At the end of last year, the Hilltop Plaza at 6565 Hillcrest Ave. started to undergo construction, marking the end of a seven-year vacancy.
The Chase Bank building used to reside in this spot, adjacent to Snider Plaza. And on Oct. 16, 2018, despite community worries of building a new, large, office space, the city council signed off on plans to redevelop the space into a new, large office building.
The six-floor office building will be leased by Hilltop Holdings, Diamond Day and PlainsCapital Bank, according to Lisa Loreto, the senior vice president over the corporate real estate and facilities team of Hilltop Holdings. The only restaurant and retail lease committed is a company called FoxTrot Delivery Market.
People who work and live right next to Snider Plaza expressed concerns about this new building. Even though Hilltop Plaza has underground parking that can fit 600 cars, the community is worried about clogging Hillcrest with more traffic.
“I feel like there is already a lot of parking issues in Snider Plaza, so I think the parking garage they just built will help, senior Gracyn Applegate said. “But at the same time, it could also contribute to even more [road] traffic.”
But according Loreto Hilltop Plaza won’t be heavily contributing to more parking problems in Snider Plaza.
“There is parking underground and above ground for folks that are going to shop at retail, so it’s not like there is going to be an abundance of people parking at Snider Plaza because of our building,” Loreto said. “We have plenty of spots based on what the code is in University Park.”
For businesses inside Snider Plaza, though, an increase in traffic can be beneficial. Karl Kuby Senior, the founder of Kuby’s Sausage House, is in favor of the Hilltop Plaza.
“I’m not worried about traffic,” he said. “I think it will work itself out. It is a better problem to have more people than less people.”
Another concern with Hilltop Plaza is how different it looks compared to the surrounding area. It is much more modern than any of the other buildings around it, which has caused a difference in opinion amongst residents.
“This new building is much more modern, but I don’t really mind it,” Kuby said. “It is a very pretty structure.”
