Texas Real Estate Information Systems Inc.

And there’s no sign that prices are bouncing back. Median sales prices for condos were down 17 percent in May from a year ago.

There’s about an 11-month supply of condos and townhouses for sale in North Texas. A six-month supply is considered optimum, and there’s just over a six-month inventory of single-family homes in the Multiple Listing Service.

Much of the increase in condo sales this year has come not from posh high-rises, but from more affordable condos and townhouses in the Oak Lawn/Turtle Creek area and Far North Dallas.

“The higher-end stuff is still a bit slow,” said Jeff Updike, who owns Dallas’ Remax Urban. “At the lower prices, there have been a tremendous number of sales compared to where it was a year ago.

“It’s been price-point-driven,” he said, and the federal homebuying tax credit also spurred some moderate-price condo sales.

Chris Deardurff, who recently bought a condo in Oak Lawn, said one of his motivations was the tax credit.

“I thought the timing was right, and I was worried about interest rates going up,” said Deardurff, who had been renting an apartment in the area and bought a pre-owned unit priced below $200,000.

“It had been on the market for a number of months, and they reduced the price,” he said.

Mortgage Difficulties

At the high end, some potential buyers have run into difficulties obtaining mortgages, Updike said.

“You can get way down the road with a deal before you figure out there is just no financing,” he said.

Analyst Mike Puls of Foley & Puls said some buyers of high-end units have had difficulty getting the homes to appraise for what the sellers are asking.

“That really hurt the ability to sell some of the units,” he said.

One condo high-rise, the House at Victory Park, has been advertising that it provides 100 percent financing for qualified buyers.

About a dozen of the 150 units in the 28-story condo tower, which opened a year ago, have been deeded to buyers, tax records show.

Condos at the House range from under $400,000 to more than $2 million.

Units at the Ritz-Carlton Tower Residences range from $700,000 to more than $3.75 million, or about $750 per square foot. Residents also pay 77 cents a foot for monthly fees.

About half of the Ritz-Carlton condos have sold for cash, and the developer has arranged special financing with five banks, said Pitchford, the Crescent executive.

“These are local lenders that are keeping the paper,” he said.

The new condo tower includes an outdoor garden area, an indoor fitness center and an elevated walkway that connects to the Ritz-Carlton hotel next door.

The buyers so far include doctors, lawyers and financiers, said Kyle Crews of Allie Beth Allman & Associates, who is marketing the project.

“We have a number of people who have bought here who previously had homes in Dallas but have moved elsewhere and still want to maintain a presence,” Crews said.

Late to the Market

Unlike some markets in Florida, Nevada and California, Dallas did not see a condo building boom that left the area with thousands of unsold units when the recession hit.

“We came late to that market, so we wound up with fewer units – about 1,000,” Puls said. “We have closed about 60 percent of the high-rise units built that were for sale.”

Several proposed Dallas condo projects, such as the Maple Terrace tower, were canceled.

“We have still had problems, but it’s not nearly as bad as in a lot of places,” Puls said.

Article provided by The Dallas Morning News. Originally published at 7:30 am CDT on Friday, June 11th, 2010.

In May alone, we welcomed several new residents to So7, selling three Fort Worth condo lofts and two townhomes in just two short weeks. So why is So7 thriving, while other communities are languishing? Here are three reasons why these Fort Worth condo lofts and townhomes continue to do well in a recovering economy.

1.) Location: If you are like 99.9% of the homebuyers in the world, one of the greatest determining factors in finding your new home is location. And no matter how you cut it, West 7th Street is the new hotspot in Fort Worth. What was once an industrial zone is now the hippest place to live, work, dine and shop. Tucked away off 7th Street, So7 offers the best of two worlds, blending the quiet of a private community with the bustle of an exciting downtown atmosphere.

2.) Price points: Perhaps no other time in recent history have homebuyers been more discerning. If you are purchasing a home today, you want to know you will get the most bang for your buck tomorrow. From the U.S. to Mexico to Europe, Hughes Development has built a reputation for building quality homes that retain their value and increase over time. Besides, where else can you find a Fort Worth condo loft that is so well finished, inside and out, at such a reasonable price point?

3.) Timing: As they say, timing is everything, and So7 is living proof. Interest rates are at historic lows and are expected to rise. If you are a young professional, that means you can lock into these record low rates now, while living at the center of it all for years to come. If you are nearing retirement, there’s no better time to start enjoying your golden years without missing a thing. Whatever stage of life you’re in, right now may be the perfect time to make your move.

Let us show you firsthand why So7’s Fort Worth condo lofts are only growing in popularity. Call 817-885-770 or click here to request more information.