Duncanville, Texas, is turning itself around thanks to visionary leadership.

This first-tier suburb, surrounded on three sides by Dallas, experienced major development in the 1960s, 1970s and into the 1980s. After a 20-year period of stagnation, the city of Duncanville has taken a strong role in revitalizing the city with some innovative developments.

The ball got rolling when Duncanville hired Buxton to perform its proprietary CommunityID analysis. From the Buxton study, Duncanville leaders learned key information about its 38,000 residents that retailers and developers need to know before considering any projects. Duncanville also received drive time trade area analysis on various sites of potential interest for development within the city’s 11.2 square miles.

“We have had a wonderful relationship with Buxton,” says Earle L. Jones, Jr. Director of Economic Development for Duncanville. “Not only did they provide us with a Phase 1 & Phase 2 report, they have continued to work with us on various projects of importance to our overall city economy.”

Duncanville’s most recent project successes consist of a 150,000-square-foot Costco Club Warehouse, and a mixed-use multifamily and retail project with more than 100,000 square feet of retail and 240 units of high-quality, gated multifamily rental units. The latter project is next to a creek, which will be a dedicated city park and will include enhanced landscaping, lighting and water features.

This is only the beginning, Jones says. “We believe that Buxton played a significant part in our success in getting these projects. Thus far we have a number of restaurant prospects, several banks and a fitness club who have been interested in this location.”