Dallas Stars Owner’s Firm Northland Gears up for Austin Projects

Canadian hospitality giant Northland Living is poised to make its mark in Austin real estate with ambitious plans, including a mixed-use development near a hockey arena.

The development subsidiary of Dallas Stars owner Tom Gaglardi’s Northland Properties has acquired development sites across the state and begun forming a vision for several of them, the Austin Business Journal reported.

In the northern suburb of Cedar Park, Northland Living is planning a 40-acre mixed-use project adjacent to the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park arena, home of the Texas Stars, an American Hockey League team that the Dallas Stars owns.

The firm is also planning a condo tower at 14th and Guadalupe streets in downtown Austin. The properties at 400 and 408 West 14th Street, house the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas and the historic Mauthe-Myrick Mansion. Northland envisions 35 floors, and details are unclear.

These projects signify a shift for Northland, which has primarily focused on hotel and resort developments.

“We’ve been involved in different facets of the real estate industry for over 60 years, and we’ve acquired several development sites over the years,” Northland Living president and COO Tony Kaleel told the outlet. “The formation of Northland Living to develop these sites is a natural progression for us.”

Northland Living aims to establish a local presence by seeking office space and hiring a market leader in Austin. Kaleel emphasized the importance of a local team for effective representation and development objectives.

Kaleel has completed 18 projects in his career, grossing $2 billion in revenue. He previously worked with Intracorp Homes, helping with the development of 44 East Avenue in Austin.

Northland Properties owns and operates over 60 hotels globally. In Dallas, the firm owns two development blocks in Victory Park, totaling about 2.5 acres on the north and west sides of the American Airlines Center. Those sites, purchased in 2020, are used for arena parking and could accommodate high-rise developments.

—Quinn Donoghue