One Way In, One Way Out: What Coldwell Banker Commercial's RGV President Sees Coming to Hidalgo County
Daniel Galvan is president of Coldwell Banker Commercial Rio Grande Valley. He spends his days on the deals that decide what gets built in the Valley and where.
He recently drove The 956 Report across Hidalgo County, from the truck dealers on U.S. 281 to the cold storage warehouses at the Pharr bridge. This report pulls together what he said: the numbers, the projects, the timelines and the way he reads the market.
Everything below is Galvan's account unless noted. A short public record check follows at the end.
THE BIG IDEA: ONE WAY IN, ONE WAY OUT
Ask Galvan what drives land demand in the Valley and he gives one word. Accessibility.
On U.S. 281 in Pharr, between Monte Cristo Road and Interstate 2, truck dealers line both sides of the highway. French-Ellison, Volvo and Rush are all there. Galvan calls it "one of the most sought-after trade areas right now."
Why there? "The desire for accessibility," he said. "One way in, one way out to San Antonio."
The same rule shows up at the small scale. On an expressway frontage road, he said, "there's only one way to get there and that's a right turn in, and there's only one way to get out and that's a right turn out." He believes that is the main reason some restaurants on those sites fail.
Access explains the truck row. It explains the warehouses near the bridges. It explains which corners sell and which sit.
BY THE NUMBERS
These are the figures Galvan gave during the drive.
About 70 percent. The share of his firm's business that he said originates from outside the Rio Grande Valley. "The Valley is definitely on the national and even international map," he said.
About 60 acres. The size of the power center site going up in Peñitas.
30,000 square feet. The typical size of a big box tenant in a power center.
First quarter 2027. The original delivery target for the Peñitas power center. Galvan does not expect it to be met. His estimate is the end of 2027.
2. The number of industrial parks McAllen has under development right now.
2 to 10 years. The window over which he expects warehouses in those parks to be delivered.
About 100 acres. His figure for the McAllen South Industrial Park.
100,000-plus square feet. The size of the At Home building in Pharr that he said recently changed hands.
5 out of 10. His accessibility rating for a frontage road site where several restaurants have closed.
End of 2027. When he expects a new Chuck E. Cheese concept to open in the Mid-Valley.
$9 million. A figure both Galvan and this reporter had heard for a new irrigation system at Cimarron Country Club. Neither had documentation. Treat it as unconfirmed.
PROJECT BY PROJECT
1. Pharr truck corridor, U.S. 281
High demand for land and location, driven by logistics and trucking. Galvan said the City of Pharr is active with the real estate it owns in the area. He also said trailer maker Great Dane bought a site there and never developed it.
2. Palms Crossing, south McAllen
The shopping center has been sold and is under new ownership. Galvan thinks that is good news. "That center actually needed a breath of fresh air," he said. He expects the common areas to be spruced up first. "That's how you attract the new tenants."
3. Cimarron Country Club, Mission
Galvan is optimistic about the group taking over. "Bringing in a group that has experience in the golf and resort world is so valuable," he said. He hopes the work spills over into new housing and new retail nearby.
4. Peñitas
This is where he sees the most retail growth. A bypass now carries traffic around the town toward Rio Grande City, and he expects the large tracts along it to develop.
The headline project is the power center on about 60 acres near the Welcome to Peñitas sign. He named Ross, Burlington and dd's Discounts as tenants, with an Olive Garden planned and an Ulta likely. Road and sidewalk work is underway and bulldozers are on site.
A new Home Depot is open. Starbucks, Chick-fil-A and Dutch Bros are already operating.
"Peñitas is a market that we've worked with for a long, long time," Galvan said. "A lot of growth going on here."
5. The frontage road restaurant problem
Galvan pointed to a stretch of expressway frontage with heavy restaurant turnover. Cracker Barrel has lasted. Rodizio Grill and Tilted Kilt did not, he said.
His explanation: "With poor accessibility comes poor sales." A westbound driver has to exit at Shary Road and take the turnaround to reach the site. "If you're a dad like me, you got screaming kids in the car, you want to get in and out quick."
6. South McAllen industrial parks
Two parks are under development: the nearshoring industrial park and the McAllen South Industrial Park. The subdivisions are finished, he said. Buildings will follow over the next two to 10 years. He expects a mix of traditional manufacturing and distribution.
He credited developer Joaquin Spamer for the nearshoring park. "Super successful. This is what he does."
The McAllen South park has multiple lots developed, a new entrance and at least one brand-new building.
The McAllen Foreign Trade Zone also has a warehouse under construction.
7. The bridges
South McAllen's draw is its reach to every crossing, Galvan said. The Hidalgo-Reynosa bridge is not really for commercial traffic. Pharr is close by. Anzalduas "is supposed to be opening up, if it hasn't already, for commercial crossings."
8. South Pharr cold storage
"South Pharr is heavily dependent on the cross-border truck traffic," he said. Because Pharr leads the country in produce crossings, demand for cold storage is strong.
The warehouses near Military Highway and Jackson Road are large, new and mostly cold storage. Many belong to international companies. The cargo is citrus, avocados, berries and vegetables. "Really delicate product," he said. "That temperature control is really important."
He said the Pharr Economic Development Corporation developed the industrial park there. "I think they sold all the lots. Some undeveloped still, but they're all spoken for."
9. At Home, Pharr
The building recently sold to an out-of-state group as part of a portfolio, Galvan said. He noted the retailer "has been in and out of bankruptcy."
10. Jackson Road and the expressway
This is the one to watch. The corner has long been owned by the City of Pharr. Galvan said the city's EDC has brokered a sale to a restaurant concept that will open its first location in the country there.
He would not name it. "There's some confidentiality involved in what we do," he said. "I'm going to let the City of Pharr make that announcement."
He did say the city had its pick of prospects and that the winner beat out concepts like Pluckers. "This is a jewel of a location."
11. Jackson Road and Ridge Road
Costco, Topgolf, Sam's Club and Walmart. "One of the busiest trade areas," Galvan said. So busy that he avoids it himself. He noted that Luby's has been closing restaurants but kept this one. "You can't have this much traffic and not hit sales."
12. Pharr Town Center
The former El Centro Mall, now anchored by IKEA, Academy, Main Event and Cinemark. Galvan's firm works with the center. "In my opinion, this is one of, if not the standard for retail centers in the Rio Grande Valley," he said.
The former Joann space is vacant but will not be marketed. "Something coming soon there," he said.
13. Chase Tower, McAllen
A 17-story Class A building that is part office tower, part data center. It is not a hyperscale data center, he said. Its importance is fiber. Many providers operate inside, and Galvan said most of the fiber running into Mexico passes through the building.
WHAT'S COMING
Galvan listed what he sees on the horizon.
A first-of-its-kind restaurant at Jackson Road and the expressway in Pharr. Name to be announced by the city.
A new tenant for the former Joanne space at Pharr Town Center.
Entertainment concepts for the Mid-Valley. He said one would be first to market and the second in the state.
Chuck E. Cheese Adventure World in the Mid-Valley, likely by the end of 2027. The concept is "more entertainment focused versus food focused," he said. Fewer arcades. More slides, foam pits and trampolines.
New full-service restaurants. "Not a whole lot of new fast food on the horizon, which is a nice change."
The Peñitas power center, likely by the end of 2027.
Warehouses across south McAllen over the next two to 10 years.
HOW GALVAN READS THE MARKET
Industrial comes first. "Industrial drives everything," he said. "That's the catalyst that really brings out everything else. The need for housing, the need for services, the need for restaurants."
Shoppers from Mexico shape Valley retail. Asked why the same chains appear in every city, he said: "Our neighbors from the south like to come over and shop in our stores and eat in our restaurants."
Sales are the data that matters. Asked what the numbers say about weak sites, he said: "If they're not hitting the sales they need to hit, they're not going to make it."
New owners start with paint. A sale usually means money spent on appearance, then new tenants.
Outside money is here. About 70 percent of his firm's business, by his count.
Some deals are done before they are announced. He was open about it. Confidentiality is part of the work.
PUBLIC RECORD CHECK
The 956 Report compared Galvan's account with public records and published reporting. Most of it holds. A few points are worth adding.
Palms Crossing sold in early 2026 for $81.6 million to CTO Realty Growth, a publicly traded real estate investment trust.
The Peñitas power center is Peñitas Crossing. Published reports put it at 58 acres. City planning documents list Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse as proposed tenants.
Mission's economic development corporation bought Cimarron for $5 million in 2025 and sold it in 2026 for $2.5 million, according to the Progress Times.
The McAllen South Industrial Park is 120 acres, according to its developers.
At Home filed for Chapter 11 in June 2025 and emerged that October.
The Chase Tower's owners describe it as a carrier hotel, a building where telecom networks connect. They call it one of the most important exchange points for traffic between Texas and Mexico.
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