Phil Riddle
editor@weatherforddemocrat.com
It seems like every plot of ground in Hudson Oaks is either for sale or being developed.
“I guess it could seem that way,” Mayor Pat Deen said.
Construction crews are currently preparing ground for the second phase of The Shops at Hudson Oaks and putting up walls at a new location of a national chain drug store.
Even the City of Hudson Oaks is building itself a new home.
Obviously, the traffic corridor between Weatherford and the tiny city to its west is attractive to retail developers. But Deen said there are other reasons the city is booming.
“From one standpoint it’s accessibility,” he said. “It’s easy to get in and out of the business district fairly quickly. But, for the most part, it’s because we’re situated between the Interstate 20 access road and Highway 180. That creates a good option for shoppers.”
Jessica Amsetter, a leasing agent for Gambit Realty, the company developing The Shops in Hudson Oaks, calls the intersection of Oakridge Drive and Highway 180 a “prime location.”
She reports several businesses will be opening new locations in the complex, including McDonald’s, Cato’s, Centennial Liquor, UPS and a real estate office.
“There are various other businesses that are looking at locating here, too,” Amsetter said. “We anticipate a full shopping center by the time it’s built.”
Deen said since Hudson Oaks residents pay no property taxes, the city must constantly be on the lookout for commercial partners.
“We’re in marketing mode,” he said. “We only have one source of revenue and that’s sales tax. So our goal is to get businesses here that keep people shopping locally.”
Mission accomplished, apparently — at least according to the state comptroller’s office.
Sales tax revenues for Hudson Oaks in the first half of this year showed an increase of just under 20 percent over last year’s numbers. The city’s September check from the comptroller was slightly less than $128,000, up a whopping 76 percent from the August total.
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PHIL RIDDLE/DEMOCRAT PHOTO
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