DALLAS-Archstone is renewing its focus on the Lone Star State with a new office here, a new vice president of development and a new project. The multifamily developer tapped Jay Curran to lead its development efforts in Texas and broke ground on a 474-unit project near Houston’s Medical Center.

Archstone has not had an office in Dallas for more than two years and has managed its Texas projects jointly from Houston and Atlanta, according to Curran, who previously was based in Archstone’s Atlanta office where he served as an assistant vice president and worked on financing the firm’s East Coast pipeline.

Throughout the recession, Archstone limited its activity in Texas and focused its resources primarily on Washington D.C. Now that the economy has improved and the capital markets have thawed, the firm has its eye on Texas.