Look for a 2Q construction start at the  20-acre, $260M, 1.1M SF Las Colinas Entertainment Center in (where else?) Las Colinas. Will Beuck of Las Colinas Group addressed Dallas CREW Wednesday at the Park City Club and says the project is planned for a spring 2012 opening. It’s a public-private partnership with the city of Irving, which will issue non-recourse municipal bonds as well as other revenue sources, Las Colinas Group’s Elise Mikus  says. The project will feature nine live music stages; 14 restaurants; retail shops; and an artisan market. It will be solely occupied by Las Colinas Group.

Will says the project is located on a 40-acre parcel at the corner of Northwest Highway and St. Hwy 114. The Irving Convention Center is under construction on the north end; a hotel is planned in the center; and the entertainment center will be on the south side. The city wanted to fill a void by taking care of its corporate tenants and provide corporate users, like Exxon Mobil, with a location for shareholders meetings. Will says the entertainment center will give conventioneers something to do in Irving instead of bussing them to Dallas or Fort Worth for entertainment.