Photo by Sam Gillespie. Logo via Andy’s Frozen Custard.
Andy’s Frozen Custard, loved by all who ever had a concrete or a jackhammer, hopes to soon spread custard love around Lakewood. The company has eyes on the site currently occupied by a vacant Wells Fargo Office building and drive-thru at 6131 La Vista near its intersection with Live Oak.
The real estate is owned by Sun Life Assurance Company, a Canadian financial services company. Sun Life purchased the property along with Skillman Live Oak Shopping Center in August 2015. Tenants in the center include Chip’s, Matt’s and Buzzbrews.
Before Andy’s builds its distinctive custard stand, the property must be rezoned for retail use. Crestview Real Estate, the firm providing leasing and management service to owner Sun Life, filed for the rezone in October 2021. Signs went up on the property this week.
Interestingly, there are four Sun Life-owned parcels east of the existing shopping center between Oram and La Vista included in the rezone with three different zoning classifications.
Two parcels are zoned multi-family MF-2(A) but used for parking, one parcel is zoned for Parking P(A) and used for parking, and one parcel is zoned for office LO-2 (where the vacant two-story Wells Fargo office building is located). Crestview’s request is to zone all four parcels Community Retail CR.
No site plan for Andy’s Frozen Custard was filed with the rezone application, and Crestview is not obligated to provide one. They just need to persuade the Plan Commission and City Council that the change from MF-2(A), P(A) and LO-2 to CR uses is appropriate for the real estate.
Andy’s Frozen Custard was founded in 1986 in Osage Beach, Missouri, by Andy’s parents, John and Carol Kuntz. Over 100 stores now serve up the treat in 14 states, including one nearby in Lake Highlands at 9655 Audelia at Walnut Hill.
The franchisee for Andy’s Frozen Custard for this location is Ranchers Custard based in Springfield, Missouri. They have the rights to open and operate Andy’s Frozen Custard stores in Texas, Oklahoma and Central Florida. Ranchers has opened seven other locations in the Metroplex. Another seven Andy’s stores in North Texas are corporate-owned.
“We are more than excited about our new location in Lakewood,” said Eric Reed, president of Ranchers Custard. “We have been looking for several years for the right site to serve Andy’s customers in East Dallas, and we believe this is it.”
A public hearing at the Plan Commission is the first step for Crestview and Sun Life. No date for the public hearing has been established at press time.
