Check out five recent updates from the city of Allen and Allen ISD.

1. Gillett Commercial to bring 109,000 square feet of office, flex space to Allen
A development that includes over 100,000 square feet of office and flex space is coming soon to Allen.

Real estate development firm Gillett Commercial purchased 6.64 acres of land located along US 75 from the Allen Economic Development Corp. for a 109,000-square-foot project named Allen Place, according to a June 8 news release.

New pickleball courts are available for guests at Armor Brewing in Allen.

The specifics: The two courts, located directly left of the restaurant, are available to reserve online for $20 per hour. Pickleball paddles and balls are available for use.

The context: Armor Brewing Event Sales Manager Melvina Montoya said the courts enhance the “social atmosphere” and add another way for families and friends to connect at the restaurant.

• 9 Prestige Circle, Allen

The Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Board of Directors approved 15 new concessions offerings across four terminals at the June 4 meeting.

Eleven of the 15 approved will be in still-under-construction Terminal F, which is slated to open in 2027, according to previous reporting. The mix of offerings will include popcorn, desserts, acai, fried chicken and pretzels, according to a news release and board documents.

The details: Popeyes, Wetzel’s Pretzels, Whataburger and Panda Express are among some of the restaurants approved by the board. The contracts awarded are for either 10 years or 12 years.

The list of new places includes:

Mama Moore’s Gourmet Popcorn, Terminal A, Gate A20 and Terminal B, Gate B27

• Founded by Debra Moore, a U.S. Army veteran, the company is based in Grand Prairie.

Audrey’s Popcorn. Terminal E, Gate E34

• A Grapevine popcorn brand, founded by Audrey Harrison when she was 5 years old, has been selling products at DFW Airport, Dallas Love Field and George Bush International Airport.

Check out five upcoming and ongoing transportation projects in Dallas-Fort Worth.

1. FM 1515 widening

Project: Texas Department of Transportation documents show FM 1515 will undergo renovations to widen the roadway from two lanes to six lanes, which will be divided by a median.

Update: Crews are relocating water and wastewater utilities ahead of the road widening. Future utilities relocations include telecommunications lines and energy utilities. Utilities relocations are expected to be complete in March 2027.

• Timeline: TxDOT officials to start accepting bids for the project in March 2027
• Cost: $69.48 million
• Funding source: TBD

• Timeline: January 2026-December 2026
• Cost: $5.2 million
• Funding source: city of McKinney

As the 2026-27 school year nears, the number of people selected to participate in Texas’ education savings account program has topped 100,000.

The overview: To date, just over 102,000 students have been accepted into the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program, which gives families state funds to send their children to private schools or homeschool them.

However, being awarded funds does not mean a student is guaranteed to be able to use that money at a participating private school this fall.

Zooming in: Over 2,600 private schools have been approved to accept TEFA funding, per the state comptroller's office. State law does not require schools participating in the program to accept all interested families.

Next steps: Families accepted into the program have until July 15 to do one of the following:

• Confirm enrollment at a private school involved in the program
• Notify the state of their homeschooling plans
• Opt out of the program