Commercial Roofing Contractors in Little Elm, TX

After opening just last June, Hurtado Barbecue announced Tuesday, Feb. 7, the closing of its Little Elm location on Hardwicke Lane.

"It is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of our Little Elm location," said owner Brandon Hurtado. "We gave it everything we had, but after being forced to close with severe water leaks and inclement weather in a very seasonal town, we unfortunately couldn’t recover."

Facebook, as it is wont to do, had words. Many posters cited the city of Little Elm as unfriendly territory for small businesses, be it for the lack of a lunch crowd, toll roads or a host of other comments that if you start reading will suck you in like the mail room tube in Elf.

But Hurtado's statement was pretty clear: problems with the building and some bad breaks in a "seasonal" town.

Brandon Hurtado started smoking meats around 2018 as a side hustle at breweries in Arlington, eventually opening a brick-and-mortar in downtown Arlington at 205 E. Front St. The spot made Texas Monthly's top 50 barbecue spots, and Hurtado opened a bar, Hayters, adjacent to the Arlington restaurant. Last October he opened a location in Fort Worth at 1116 Eighth Ave. All of those will remain open.

Justin Swink is the Reference/Technical Services Librarian for the Little Elm Public Library where he has worked since June 2022. This is his first job as a librarian and he says this career combined his love for books, need to organize information, and sense of duty for public service all into one.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

I am a native Texan, the father of two wonderful girls, and happily married for 16 years. I am currently completing work on my Master’s in Library Science at the University of North Texas. I also have a Master’s in English Literature. This is my first job as a librarian, but I previously worked in a bookstore for nearly 12 years. My most recent jobs before starting at the Little Elm Public Library was as a 911 call-taker and dispatcher for another city. I began working at Little Elm in June 2022. It’s been one of the best things to happen to me.

What do you do in your role as a Reference and Technical Services Librarian?

In my role as Reference/Technical Services Librarian, I order and catalog materials for the library (both digital and physical); maintain and provide upkeep to the catalog; provide reference services (such as information searches) and customer service; arrange programs; and work with the rest of the staff to try and raise awareness of all that the library has to offer.

What is your favorite part about your job?

Getting to work with books everyday. In particular it’s getting to see new titles when they arrive or finding titles I want to read but somehow missed amongst the stacks.

What are some of your favorite books or authors?

Right now I’m really enjoying anything by Jim Harrison. I’m always a fan of Shirley Jackson. I’ve read most works by Larry McMurtry. But overall it’s hard for me to choose favorites. I’d count Don DeLillo’s “Underworld” among my favorite novels, and Philip Roth as one of the best writers I’ve ever read. Since graduating with my English degree (2013), I have leaned more towards non-fiction as my go-to for leisure reading. I’m particularly drawn to works about the American West.

Who or what inspires you?

My wife, daughters, and mother. Each one inspires me everyday or has helped lead me to the person I have become. I would never be where I am without them.

What are you passionate about?

Books! I used to be a collector of many things, but nowadays books are about the only thing I will still purchase for myself. I love the hunt of finding the book I want in second-hand stores the most. I also really love to go camping and fishing.

Where is your favorite place to spend time in Little Elm?

Anywhere outdoors around here is nice. There’s lots of great spots and ways to spend a day outside around here.

What are some ways the community can get involved at the library?

Come to the programs! We are offering many, many programs designed for all ages. This spring and summer are going to be packed with events. Check out our website for our calendar, follow on Facebook (or just come on in to the library!).

What do you like to do in your free time?

Be with my family, read, camp, fish, hike.

How did you know this career was something you wanted to pursue?

It combined my love of books, a need to organize information, and a sense of duty I have for public service.

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Wildcat Ranch in Crandall and Union Park in Little Elm have been ranked among the nation’s top-selling master-planned communities, according to a recently released report.

John Burns Real Estate Consulting ranks Wildcat Ranch No. 29 and Union Park No. 31 on its list of top-selling master-planned communities.

Wildcat Ranch, developed by PMB Capital Investments, posted 462 net home sales in 2022, an increase of 46% over the 316 sold in 2021.

Union Park, developed by Hillwood Capital, had 453 net sales last year, which was down 2% from 460 homes sold in 2021.

The Villages master-planned community in The Villages, Fla., led the nation last year with 3,923 net sales.

Mission Ridge in El Paso, built by El Paso-based Hunt Communities, was the best seller in Texas last year, with 805 net home sales, last year. That was down 2% from 819 new home sales in 2021.

All told, the top 50 master-planned communities in the nation sold roughly 31,000 new homes in 2022.

Master-planned communities saw strong but slowing demand in 2022, with rising mortgage rates pricing out many buyers and development delays throttling builders’ lot supply, according to the report. John Burns Real Estate Consulting surveyed more than 500 communities to come up with its findings.

Over 31,000 homebuyers purchased new homes in the Top 50 communities in 2022, reflecting an 11% decrease from roughly 35,000 home sales in 2021 and trailing the 37,000 sales captured by the Top 50 master plans in 2020.

Three master-planned communities, all in Florida, exceeded 1,000 new home sales in 2022, down from five breaking this threshold in 2021.

A second housing research firm, Robert Charles Lesser & Co., placed Wildcat Ranch 28th and Union Park 31st on its list of best-selling communities in the nation.

The RCLO report, like the John Burns report, cites rising interest rates and affordability issues, especially in the second half of the year, for a slowdown in sales.

Texas and Florida have dominated the rankings in both reports in recent years.

Master-planned community developers are girding for slower home sales in 2023, the John Burns report says.

“Most MPC developers express optimism for the future, despite the likelihood of slower new home sales in 2023 aligning with a national recession,” according to the report. “MPC developers are accustomed to planning and phasing these large communities, sometimes over a decade or more and through the ups and downs of economic and housing cycles.”

Ranked by Local new home closings in 2021

Here are storylines to watch in regional tournaments that will be played Friday and Saturday.

Class 6A Region I

This regional tournament will feature three of the top 15 recruits in the Dallas area — four-star Indiana signee Julianna “Jules” LaMendola of Coppell, UNLV signee Amarachi Kimpson of Little Elm and Army pledge Camryn Tade of Southlake Carroll. All provided heroics in the regional quarterfinals earlier this week.

LaMendola, ranked as the 52nd-best player in the nation in the Class of 2023, scored 20 points and made two game-clinching free throws with 6.4 seconds left in a 43-39 win over state No. 3-ranked South Grand Prairie. She is averaging 20.7 points in the playoffs and has scored 45% of her team’s points.

Tade scored 26 points in a 55-51 win over North Crowley, marking the 50th time in her career that she has scored 20 or more in a game and leading Carroll to its 23rd straight win. Kimpson had 19 points, eight rebounds and six steals in a 65-52 win over Hebron, ranked No. 10 in the state, and she has 19 games with 19 or more points this season.

Of the four regional semifinalists, Coppell, Little Elm and Keller have never been to the state tournament. Southlake Carroll is attempting to get there for the first time since 1975, when it won its only state title.

There could be some high-scoring games this weekend. Carroll averages 67.7 points, Little Elm averages 62.5, Coppell averages 57.4 and Keller averages 50.6.

Class 6A Region II

After winning back-to-back Class 6A state titles, DeSoto is the favorite to win another regional championship. Ranked No. 5, DeSoto is the only team in this regional tournament that is in the top 20 in the state. DeSoto is trying to reach the state tournament for the fourth time in five years.

DeSoto’s toughest competition could come from District 11-6A rival Cedar Hill, which it could meet in Saturday’s regional final. DeSoto won their two district matchups, but it had to close the first meeting on a 21-7 run in the fourth quarter to rally for a 47-40 victory.

DeSoto has lost only three games to Texas teams this season — two to 11-6A champion Duncanville and one to Humble Summer Creek. Duncanville was banned from this year’s playoffs by the UIL because of a rules violation.

DeSoto freshmen Amari Byles, Rieyan DeSouze, Kamora “KP” Pruitt and Amayah Garcia had all received multiple Division I offers before playing their first high school game, and they combined for 37 points in a 65-49 win over Mansfield Lake Ridge in the regional quarterfinals. Another newcomer, Ma’Riya Vincent, is a move-in from the Houston area who scored 14 against Lake Ridge.

DeSoto coach Andrea Robinson doesn’t mind that her team has to travel about three hours to Lufkin for this year’s regional tournament, saying, “It wouldn’t matter to me if we played under a rock if it meant being in regionals.” Last year’s 6A Region II tournament was played at Ellis Davis Field House in Dallas, less than six miles from DeSoto High School.

Class 5A Region I

Can anybody stop five-star Lubbock Monterey sophomore point guard Aaliyah Chavez and the No. 1 5A team in the state? This is a player who made a school-record 13 3-pointers and scored 47 points in a 104-64 win over Plainview in the first round of the playoffs and who has five 40-point games and 17 games with 30 or more points this season.

Chavez, rated the third-best player in the nation in the Class of 2025, scored 22 in Tuesday’s 86-78, five-overtime win over Amarillo, and she was matched by Texas Tech signee Kelly Mora, who had 22 points and 22 rebounds. The reward for the nation’s 22nd-ranked team is a regional semifinal matchup against a Mansfield Timberview team that is ranked No. 2 in the state, has won 27 in a row and that allows just 35.6 points per game.

Monterey is looking for its first trip to the state tournament since 1990, while Timberview is bidding for its sixth trip to state in 15 years. The winner of their regional semifinal will be the favorite to win state this year with back-to-back 5A state champion Cedar Park losing in the first round of the playoffs.

Class 5A Region II

This is the eighth consecutive season that a Frisco ISD school has made the regional semifinals, with Frisco Liberty making it all eight years and Frisco Memorial making it the last two years. Those two teams met in the regional final last year, with Memorial winning 43-35 en route to a state runner-up finish.

Liberty is the only Frisco ISD school to win a state title, accomplishing that in 2020. Liberty and Memorial, who are in separate regional semifinals, split their two district meetings this season.

Perhaps the favorite in this region is undefeated Mount Pleasant (36-0), ranked No. 6 in the state. It has won by an average of 21.8 points per game and has played only seven games that were decided by 10 or fewer points.

McKinney North, seeking to get back to state for the first time since 2014, might have the top two players in this regional tournament with Kaelyn Hamilton and Ciara Harris. They combined to average 34.9 points and 14.4 rebounds in the regular season, and Harris is coming off a colossal performance in the regional quarterfinals when she had 26 points, nine rebounds and six steals in a 55-38 win over Red Oak.

Class 4A Region II

Sunnyvale has won 13 of its last 14 games, with the only loss in that span coming against a Fairfield team that is ranked No. 1 in the state in 3A. Led by Ouachita Baptist signee Micah Russell (20.7 points per game in the regular season), Sunnyvale is in the regional semifinals for the first time since 2018, when it was a 3A school.

Sunnyvale (2015), Pinkston (2021) and Godley (2017) have all been to the state tournament in the past eight years. Frisco Panther Creek is in its first year of varsity basketball, but Brynn Lusby, who scored a team-high 16 points in the regional quarterfinals, was a starter on last year’s Frisco Memorial team that was the 5A state runner-up.

A North Texas company plans to build hundreds of new homes this year in communities aimed at older adults.

Roanoke-based Integrity Group said it plans to start 200 homes in Ladera-branded communities this year in Fort Worth, Little Elm, Mansfield, Prosper and Rockwall.

The communities focus on low-maintenance homes in gated communities designed for homebuyers 55 and older, with fully maintained landscaping and lawn areas. The average price for homes in the communities is in the mid-$400,000s, the company said.

“We never ever take it for granted nor take it lightly, but in most cases, this is people’s last home, and we want to make sure it’s an incredible experience for them,” Integrity Group CEO John Delin said.

Related:D.R. Horton saw home sales plunge in the winter but expects solid spring selling season

Integrity began construction of amenities and model homes in its newest Ladera community in Prosper late last year, just north of U.S. Highway 380 on North Custer Road. The development will have 244 homes from the mid-$400,000s and amenities including a clubhouse, pool, pickleball courts, putting green and trails.

A Ladera community in Little Elm will start construction around June. It will have 263 homes priced from the $370,000s to $500,000s. The company is also working on homes in new phases of communities in Fort Worth, Rockwall and Mansfield.

In Justin, the developer is planning Ladera Timberbrook with 157 homes from the low $300,000s to the $500,000s. Construction is expected to begin next year.

Integrity already sold out Ladera communities in Highland Village, Keller and at another location in Mansfield, and it expects to sell out its Rockwall community by the end of year.

The first Ladera community opened in 2012. Delin and his brother, Steve Delin, started developing the communities in 2007 in a joint partnership with Ohio-based Epcon Communities.

Delin said around 2006 and 2007, when he was a custom homebuilder, he saw where the market was going and was looking for a different type of opportunity to come along. That’s when his in-laws moved into a community that’s similar to those his company builds today, and he got the idea to start building communities for older adults.

“Back then, 4,000 people a day just in Texas were turning 65,” Delin said. “And I was like, wow, there’s a huge marketplace there that nobody has tapped into.”

The company aims to build in locations where residents can be close to their children and grandchildren.

“Cities have done a phenomenal job of building up, going from the starter home to the move-up home, all the way to the McMansion; and along the way, everybody forgot about what happens when these people are tired of taking care of the home, the pool, the yard, and don’t need 4,000 or 5,000 [square] feet anymore,” Delin said. “And that’s where we come in.”