Parking made easier

Airbnb-style parking app aims to ease the race for spaces around Dallas-Fort Worth

A new app aims to help drivers find parking in tough places. Photo by Tyler Rudick

An app being hyped as the “Airbnb for parking” has driven into Dallas-Fort Worth. FanSpotz LLC recently introduced its peer-to-peer mobile parking app in DFW after launching in Fayetteville, Arkansas, home of the University of Arkansas.

The app helps drivers find reasonably priced parking spaces — in yards and driveways, for instance — being rented out by everyday folks during sporting events, concerts, holiday gatherings, rodeos, festivals, and other activities where parking is at a premium.

“FanSpotz can be used for any kind of event or location that experiences surges in event parking,” says Dallas native Steven Zapata, co-founder and chief customer officer of FanSpotz. “Growing up in Dallas, I remember parking blocks away from Lower Greenville in residential neighborhoods on busy Friday nights. If only there was a service like FanSpotz then, I would have used it.”

All parking payments are processed through the FanSpotz app using Stripe, a mobile payment service.

This is how FanSpotz works:

A property owner lists available parking spots and set prices.
A driver browses the app to hunt for parking and reserve a parking spot based on price and location.
The app directs the driver to the reserved parking spot.

Parking spots can be advertised, and spots can be booked weeks in advance of a big event. The FanSpotz app is available through the Apple App Store and Google Play.

In North Texas, FanSpotz is looking for parking “hosts” around:

Dallas Market Center
Bishop Arts District
Southern Methodist University’s Gerald Ford Stadium
Lower Greenville
Uptown and Turtle Creek
LiveNation Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Texas Christian University’s Amon G. Carter Stadium
Fort Worth Stockyards
AT&T Stadium
University of North Texas’ Apogee Stadium

apps festivals concerts greenville-avenue sports traffic uptown transportation

Building boom

Dallas comes in at No. 1 in the U.S. for retail construction in 2025

Nearly 7.15 million square feet of space are under construction in DFW. Photo by Josh Olalde on Unsplash

Get ready for a gigantic cartload of new shopping opportunities in Dallas-Fort Worth. A new report, published by commercial real estate services provider Lee & Associates, says DFW leads more than 60 U.S. retail markets with nearly 7.15 million square feet of space under construction.

To put that in perspective: If the average Walmart supercenter measures 182,000 square feet, the nearly 7.15 million-square-foot total would work out to 39 new supercenters being built in the region.

The amount of retail space going up in DFW represents 15 percent of all retail space under construction in the more than 60 U.S. markets tracked by Lee & Associates.

According to the report, the Dallas-Fort Worth industrial market remains on a path of growth, with vacancy rates continuing to trend below 10 percent, reflecting sustained demand for space.

This quarter, nearly 7 million square feet of new industrial space was delivered, more than doubling the volume from the first quarter — highlighting a steady upward trend.

“After some crushingly slow post-pandemic years, retail construction throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth region this year is on pace to hit its highest point since 2017,” Bisnow reported.

What’s behind the surge in retail construction? Population growth. Data recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau shows DFW was the country’s third-fastest-growing metro from 2023 to 2024, based on the number of new residents.

DFW is by far the most active U.S. market for new retail space. (Just look at how many grocery stores are being built in the area.)

Houston and Austin aren’t too far behind Dallas-Fort Worth, though.

The second-ranked Houston area has nearly 3.9 million square feet of retail space under construction, according to the report, and the third-ranked Austin area has more than 3.4 million square feet of retail space being built.

Houston was the second-fastest-growing metro from 2023 to 2024, according to the Census Bureau, and Austin landed at No. 13.

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