Front 44 is poised to remake the front door of Circle T Ranch in Westlake into a walkable mix of shops, restaurants, offices and a 150-room hotel. The 44-acre project, led by Hillwood, will sit at the SH-114/170 interchange and is expected to break ground this year, with the first wave of retail slated to arrive in 2027. For nearby corporate campuses and surrounding neighborhoods, that translates into more places to grab dinner or book a room without trekking across the metroplex.
Project Breakdown
The plan for Front 44 calls for more than 65,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, a 54,000-square-foot Class A office building and a 150-room upscale hotel arranged around an outdoor plaza of roughly 10,000 square feet, according to Front 44. The town’s economic development materials describe the site as the front-most 44-acre parcel at the SH-114/170 interchange, directly north of the Charles Schwab campus, per the Town of Westlake.
Tenant Mix And Design
Hillwood told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the retail mix is expected to tilt heavily toward food and drink, with about 70 to 80 percent dedicated to restaurants and bars and 20 to 30 percent reserved for health and wellness concepts. The developer said it is already in active talks for roughly half the project, and a steakhouse is among the prospects mentioned. Site plans show most of the parking pushed to the project’s outer edges rather than into a central garage, a design move Hillwood says is meant to protect the storefront visibility and keep the plaza feeling like a true pedestrian core, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Timeline And Construction
Developers plan to break ground this year, with Phase I retail expected to open in 2027; leasing materials peg the initial retail delivery at the first quarter of 2027, according to CommercialSearch. Brokerage and listing information shows roughly 18 storefronts available in the first phase, a sign that Hillwood is already courting both regional and national operators for the site.
Why Here Matters
Front 44 sits in front of a tight cluster of major corporate campuses, including Charles Schwab, Fidelity and Deloitte, which collectively bring thousands of employees and frequent visitors into Westlake. That concentration has created strong demand for more nearby restaurants and hotel rooms, according to AllianceTexas. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram also reported that Charles Schwab executives specifically asked for additional dining and lodging options close to their campus, a request Hillwood cited in its decision to put retail and hospitality at the ranch entrance; see the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for that reporting.
Local Response And Next Steps
Town staff and planning officials have been reviewing the site plans and are expected to keep working through permits and infrastructure details as Hillwood moves toward construction, according to earlier coverage and town records. The larger commercial build-out in the area is already underway, with entertainment and dining concepts such as a new PINSTACK location opening next to the Front 44 footprint, underscoring Hillwood’s push to create a broader retail cluster rather than a lone strip of shops; see Community Impact for more background.
Next up, watch for formal tenant announcements, a ground-breaking date and details on how traffic and access will be handled as construction begins. Leasing information and contact details are available for brokers and potential operators on the project’s website at Front 44.
