HOUSTON – NewQuest is unveiling plans for the final phase of development in Stone Hill Town Center amid a preleasing campaign that’s attracted another new-to-market tenant for the Austin-Round Rock-Pflugerville area.
NewQuest’s expansion phase will feature an 8,500-sf building for Austin’s first Kids Empire indoor playground, 12,000 sf of to-be-built restaurant and retail space and a shaded pocket park. Kids Empire tentatively will open in late 2027 in Stone Hill, the developer’s one-million-sf landmark development at the crosshairs of TX 130 and TX 45 in Pflugerville.
“Young families are the driving force for Stone Hill’s trade area, which has a median age of 35. Kids Empire is a good match for the demographic and our strong line-up of family-oriented attractions,” says Josh Friedlander, leasing director and senior vice president of Houston-based NewQuest.
NewQuest has zeroed in on open areas beside the nine-screen Cinemark to expand Stone Hill. Kids Empire will be adjacent to the theater, with two more brand-new buildings connected by shaded green space flanking the other side.
“Restaurant sales are extremely strong at Stone Hill so we’re making room for more,” Friedlander says.
As that plan takes shape, Austin’s first Piada Italian Street Food (2,450 sf), Hopdoddy’s burger bar (3,375 sf) and CAVA (2,625 sf) are hard at work on their new dining spots. The trio will open by year’s end.
Piada will occupy an end cap in an eight-tenant building at the FM 685 entrance, which is used by 30,000 vehicles per day to access Stone Hill. CAVA and Hopdoddy will be located in a three-tenant structure fronting Limestone Commercial Drive, an interior road connecting a restaurant-dominated one-mile stretch of pad sites along TX 130.
Stone Hill is ranked in the Top 15 most-visited shopping centers in Texas, according to Placer.ai. The one million sf of class-A space is nearly 99% leased.
“We have more than a dozen anchors to help draw traffic. New-to-market tenants, or even to Texas, want to be in Stone Hill,” Friedlander says, “but we rarely have vacancies.” Friedlander says there was competition for the spot that Kids Empire eventually won after six months of negotiations. The California-based family entertainment operator has more than 120 indoor playgrounds in 30 states, with Texas accounting for 14 of the grand total to date. “Kids Empire will put a new spin on the drawing power NewQuest has created at Stone Hill,” Friedlander says. “And, we plan to continue that momentum with this final phase.”
CENTRAL TEXAS LEASES
Kids Empire has leased 8,500 sf of retail space in Stone Hill Town Center, located at the intersection of TX 130 and TX 45, Pflugerville, from NewQuest. Josh Friedlander of NewQuest represented the landlord. James Van Trease and Nick Naumann of the Weitzman Group represented the tenant.
Piada Italian Street Food has leased 2,450 sf of retail space in Stone Hill Town Center, located at the intersection of TX 130 and TX 45, Pflugerville, from NewQuest. Josh Friedlander of NewQuest represented the landlord. Miller Snyder of Rise Commercial Partners represented the tenant.
SOUTH TEXAS LEASE
Karma Kolaches has leased 1,300 sf of retail space in Katy Pointe Shopping Center, located at the intersection of Clay and Porter roads, Katy, Katy Pointe Investments LLC. Kevin Sims, Nick Ramsey and Ben Postma of NewQuest represented the landlord. Abdul Sabha of Huntington Properties represented the tenant.
