Colleyville, Texas

COLLEYV I LLE , TEXAS the heart of Colleyville’s commercial corridor, improvements are underway to update this area of the city, in keeping with the quality and beauty of the surrounding residential areas. This includes a three-phase beautification plan, which began with installation of semi-custom black-powder-coated lamppost streetlights and banners promoting community events. Currently underway is Phase Two, an upscale redesign of the medians and rights-of-way. “This is no simple flowerbed type of beautification; this is around $5 million, up and down the whole corridor, with lots of stone elements, stone planters, beautiful mix of plants, and large trees - all to create that beautiful aesthetic,” describes Lothery. Phase Three, known as the “gateway package,” is in the final design stage and will be open for bid this year. That part of the project focuses on stone architecture at the entrances to the City, as well as at the Main Street intersection. The City will construct tower elements, some 90-foot tall, that include landscaping and pedestrian elements at the base. “People will know when they’re driving down the road that they have entered a unique community. That’s what we want,” says Lothery, adding, “overall, with all three phases, you’re talking about a $12 million investment into the beautification of our major commercial corridor, all using our tax increment financing dollars, not the city’s operating budget. It is not costing taxpayers any additional money to accomplish this. This is all cash on hand specifically designated for this project.” As a complement to the beautification project, Colleyville is offering grants to help local businesses located along Colleyville Boulevard make property improvements. The Business Enhancements to Support Transformation (BEST) grant provides matching funds to businesses making exterior improvements, up to $100,000. “The focus of the grant program is to encourage investment in commercial properties to mirror the beautification the city is doing along the corridor. We have provided grants for projects such as enhancing architecture, refacing a building with stone, painting, parking lot pavement improvements, landscaping improvements, and new roofs,” says Lothery. The city also offers a sign grant program, which has been popular following an update to signage regulations - $5,000 is available to businesses who update their signage to comply with the new requirements, adding to the improved aesthetic in the commercial corridor. “We have a lot of different elements working with our business community in ways that provide value to the businesses and also provide a high quality of life value to the residents,” states Lothery. With property values on the rise in the area, Colleyville has been able to maintain its “no new revenue tax rate” for the past two years, and the city recently introduced a new financial policy to continue this, going forward. According to the Mayor, “If we need to raise new revenue, we will identify what it is for and let all the citizens know. We wrote a policy to that effect, and that’s the way we behave.” The Colleyville Plaza Rendering