Highlands Village, courtesy of TyGra Walnut Hill
The Skillman Corridor TIF District board of directors unanimously approved a plan today to demolish and redevelop Lake Highlands Car Wash near the corner of Walnut Hill and Audelia. TyGra Walnut Hill would replace the 1970s era building with Highlands Village, a retail and office development. The “modern mixed-use commercial project” would “better align with current market conditions, improve site utilization, and contribute to the City’s revitalization goals for the Walnut Hill corridor” according to plans submitted to TIF directors.
LH Car Wash
Melissa and Trey Chapman, owners of TyGra Walnut Hill, purchased JC’s Car Wash from Jose Carbajal in 2019 and renamed it Lake Highlands Car Wash, but the little hut’s history goes back much farther than that. It opened in 1976 as Hardee’s Hamburgers with the red carnival-themed, tent-shaped roof which remains today. It was transformed into a Southwest Savings Bank in 1978 and a car wash in the early 2000s.
If approved by the city council, TyGra Walnut Hill will receive a $1.189 million TIF subsidy for their estimated $4.75 million project, with construction beginning as early as March of 2027. The plan will advance to the council for a vote on September 23.
Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is a special public tool that cities use to pay for new roads, sidewalks, buildings or other improvements. TIFs use extra property taxes generated by new projects to pay for the critical public infrastructure investments spent to make them happen. The Skillman Corridor TIF District roughly follows Skillman Street from I-635 to Southwestern Boulevard.
The proposed site of Highlands Village is 9715 Walnut Hill.
Site plan for Highlands Village
