BUSINESS BUZZ

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

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Bye Bye BonChon, hello Ashwood

BonChon closed its Upper Greenville Avenue restaurant in August. The location opened last December. The Greenville store was the first Texas BonChon; the Korean chickenwing concept is popular nationwide. The Greenville Bonchon closed temporarily last winter, a couple of weeks after opening, due to an overwhelming volume of orders, a manager told the Advocate at the time. Despite the restaurant’s initial popularity, Mike Kim, who oversees BonChon franchising, told members of the media that the Bonchon concept “might have been premature for the Dallas market.” A former Greenville BonChon manager says that the location will reopen as a new concept called Ashwood, a bar and burger joint. 5500 Greenville, 214.346.9464

New school to open in Shops at Park Lane Fusion Academy, a private, for-profit, college-prep middle and high school with locations on the East and West coasts, will open its first two locations in Texas this fall. One of those schools will be located at The Shops at Park Lane. The school offers yearround classes and uses a one-to-one model of instruction. Students have access to tutoring, a homework center, and therapeutic services. Full-time tuition runs $35,000$42,000 a year per student. The school will host an open house Sept. 30. 8070 Park Lane, fusionacademy.com

City business

The $2.81-billion proposed budget calls for restoring some city services and seeks to cut a minimal number of police staff. The property tax rate will not increase, although the city expects to receive $93.1 billion in property taxes — $6.3 billion more than the previous year — because of higher valuations. In 2015, the city expects to earn about $11.2 million more in sales taxes over the previous year. The city also is increasing revenues by hiking the residential sanitation rate by 67 cents. In August, Dallas City Council representatives held several public meetings to discuss the proposed budget and receive feedback from residents. This month, the council will vote whether or not to approve the budget or approve the budget with amendments.

Green House Market has truck, will travel

NorthPark Center-based restaurant Green House Market is back in the food truck business. The Green House food truck originally debuted a few years ago as one of Dallas’ first gourmet food trucks. Last December owners retired the mobile café and opened the NorthPark restaurant. The truck, powered entirely by electricity, will be back on the streets this summer, but for catering, special event and delivery purposes only. Meanwhile the Green House Market, with executive chef Ben Hutchison at the helm, will continue serving seasonal fare. 8687 N. Central Expressway thegreenhousemarket.com.

1 A new CiCi’s Pizza is open next door to Tom Thumb at Skillman and Royal. 2 A new retailer called PIRCH, which sells “premium lifestyle products” opens Aug. 23 in NorthPark Center. 3 Denver-based company CorePower Yoga opened a studio in Mockingbird Station. 4 Developers are seeking zoning to allow for the construction of an apartment community at Walnut Hill near Greenville, on Rambler.

Green practices lead to award for local building

A year after Parmenter Realty Partners acquired and renovated a 14-story office building near Greenville and Walnut Hill, the U.S. Green Building Council recognized the upgraded building. Now called Rambler Park, the building was awarded LEED Platinum certification, which recognizes excellence in sustainability in ongoing building operations. The large number of tenant employees using alternative transportation such as the Walnut Hill DART station, which recently was connected to the Rambler Park building, helped the building earn the distinguished certification. Additionally, Rambler Park’s green practices during renovations including construction waste recycling, sustainable renovation product purchases, and indoor air quality management of construction activities —also increased the building’s sustainability score. Parmenter Realty Partners also requires the use of green cleaning and maintenance products for landscaping, window washing and pest control. 7557 Rambler, 214.373.9620, ramblerpark.com