A tipster notified me of an additional land purchase related to a high-profile Hillcrest corner I’d mentioned earlier.

Little Gidding LLC, which last year purchased the Helmich Garage in a former service station at Kavanaugh and Beechwood for $450,000, closed March 16 on the purchase of a house with four apartments on Beechwood immediately north and adjacent to the garage property. The price was $280,000.

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I reported last year that Stephens Inc. executive and Hillcrest resident Doug Martin was behind the Helmich purchase and that he was interested in the adjacent property, which is zoned for offices, but carries a commercial designation n future plans. He said then that he had no specific plans but wanted to do “something nice” for the neighborhood. The property has remained unused (except for parking for nearby businesses.)

This weekend, Martin said he still wasn’t ready to talk about potential reuse of the property. Whatever’s decided will require a filing with the city and review by planning officials, so there should be no surprises.

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What do you think? We don’t need another branch bank. Bakeries and coffee shops are well-covered.

On my morning walks, I’ve thought often of the Shake Shack first built in a New York city park. Family friendly. Good simple fare. Trees. Picnic tables. The Katy Trail Ice House in Dallas follows a similar theme.

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