Arlington wants to make the entertainment district a destination, not just during games or events but on the days where there aren’t events happening.
Work to make that happen started a while ago, according to City Manager Trey Yelverton. Renovations and new storefronts at Choctaw Stadium are playing a big role in that mission.
Yelverton told the council Tuesday that in the last year or so, Choctaw Stadium storefronts on the west side have been leased to businesses like Starbucks, Lone Star Dry Goods, Lucchese Bootmaker and El Tiempo Cantina.
The city has more spaces it hopes to lease to an increasing number of businesses. Already, the city manager said there are plans to open a sports memorabilia store and a police storefront, where officers can gather, rest and get support during big events in the area.
"It's really continuing to kind of infill down in that area and put feet on the street,” Yelverton said.
Yelverton said the city and local businesses are also looking at ways to improve parking around Choctaw Stadium. Lot B is currently free to park on non-event days, but when there is a game or other event that lot is not free.
Raul Gonzalez, the District 2 council member, asked Yelverton about parking in the area. He asked if the city has had any discussion with the Texas Rangers about parking for customers of businesses at Choctaw Stadium.
“I know it would help all those tenants," Gonzalez told him.
Yelverton said there are currently options for valet free with validation from local businesses on those days, but other parking options are something that’s being explored.
One option being looked at is to expand street parking by changing a valet lane into diagonal parking spots to create 20 or more parking spaces, Yelverton told Gonzalez.
The businesses in the area are also interested in sprucing up parts of the pedestrian areas around the stadium, the city manager said. Choctaw Stadium recently had digital signs installed above the entrance facing Loews Arlington Hotel and Texas Live.
“The area that faces Texas Live, there’s a huge new digital screen that brings not only revenue but kind of that small time square kind of vibe into that intersection," Yelverton said.
More signs are coming, though they’ll be stagnant instead of digital to start, he told the council.
Part of that could also include new plants, lights, flags and other decorations to make the walk along Choctaw Stadium more attractive. He said it’s something the businesses at Choctaw Stadium are excited about.
“They really want to figure out how this wide plaza area really gets activated with landscaping and lights and flags and just things that really make it more vibrant so that this walk here is not only cool because the way the hotel shades it but it's cool as a nice factor,” Yelverton said. “It's attractive and it's vibrant.”
Development and changes around Choctaw Stadium could also help the area become more lively with pedestrians. One Rangers Way, a Rangers-themed luxury apartment complex, sits right across the street.
Renovations to the center field office spaces are ongoing, too, he told the council. There's already a shared office in there, Spark Coworking, and more is expected.
Other events in the area, like the 2026 FIFA World Cup next June and the IndyCar Grand Prix of Arlington in March next year, are also expected to bring more foot traffic to the area.
Yelverton said there was a lot of interest in the happenings at Choctaw Stadium after the announcement that the city paid off its debt from the construction AT&T Stadium, 10 years early and saving around $150 million.
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