FRISCO, TX-Stereo East Inc. will break ground by month's end on a 10,700-sf retail building, buying a 51,390-sf front-row seat along Preston Road in the far north sector. As the estimated $2-million project rises, the local company will decide whether to empty a leased location or label its first ground-up spot as an expansion for the audio/video business.

David L. Schnitzer with Dallas-based Weitzman Group says the search took nearly eight months to lock down the right site in Frisco. The just-bought parcel at Preston's junction with Warren Parkway, adjacent to Stonebriar Centre Mall, was the last pad site for the proposed Prestmont Center, a retail project of Lebanon Joint Venture, led by Pat Patterson of Dallas. Schnitzer says the price of the land, which is being kept under wraps, and its "going-home" corner were the decisionmakers. Based on current construction costs and the location, the all-in price is pushing $2 million.

Schnitzer tells GlobeSt.com that the Stereo East team is weighing whether to continue leasing at 13420 Preston Rd. in Dallas. The Frisco build-to-suit not only adds 25% more space for the operation, but puts the retailer in a "home theater mecca," he says.

Stereo East's primary trade is with major homebuilders in North Texas, providing turnkey video and audio systems for new dwellings. The far north submarket is a logical operations base since it's been ranked as one of the state's fastest-growing corridors for several years. The building will be ready to light by the end of July, according to Schnitzer.