“The weather delayed us a
bit,” he said recently. “We
were hoping to open in
early December, but that’s
not going to happen. I think
we’d be lucky to open in
December, but there’s still a
possibility at the end of the
month. More than likely it’s
going to be the first week or
two of January.”
Two things brought
O’Daniel and his Honda
dealership to Weatherford:
American Honda identified
the city as a prime loca-
tion for a new dealership
and the Weatherford City
Council (with the Parker
County Hospital District
participating) created a Tax
Incentive Reinvestment
Zone. Basically, the TIRZ is
a tool used by municipali-
ties to stimulate economic
growth in specific areas,
particularly those that might
be slow to develop on their
own. Through the creative
zoning, cities offer induce-
24
ments to attract businesses and
development. The result is needed
infrastructure, increased retail and
tax base, commercial opportuni-
ties, and job growth. This particular
TIRZ is along Interstate 20 in the
Weatherford High School area.
Honda of Weatherford is being built
just west of the school, across Bethel
Road and across the interstate from
Hobby Lobby and Academy Sports
and Outdoors — also taking advan-
tage of the TIRZ — and Weatherford
Town Center.
O’Daniel said he has been trying
to obtain a Honda dealership for
about 14 years, and that there were
150 applications for the local dealer-
ship from would-be dealers across
the country. He is excited to have
“won” the dealership after going
through an “Open Point” process
with American Honda, an approval
process he referred to as “grueling.”
His employer of 28 years, Gunn
Automotive Group of San Antonio, is
O’Daniel’s investing partner.