The former Cactus Jack's Steakhouse & Saloon restaurant on University Parkway is sporting a bit of the Demon Deacon colors these days.
Awnings on the building have been painted black, along with the Cactus Jack's sign out front.
The changes are part of a sprucing-up project in the area by Wake Forest University, which owns the property and some others along University Parkway and Deacon Boulevard. Other changes in the area include landscaping and sign replacements.
The university has long-term plans to redevelop 67 acres in the area with the look and feel of a village, with offices, stores and residences. The project would lead up to BB&T Field, Ernie Shore Field and Joel Coliseum.
"We're trying to make the area look as good as possible in the interim and keep attracting shorter-term tenants and that sort of thing," said Jon Corts, the chief executive of Quantum Real Estate Capital, which manages properties that Wake Forest owns in the University Parkway and Deacon Boulevard area. "The city paved the roads there and the stadium is open there, so everything is looking good from a curb-appeal standpoint. We're just trying to take the existing businesses and buildings and make them look as good as we can."
When Wake Forest announced its plans in February, it had invested more than $25 million in the project, mostly in buying land.
Other properties that Wake Forest owns include the building occupied by Mobys Coffee and the former Ziggy's Tavern nightclub. With the purchase of Ziggy's, the university now owns 50 acres in the area and has plans to buy 17 more acres.
James Hondros, a co-owner of Hero House Sub Shop at Deacon Boulevard and University Parkway, has seen several landscaping-type trucks in the area in recent weeks.
"They're keeping their properties up very well," he said.
Still, Hondros would like to know more about Wake Forest's plans as he leases his building.
Kevin Cox, a university spokesman, had no updates on the university's plans for its mixed-used development.
■ Fran Daniel can be reached at 727-7366 or at fdaniel@wsjournal.com.
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