Retail center planned for Montrose Blvd.

Did you think there wasn't room for another strip center near Montrose? Ah, think again: A developer has bought an acre on Montrose Boulevard and plans to build about 25,000 square feet of retail.

Wellington Development assembled the acre at the corner of Montrose and West Dallas from several local owners for about $1 million (we assume it's the southeast corner, which is already empty). "This is a strong site for a retail spot," Wellington partner Chris Hotze told GlobeSt.com. "The 1.9-million-sf American General Headquarters is right there plus a significant number of new projects, lofts and high-rise condos." Can't argue with that.

Hotze said construction should begin in the first quarter of 2007 and that Wellington is looking at buying more property in the area "if it's available." We hope that doesn't mean we'll start seeing a lot more strip centers and a lot less bungalows.