For years here in Forney we have been showered with countless amounts of lies and misinformation about various topics, mostly due to the ridiculous political climate in our city. Those seeking power, control, and notoriety in our community have no issue spreading lies and misinformation and unfortunately there is a percentage of the population that just stand by waiting for someone to tell them what to believe, instead of doing any amount of research themselves. That creates a vicious cycle of mistrust and confusion amongst our citizens.
I’ve seen this particular rumor circulated throughout Forney social media sites for years and it was just recently stated yet again on a post in a Kaufman group on Facebook with thousands of members. What’s more ridiculous is it was the creator of the group who posted it. Didn’t even bother to vet the claim. Just pass it on as if it’s true…….the vicious cycle continues.
The Crossroads in Terrell is a great development for Kaufman County, Terrell, and Forney residents to shop, eat, and live (more residential is coming). But, it’s long been rumored that the development was supposed to have been built in the Gateway in Forney before it moved to Terrell. That is false. Incorrect. Lies. Misinformation. In fact, The Crossroads at Terrell / Terrell Market Center project was planned even before (2007) the similar, but completely separate project in the Gateway (2009) was. The projects were to be completed by two different developers, two different real estate companies, and include different retailers. OK buddy, where’s your proof?! See below.
Oakridge Investments has been behind many developments throughout DFW, as well as Forney, and The Crossroads at Terrell / Terrell Market Center. If you go to the following link on their website you can read in paragraph eight a quick timeline and history about The Crossroads at Terrell / Terrell Market Center.https://www.oakridgeinvestments.com/Oakridge_Investments/Information.html?fbclid=IwAR3O8rws7ygf68vmcxjU_XO81JQoLwemxx4VYtA-rqdKkb-B5Pi1XRh4hDI
The next link is from the Terrell EDC website which gives information about The Crossroads at Terrell / Terrell Market Center which also gives mention to it’s developer, Oakridge Investments. https://terrelltexasedc.com/crossroads-terrell-terrell-market-center?fbclid=IwAR2SnWsCQwpvz19Xah35XWYdYjt1iWwngQ1NFFIJcqfcVcktqYLHfkiuCiI
Now lets talk about the “mall” that almost was in Gateway. This development is also known as Meadow Ridge Farms. The land where the “mall” was supposed to be constructed was deeded over to Meadow Ridge Farms two years later in 2009 which you will see in the picture below. A report was put together in 2008 as a result of a partnership with the University of Texas at Arlington and the Forney EDC in an effort to spur the revitalization of our downtown. In that report there is a short history given of what was to be the mall/retail district in the Gateway. You will see that this project was planned for late 2009, included EDGE Real Estate as a partner, and was to include completely different tenants than what you see in The Crossroads at Terrell / Terrell Market Center . See page 30 of the report below.
Below is a print of the land where the “mall” in Gateway would have been constructed as well as the deed history of the land which you can also find on Kaufman CAD at the following link. https://esearch.kaufman-cad.org/Property/View/191446
As you can see, it’s impossible for the two projects to have been related. So can we stop it now? Start sharing factual information, like what you see above, instead of lazily vetted, politically driven, blatantly false information lacking any proof, like this ridiculous rumor. On to the next one……..