Dirt is officially flying at The Village at Gateway in Forney, where EVO Entertainment has broken ground on an 82,000-square-foot entertainment complex that city leaders hope will reshape local weekend plans. The venue, slated to open in the fall of 2026, will combine a big-screen movie theater with a 22-lane bowling alley, a large arcade floor, climbing walls, bumper cars and laser tag. Local officials and developers gathered Tuesday for a groundbreaking ceremony, calling the project the future entertainment anchor for the second phase of the Gateway development.
As reported by CultureMap Dallas, the new EVO Forney will feature nine theaters, including one IMAX auditorium and two EVX auditoriums, along with an upper-level lounge, event and conference space and a full-service restaurant. The Forney Economic Development Corporation says the site sits on roughly nine acres at U.S. Highway 80 and North Gateway Boulevard, and that the city council approved agreements to bring the project to town last May.
What You'll Find Inside
Industry reports and development briefs say the facility will include more than 125 arcade games, a multi-level ropes course and rock-climbing walls, in addition to laser tag and bumper cars. The company also plans dedicated event and party spaces meant to serve birthday groups, corporate events and weekend crowds, according to ConnectCRE.
The Deal Behind The Center
The project moved forward after the city signed off on development incentives to help cover infrastructure costs, with reporting placing that package at roughly $4 million. Bisnow notes the agreement requires EVO and its development partners to meet hiring and investment thresholds as the center comes online. Forney Legacy Holdings, a unit tied to EVO owner Elevate Entertainment Group, is listed as the entity behind the build, while StreetLevel Investments is the retail developer of the broader Village at Gateway project.
Why This Matters To Forney
The Village at Gateway is already lining up big-box anchors including Target, H-E-B and The Home Depot, and EVO is being positioned as the entertainment anchor to keep more weekend traffic in Forney rather than sending residents to neighboring cities. Local development coverage points to the mixed retail-and-entertainment lineup as a strategy to capture retail dollars and provide more local leisure options for a fast-growing suburb. Forney sits about 21 miles east of downtown Dallas and has been among North Texas’ fastest-growing communities as new housing and retail projects move through permitting and construction.
Elevate Entertainment Group CEO Mitch Roberts, who is the grandson of Cinemark founder Lee Roy Mitchell, told council members the Forney location will be among the company’s best-built facilities, and Forney council member Zahnd Schlensker said the project “embodies the same sense of family” the city hopes to foster, per CultureMap Dallas. City and developer officials say they will release hiring timelines and programming details as construction progresses toward the fall 2026 opening window.
