Baytown

BAYTOWN, TEXAS $3.5million in aMain Street project,building a town square in the old communityof Goose Creek.“Baytown is the product of three communities coming togeth- er–Goose Creek,Pelly,and Baytown,”says Davis.“So we have,fromwayback in the day,certainMain Street corridors that have not been invested in to the degree that probably they should have been.They represent not onlyopportunity to us,but also our past and our heritage.And our citizens,through our strategicplan- ning efforts,have identified the preservation of our his- toric areas as being one of the top priorities for them. “So,we’ve not onlybuilt this town square,but we’re also in the process of renovating a 1949movie theater that had become abandoned and turning that into a visitors center onTexasAvenue–that’s the heart of the Arts,Culture,and Entertainment area.”The redeveloped BrunsonTheater will serve as the city’s tourist center, as well as a business incubator,“for entrepreneurs whowant to start a business and domicile themselves here in Baytown,”says Davis.“That project is already underwayandwe expect to cut the ribbon on that inDecember of this year.Andwe continue to target other areas in ourACEDistrict for renovation.” DonCarlosmentions that the investments in the town square,which hosts concerts,food trucks,and even ice skating in thewinter,andTexasAvenue, have spawned the founding of a fewsmall craft beer establishments and restaurants,nearby.“The oldmovie theater that we’re refurbishing is the next blockdown from the town square andwe think that it will spur more development down there,too”he adds.“We have noticed some local businesses havemoved their operations down TexasAvenue,which gives it more daytime traffic.” Other downtown developments includemore residential housing.“The cityhas given some incentives to a developer,”says DonCarlos.“He had already refurbished an old car dealership and put in eight or ten apartments that cater to students going to Lee College,which is our local college,less than a quarter mile from theTexasAvenue area. And the same developer is putting in another hous- ing development that will have 34 units.He’s taken an old,two-story furniture store and he has gutted it and is turning it into apartments.There’s an old hotel down in this area that a couple is gutting and refurbishing to turn into apartments on the top with retail on the bottom.So,we’re starting to see some of that growth.Our thought is,themore peo- ple that we get down there,themoreMillennials, and young engineers,and young school teachers, and such,themore it will spawn additional retail in that area.” Finally,the city recentlyacquired a property that used to be part of the old Evergreen Golf Course. “Wewere able to purchase the old club house,the driving range,the putting green,and about 117 acres of open space,”says Davis.“We’re operating that park,right now,and renovating the club house that’s on the southern part of the course to the tune