Waco-Temple-Killeen Development Thread

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Originally Posted by gabetx

Wow... there are so many other places in the state that deserve interstate designation over this route.

Totally agree, why they just simply don't prioritize what is really needed

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http://www.wacotrib.com/news/busines...7e889f0dd.html

East Waco property sold to hotel developer
By MIKE COPELAND
mcopeland@wacotrib.com
Mar 10, 2018



A hotel developer has bought a 9.6-acre tract in East Waco near downtown, Lake Brazos and Interstate 35, where it reportedly will build two new hotels.

The area roughly bounded by Bridge and Taylor streets and South Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard will become home to a hotel “with a concept similar to Indigo,” and a second hotel “that will cater to those with an interest in health and fitness,” said Megan Henderson, executive director of City Center Waco, which promotes progress downtown.

Henderson said the developer who built Hotel Indigo downtown bought the East Waco land but she is not authorized to name the hotel brands involved in this project.

“I have discussed the project with those involved, and I’m excited. I look forward to its completion,” she said.

KB Hotels, which developed the Hotel Indigo in Waco, has previously announced interest in opening a 170-room Cambria Hotel near Baylor University, but a spokeswoman with the local Indigo declined to comment on whether the recent land sale is part of that plan.

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http://www.kwtx.com/content/news/Historic-signs-give-downtown-landmark-a-new-look-480380313.html

Historic signs give downtown landmark a new look


By Julie Hays | Posted: Fri 11:46 AM, Apr 20, 2018 | Updated: Fri 5:37 PM, Apr 20, 2018

WACO, Texas (KWTX) The yearlong renovation of Waco’s landmark Hippodrome Theatre includes a nod to the city’s rich history.

“The Raleigh sign is up! Our new restaurant is an ode to the Hotel Raleigh that once was across the street,” the Hippodrome posted online.

“This sign is a replica of original and hangs almost exactly diagonal from where the hotel’s did.”

The Hippodrome has been under renovation since last summer.

The project includes the addition of three more movie screens, a rooftop patio and a large banquet area and the relocation of the bar and dining room from the second floor to the first.

The restaurant will now be called “The Raleigh” and the sign installed on Thursday is almost identical to the one that hung outside the Raleigh Hotel in downtown Waco.

The Raleigh Hotel, which is now a state office building, was the product of a 1912 mayoral campaign to build “the most modern hotel in Texas.”

According to historical documents, the Raleigh was built in 1913, designed by architect Roy E. Lane, who also designed the Hippodrome.

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Drury Plaza out from Brazos Commons...

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/busines...c0da1d925.html

$130 million Brazos Commons project put on ice after hotel pulls out


By J.B. SMITH jbsmith@wacotrib.com Feb 10, 2018



The Brazos Commons project on the riverfront near Interstate 35 has taken a step back after developers called off talks with a hotelier and withdrew their request for some $15 million in local incentives.

But project officials expect to apply for incentives again later this year with a new hotel developer in place.

Brazos Commons partners Joe Beard and Rick Sheldon had planned a $130 million project with retail space and 400 residences, anchored by an 11-story Drury Plaza full-service hotel. Drury had planned a 160-room hotel with a conference center, restaurant and garage parking.

But Drury balked at the terms of the public incentives that were key to the project, Brazos Commons spokesman Mike Anderson said.

In September, the downtown Tax Increment Financing Zone board recommended $7.9 million for public improvements supporting the Brazos Commons. The Waco-McLennan County Economic Development Corp. later recommended a $3.5 million business grant, which would be matched with an equal city grant for a total of $7 million.

The city-county grant would require the hotel to pay minimum wage of $12 an hour, which was a term Anderson said Drury would not commit to.

“Unfortunately, Drury couldn’t meet minimum requirements for the EDC funds,” Anderson said. “The $3.5 million was important to them, and we weren’t going to let them find a way to save $3.5 million.”

Drury South real estate director Brian Nenninger did not return calls seeking comment Friday.

Anderson said a signature full-service hotel is crucial for the Brazos Commons project, and the partners are actively recruiting other potential hotel developers that can deliver one.

While others may take Drury's place...

http://www.kwtx.com/content/news/Wac...473990053.html

Waco: More hotels interested, Brazos Commons developers say


Posted: Tue 7:20 PM, Feb 13, 2018 | Updated: Wed 1:11 PM, Feb 14, 2018

WACO, Texas (KWTX) The developers of the proposed Brazos Commons project in downtown Waco say four new full service hotels have expressed interest in being part of the project that the Drury Plaza Hotel recently pulled out of.

"We have numerous people who have called on the property in the last 10 to 15 days that we are talking with and interviewing to see which one will fit best for the overall project," said Mike Anderson, spokesman for Brazos Common Development.

Waco Mayor Kyle Deaver said the expression of interest from other hotel chains is encouraging.

"That's wonderful news I had not heard that,” he said Tuesday.

“I have not had a chance to talk with them since the Drury thing went away. Drury was a great project, but if they're telling you that that sounds great to me."

Deaver remains convinced that Waco natives Joe Beard and Rick Sheldon will get the project done despite setbacks,

"I have confidence that these developers are going to do a great job with the development it will be first class it will be deserving of a first-class hotel."

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Cleanup of the adjacent Brazos Promenade site is complete.

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/business/cleanup-done-at-city-riverfront-site-million-under-budget/article_a744a1c5-019c-567f-b6e9-ed2233acd9f1.html

Cleanup done at city riverfront site, $6 million under budget

By J.B. SMITH jbsmith@wacotrib.com Feb 20, 2018



A rendering from 2016 shows early plans for the Brazos Promenade mixed-use riverfront development. Environmental cleanup of the site cost about $6 million less than expected.

Catalyst Urban Development rendering, file

The riverfront site the city of Waco is offering for the Brazos Promenade development has won a clean bill of health from state environmental regulators, after a cheaper-than-expected cleanup.

City officials set aside $8 million in fall 2016 for an environmental remediation of debris at the 18.5-acre site around the old fire tower, expecting a long process of digging out old industrial debris.

The cleanup was necessary to allow Catalyst Urban Development to start work on a $100 million mixed-use destination with restaurants, retail, apartments and a full-service hotel.

City staff told the Waco City Council on Tuesday that the cleanup got a “certificate of completion” on Feb. 9 from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, meaning no further cleanup is needed.

“We think we’re going to end up using less than $2 million of the $8 million you allocated,” Assistant City Manager Bradley Ford said. “The savings in timing is just as important.”

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http://www.wacotrib.com/news/busines...f2feb970f.html

DOWNTOWN VISION

Downtown office project holds promise, raises questions of demand

By J.B. SMITH jbsmith@wacotrib.com Sep 22, 2017

The idea of a giant office complex might not seem exciting compared to other things going on downtown: hip restaurants, SoHo-style lofts, full-service hotels and the home-decor mecca known as the Magnolia Silos.

But the minds behind the Civic Center project beg to differ.

Dallas developer Phillip Williams and Waco urban development consultant Chris McGowan say the 550,000 square feet of “modern office space” they hope to create around Heritage Square could help transform downtown and Greater Waco. Based on real estate averages, that office space could support 1,000 professional jobs, jobs filled by people who might want to eat at those hip restaurants, live in those lofts and dispose of their disposable income all around town.

Bigger than that, it means reversing the flight of Waco’s young talent to the big cities by luring some big-city jobs to Waco, McGowan said.

Renderings from the article

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http://www.wacotrib.com/news/city_of...ock_id=1367094

City again seeks developer of former Sanger School site

By PHILLIP ERICKSEN pericksen@wacotrib.com May 6, 2018



City officials are once again seeking bids to redevelop the former Sanger Avenue Elementary School site and hope the developer will incorporate the school’s entryway into the plans.

Staff photo — Rod Aydelotte, file


The city of Waco is once again fielding bids to redevelop the former site of Sanger Avenue Elementary School, the century-old school razed in 2010 after a fire. It is the third round of proposals the city has solicited for the 3-acre area in the 1700 block of Sanger Ave.

City officials have privately met with four developers and hope to meet with more before the May 17 bid deadline, city property manager Kendra Anderson-Zadnik said.

“I’ve seen more interest this time than I have in previous bids that we’ve put out,” she said.

Representatives of Deluge Holdings, which owns Mary Avenue Market at 300 S. Sixth St., attended a pre-proposal meeting last month and have met with the city. Deluge Holdings developer Marshall Stewman said he is not yet sure of specific plans for the area.

“We’re just looking at, what could we do that would not only be good for the community but be good for Waco as a whole?” Stewman said.

Mike Stone, executive director of Waco Community Development Corp., also attended the meeting. The nonprofit housing assistance organization bid for the property in 2013, but the city did not take action on any of the proposals in that round. Stone has said he envisions homes lining the block.

“We haven’t finalized what we’re thinking about doing,” he said this week.

In September, the Waco City Council rejected a proposal from local entrepreneurs looking to build an indoor soccer facility at the Sanger site. Maintaining the historical value of the property — namely, an arched entryway and live oak tree — is critical to what the city will accept, Anderson-Zadnik said.

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http://www.tdtnews.com/news/article_...c2cfc60bb.html

40-acre North Temple site to be developed with retail center, hotels

BY CODY WEEMS | TELEGRAM STAFF May 8, 2018 Updated 15 hrs ago

Temple’s economic growth continues to percolate throughout the city. The Temple Economic Development Corp. announced Tuesday that that a 40-acre retail development is planned for North Temple.

Located just north of the Buc-ee’s convenience store, the $18 million development will include nine retail lots that developer Mike Beevers said will mostly be filled by national fast food chains. Other plans include two hotels and a 15,000-square-foot retail strip center.

Beevers said the intersection of Interstate 35 and HK Dodgen Loop, combined with traffic brought in by Buc-ee’s, makes the location an ideal spot for this type of development.