Brian Stebbins - The Architect of Style in Southlake
Originally Published December 2009
By Mike Tesoriero, Editor
Brian Stebbins, his wife Pattie and their two childrenbrCarter and Jenna represent a demographic that most often resembles our citybrtoday. They were not born or raised herebrin Southlake but rather relocated from another state because of the promisebrassociated within this North Texas community. Just like thousands of families who have relocatedbrto Southlake since 1999, the Stebbins family was drawn by more than just DFWbrAirport and the exemplary school system − they were drawn by Southlake TownbrSquare. Yet when they moved here in 1996,brSouthlake Town Square was but a vision in Brian's mind, a vision of a community-oriented,brmixed use development for retail, restaurant, entertainment, office, governmentbruses and residential living space that would eventually turn a rural farm intobr“the best suburb” in which to live.
As 2009 comes to an end, so too does the first decade of thebrphysical reality of Southlake Town Square. The culmination of Brian's vision hasbrdramatically enhanced the physical and emotional landscape of our city…brproviding us with an immeasurable community presence and essence of excellence-brall steeped in family centered traditions.
Growing up in the industrial river town of Rockford,brIllinois, Brian Stebbins absorbed good old-fashioned, Midwestern values. Subsequent childhood visits to hisbrgrandparent's hometown of Washington, Iowa, a small farming community providedbrfond memories complete with the sense of small town Americana. “Everybody has a good memory of a small town,”brhe says, “the small town memories that I have manifested here are ofbrWashington, Iowa.”
As a young adult, Brian attended Iowa State Universitybrmajoring in landscape architecture. brInterestingly enough, after graduation in 1979 (and well before thebr“vision”) he came to Texas and began working for U.S. Lend Lease as a sitebrengineer on the nine story condominium development “The Beverly.” Brian quickly built a reputation for himselfbrand was then transferred to Lend Lease's Australian offices for more seasoning.br In 1982, he accepted a permanentbrposition within Lend Lease and briskly ascended the corporate ladder.
Through corporate contacts and networking, Brian was able tobrcombine his love for land development and at the same time quell his homesickness.br When Peter Cooper, a New Zealand investor,brlaunched “Cooper & Company” in 1989 in Irvine, California, he tapped Brianbrto run the real estate side of the business. brFrank Bliss, a former attorney who joined Cooper & Company at thatbrtime and supported Brian in his real estate endeavors, observed that “the firstbrfive years involved an emerging product, known as power centers− large shopping centers with big box anchor storesbrand various smaller retail stores. Whatbrdistinguished Brian and Peter’s approach was the care with which they werebrconceived, underwritten and executed.”
While in California, a mutual friend introduced Brian to thebrlove of his life Pattie. Pattie recalls,br“Since the moment I met Brian, I knew he was a very intelligent, humble,brpassionate, self-motivated, honest and loving person.” The two married and had their first child,brCarter in 1992.
As the Stebbins family bloomed so too did Cooper &brCompany, which enjoyed success building power centers in Texas and WashingtonbrState throughout the early 1990's. Stebbinsbrlearned early on that taking their projects to an “extra degree”− by way ofbrexample through enhanced masonry and landscape elements, and through care inbrleasing and enhancing the retail “mix” − helped to create an atmosphere thatbrencouraged shoppers to walk from store to store. The Cooper & Company philosophy of creatingbrsuperior places actually raised the bar for their shopping centers. Not only were their projects successful, butbrthey also created value to surrounding properties. This became their formula for the future.
Vision was not farbrfrom reality
It was practically fifteen years ago, but Bliss clearlybrremembers the day in 1995 when Stebbins asked him, “What would you think ofbrbuilding a downtown?” There was a piecebrof property off of the highway near DFW International Airport that had caughtbrBrian's attention. He told Bliss, “It isbrso clear to me that this should be a downtown area.” Bliss headed off to the library to researchbrthe great downtowns throughout history, from Greek and Roman times to presentbrday. Stebbins proceeded to gather databron the Southlake parcel of land that he said, “Over time [would be] a greatbrpiece of dirt!” What they found was thatbrevery sustainable downtown has enjoyed a strong regional business driver. In Southlake's case it was DFW InternationalbrAirport. It has been written thatbrairports will be as important to business location and urban development in thebr21st century as automobiles and trucks were in the 20th century, railroads inbrthe 19th century, and waterborne transport in the 18th century.
Even though other developers were not as optimistic, inbrBrian's mind the 130 acres within Southlake was going to be great piece of dirtbrfor several distinct reasons:
Market:
The area west of DFW Airport was underserved, and presentedbr“day one” opportunities for retail and office development. Over time, market forces were expected tobrdeepen the demand for a mix of uses that Stebbins saw as complementary to thebr“downtown” design.
Location:
Directly between two major cities and only 3 miles from abrrunway and 7 minutes from a gate at DFW International Airport; as well, on thebrwestern end of the Highway 114 West Corridor are the Alliance Airport andbrGlobal Logistics Hub, another long term anchor and regional businessbrdriver. No one could argue against thebrfact the primary objective of location had been met.
Accessibility:
The 1995 estimated 825,000 plus shoppers and a sustainablebrwork force could easily get to the development from within a 30 minute drivebrtime area.
Scalability:
The size and central location of the undeveloped 130 acresbrwere considered a windfall to Stebbins. Thebrfact that he had a blank slate from which to create was considered a majorbropportunity that would allow for a plan that actively incorporated feedbackbrfrom the community. Three road frontagesbrallowed a smaller first phase to be built at the outset, and added to as thebrdowntown evolved over time.
Most developers agreed with the positive attributes of thebrproperty. However, many felt more timebrwas needed− as much as ten years− to fill out the population. To which Cooper & Stebbins asked, “Toobrearly for how much?” The key to the sitebrwas phasing, beginning with a sustainable “day one” component that wouldbrestablish the downtown core. They metbrwith architect David Schwarz, the man behind the Ballpark in Arlington, thebrAmerican Airlines Center and the Bass Performance Hall in downtown Fort Worth,brto create a plan. Schwarz recounts, “Manybrproponents of retail TNDs (Traditional Neighborhood Development) have talkedbrabout them, but Southlake is one of the very first to actually be built. Brian deserves enormous credit for having thebrcourage of his convictions to undertake what, at the time, seemed like a riskybrproposition.” Schwarz agreed to lead thebrcreative concepts, while Stebbins would oversee the practical elements of thebrentire project.
Stebbins realized that in order to create a quality townbrcenter from scratch, he would have to become a full-fledged member of the communitybrto which he was serving. The reasons forbrthe move were obvious to him: if we were to do a project this personal to abrcommunity, it could not be done long distance; we would need to live here, andbrbe directly invested and accountable to the local community. He, Pattie, Carter (4) and newborn Jennabrpacked their things and moved to Southlake in 1996. At the same time he started up Cooper & Stebbins,brthe U.S. real estate arm of Cooper & Company. The vision was now underway.
A plan for thebrcommunity, by the community
The vision called for the community itself to take part inbrthe plan for its future. Instead of abrbuild first ask questions later mentality, Stebbins and his team gave thebrcommunity and the market input into what was wanted.
In March of 1996, Stebbins called for residents tobrcongregate at the community center at Bicentennial Park. Both the concerned and the curious turned outbrto hear the plans from the land developer who wanted to build in their ownbrbackyard. Stebbins armed with just a padbrand pen asked, “What do you want in your city's downtown?” The 150 residents in attendance were inbrdisbelief, “Who was this guy, and is this for real?” they asked. After gaining the trust of the group, he againbrasked the question and started to jot down items the community wanted to have. They expressed interest in good restaurants,brparks and sidewalks− places they could meet friends and bump into neighbors. They also wanted their own hotel for schoolbrproms and community gatherings as, until then, most events had to be done outbrof the city. All told, it was apparentbrthe residents wanted a place to call their own.
As Stebbins and his family settled into their new Texasbrhouse they began to realize Southlake was home. Brianbrhelped grow two very important community organizations. Formed in 1995, The Carroll EducationbrFoundation (CEF) which has helped secure outstanding educational programs forbrSouthlake students through grants and scholarships. In addition to CEF, the Southlake ExecutivebrForum (SEF) formed in 1998, made up of a strong network of local businessbrleaders who still gather to this day. Currently,brthe 200 plus members continue to gain valuable information on the local, statebrand regional business environment though monthly meetings at the SouthlakebrHilton. “Since the mid ‘90's the unique talentsbrof Brian Stebbins have onlybrbecome more apparent,” says Judge Brad Bradley, “he has successfully combined hisbrtrue vision and dogged determination with a compulsive striving for perfection.br Southlake would be a very differentbrplace without him. He created thebrdowntown we would never have had.”
On March 20, 1999 three years after the town meeting atbrBicentennial Park, the city of Southlake and Cooper & Stebbins held thebrofficial grand opening ceremonies after the completion of the first phase ofbrSouthlake Town Square. Over 1,000 peoplebrturned out to the community-wide event reminiscent of the days of yesteryear.brFrom the Carroll Marching Band to city council members, police and firebrpersonnel more than 700 people participated in what was most likely the city'sbrlargest parade to date. Following thebrparade, a ceremonial ribbon cutting set off the shopping for all of thebroriginal tenants from Ann Taylor to Williams-Sonoma, many of which continue tobrcall Southlake Town Square home to this day.
Southlake's Town Hall has become the face of the city forbrmany years, but what many residents don't realize is the fact that thebrfour-story 80,000 square foot building was not added to Town Square until phasebrtwo. With the knowledge that successfulbrtown centers are built around government buildings like town halls and postbroffices, Stebbins worked tirelessly in partnership with the city on Southlake'sbrown home for city government.
A crucial first step was incorporating the area as a taxbrincrement financing zone or TIF. The TIFbrset aside a portion of sales tax in the area to be utilized for publicbrinfrastructure. In this case, 100brpercent of the cost for Town Hall came from the TIF coffers, in addition to abrportion of Town Square's public street construction, public infrastructure andbrpublic parks. In true devotion to thebrpartnership with the city, Stebbins and his partners donated the very land inbrthe heart of Town Square where Town Hall now stands.
Even with a successful shopping and entertaining district completebrwith a fully functioning Town Hall and city library, there was still plenty onbrthe Cooper & Stebbins to-do list. There remained the strong desire for a hotelbrand increased dining and entertainment options in addition to dedicated living.br Phase four of Town Square's development,bralso known as the Grand Avenue District opened in April of 2006, (coincidently the event was featured in thebrvery first issue of Southlake Style) and included the 248 room SouthlakebrHilton, a 14-screen Harkins Theatre and several new upscale dining optionsbrincluding Truluck’s and Brio. Later that year, “Life in the Square” began whenbrCooper & Stebbins once again teamed with architect David Schwarz tobrcomplete a series of 43-three story Brownstones for those looking for citybrliving and downsized options within Southlake’s city limits.
All totaled Southlake Town Square today represents 1.3brmillion square feet of mixed use development. More incredible is the fact that this bringsbrBrian's vision roughly to 40 percent of completion! So what is missing? The plan still has room for additional retailbrand dining options and more downtown residences (as Brian has always said, “thebrbest downtowns have people living in them!”). What's more, the 900 plusbrcorporations based in DFW may want to get in line now as there are plans forbrClass A and Class AA office space that could act as headquarters for thosebrbusinesses looking for an upscale corporate home, near the airport.
At a cost already over $200 million to date, the vision willbrcarry a price tag that is yet to be determined. Yet for the city's residents and the hundredsbrof thousands who visit regularly to shop, attend Art in the Square, Oktoberfestbror the Masterworks Music Series, Brian Stebbins vision has indeed givenbrSouthlake a STYLE all its own.
Noted by those who know him best as a great father, a wonderfulbrfriend, a powerful leader, a passionate communicator and an exceptional student,brSchwarz says it best, “Brian has remained true to his vision to make Southlakebran outstanding contribution to North Texas, as well as a wonderful learningbropportunity for the country at large." For his accomplishments, communitybrservice and forward thinking, we are proud to present the inaugural Southlake Style Community Impact Awardto Cooper & Stebbins Chief Executive Officer, Brian Stebbins.