Gulf Coast Public Market In Dickinson

[CrockpotandGravel]

This thread was originally created August 17, 2019. I'm reposting this because this post and other content from me are no longer available on the forum. The original thread is archived here. 



4512 Highway 3 ( 4512 Hwy 3 ) in Dickinson, TX

















 

[CrockpotandGravel]

Originally posted August 17, 2019 in the previous thread for Gulf Coast Public Market | Dickinson.  It may be helpful to see what was previously discussed or shared before since the original thread and other content from me were removed.  An archive link to original thread is here.

 

 

4512 Highway 3 ( 4512 Hwy 3 ) in Dickinson, TX was the site of the Dickinson ISD Raymond E. “Pop” Gillis Administration Building. The building was demolished several years ago.

Dickinson Economic Development Corp. purchased the lot and others around it (I think) for a total of 4 acres. In late 2017, Dickinson Economic Development Corp announced plans to build  a public market on the combined lots. The market's name will be Gulf Coast Public Market




 

[CrockpotandGravel]

Originally posted August 17, 2019 in the previous thread for Gulf Coast Public Market | Dickinson.  It may be helpful to see what was previously discussed or shared before since the original thread and other content from me were removed.  An archive link to original thread is here.

 

 

Dickinson Economic Development Corp.released a press release in early 2018 with more details and a rendering of Gulf Coast Public Market:



Dickinson was ground zero for the devastating impacts of Hurricane Harvey. As part of our community recovery efforts, and in an effort to revitalize the region, the Dickinson Economic Development Corporation (DEDC) is excited to announce its creation of the “Gulf Coast Public Market” in the heart of Dickinson.

The Gulf Coast Public Market will harness the entrepreneurial spirit of Texan residents by creating scores of new private businesses focused on the sale of fresh and prepared foods, as well as, Texan arts and crafts. The Market project will also provide a unique venue for local “Texan” and ethnic eating experiences and nightly and weekly entertainment.

The Market will be tied to the Bayou by a meandering landscaped path adjoined by exciting amenities attractive to children, teens and families. In addition to approximately 40,000 square feet of new retail space, the Market will include a variety of new public amenities such as a water park, entertainment plaza, basketball court, and a redeveloped public access to the Dickinson Bayou.

“This Project of the Economic Development Corporation and the City of Dickinson has been in the planning and development stage for over two years,” explained Angela Forbes, Director of Economic Development. “Bringing this project to the Gulf Coast Region is the culmination of efforts by the DEDC staff and Board of Directors, the Mayor and Dickinson City Council and by internationally recognized community development and public market consultants, engineers, and architects.”

...The Public Market is expected to generate millions of dollars in new state and local tax revenues to help rebuild the
Dickinson and the surrounding region.

There have been over 300 new Public Markets created in the country since the renewal of Pike Place Market in the 1970’s. Public Markets have proven to effectively re-create and revitalize communities by providing long term permanent well-paying jobs, entrepreneurial opportunities, and vibrant social and entertainment venues.

Public Markets also spawn adjacent private housing and commercial development that enhance community and regional economic development.

 

[CrockpotandGravel]

Originally posted August 17, 2019 in the previous thread for Gulf Coast Public Market | Dickinson.  It may be helpful to see what was previously discussed or shared before since the original thread and other content from me were removed.  An archive link to original thread is here.

 

 

Renderings of Gulf Coast Public Market. This is the produce market, food hall, and entertainment venue in Dickinson.


Renderings are the January 2018 press release and Houston Chronicle.









 

[CrockpotandGravel]

Originally posted August 17, 2019 in the previous thread for Gulf Coast Public Market | Dickinson.  It may be helpful to see what was previously discussed or shared before since the original thread and other content from me were removed.  An archive link to original thread is here.

 

More on  Gulf Coast Public Market. This is the produce market, food hall, and entertainment venue in Dickinson.

This is from Galveston Daily News, January 2018 (article behind paywall):



Dickinson has plans for a public market on state Highway 3 in the same vein of the famous Pike Place Market in Seattle where shoppers can buy things such as seafood, flowers or handcrafted soaps.

For two years, the city’s Economic Development Corp. has worked with consultant Aaron Zaretsky of Public Market Development to develop a plan for a marketplace featuring permanent businesses at the former site of the now-demolished Dickinson Independent School District administration building near the city hall.

Public Market Development has developed renderings for a new building to house businesses and shops selling fresh foods and Texas craft items. The Economic Development Corp., a separate entity from the city that gets some of its funding from local sales tax, recently announced plans for the creation of the Gulf Coast Public Market to be built and operational by 2020.

...The idea, which calls for a 40,000 square-foot retail space and plaza, formed more than two years ago when the corporation began working with Public Market Development, a consulting firm involved in public markets around the country, said Angela Forbes, president of the Dickinson Economic Development Corp.

Forbes has spoken with businesses around Galveston County to gauge interest in possible expansions at the marketplace. Katie’s Seafood in Galveston has said it would consider opening a storefront in the market, Forbes said. The corporation also has had interest from local restaurants and will be courting organic and health food sellers, Forbes said.

A shared business market would allow businesses to save on overhead costs, she said.

“This is a less expensive way for businesses to expand because it’s a shared space,” Forbes said.

Dickinson’s public market plans are modeled off Pike Place Market in Seattle.

Pike Place reopened in the 1970s and its popularity has spurred more than 300 similarly-designed public markets to open around the country, Forbes said.

The consultant designing Dickinson’s public market helped in the creation of Manhattan’s Market Line public market, which is slated to open this summer, according to the firm. It’s also working on an under-construction public market in Madison, Wis., according to the firm.

While the location is less urban than Seattle, Forbes thought the accessibility along state Highway 3 would make it a destination for shoppers from around the county and Houston, she said.

https://www.galvnews.com/news/article_94169f2d-aee6-5c0e-8f1a-bd94807dec0b.html

 

[CrockpotandGravel]

Originally posted August 17, 2019 in the previous thread for Gulf Coast Public Market | Dickinson.  It may be helpful to see what was previously discussed or shared before since the original thread and other content from me were removed.  An archive link to original thread is here.

 

More on  Gulf Coast Public Market. This is the produce market, food hall, and entertainment venue in Dickinson.

This is from Bay Area News, a Houston Chronicle neighborhood paper, January 2018


 

Dickinson is slated to be home for a development that will feature a market, outdoor public gathering area, splash pad and small, locally owned businesses.
 

Gulf Coast Public Market is planned for four acres owned by the Dickinson Economic Development Corp. off Texas 3 across from the Dickinson Bayou boat ramp.
 

Half of the $12 million project is being funded by the economic development corporation, which receives a little more than $1.5 million a year from a portion of the city's sales tax revenue.
 

The other $6 million will be garnered through grants and fundraising, said Jodi Montemayor, the corporation's project manager.
 

The market has an estimated 2020 completion date with a ground breaking slated for next year, said Aaron Zaretsky with the Public Market Development consulting firm. The market could generate at least $1.7 million in annual sales and real estate local tax revenues when completed, he said.
 

Efforts started in 2016. Zaretsky began a feasibility study to see if Dickinson would be right for a public market similar to Pike's Place, the Seattle, Washington facility he led as director for 15 years.
 

"After doing feasibility studies for many, many years, I can tell you that we find the majority of communities don't qualify, but we found that with Dickinson, there is plenty enough to support a public market," Zaretsky said.
 

He sees Dickinson as a prime site for the market because of its proximity to both Galveston and Houston and because nothing similar exists nearby.
 

"Right now, people, for the most part, have to shop outside of Dickinson," Zaretsky said. "So, they're taking all that tax revenue to cities that aren't Dickinson. And Dickinson has its own identity, its own strong sense of place. There's a shocking lack of restaurants or hotels in the community; so this is a good opportunity because those dollars are being exported to other communities for people to get what they need."
 

Montemayor sees other benefits from the project.
 

"Despite all of its history, Dickinson doesn't really have a downtown area, and the planned location for Gulf Coast Public Market would serve as the perfect place for that - it's right at the heart of the city," Montemayor said. "There's nothing we'd like more, especially after (Hurricane Harvey), than give people that sense of community. We'd like to have a place for them to walk around, mingle with each other, enjoy the bayou - it has the potential to be a really incredible addition to the city."
 

In addition to having a splash pad and play place for kids, the complex would feature an outdoor gathering area with picnic tables and space for businesses and offices, Montemayor said.
 

Zaretsky stressed that Gulf Coast Public Market will be more than a farmer's market.
 

"While there will be fresh produce by local growers, residents will be able to get anything at the public market that they'd be able to get from the perimeter of the grocery store. So, you're looking at produce, but also fresh meats, fish, dairy, cheeses, bread," Zaretsky said.
 

He said that the market would likely serve as a springboard to reunite the town, which is rebuilding after Harvey.
 

"We've found that other communities that have been devastated by natural disasters like Harvey have experienced a doubling of unemployment and a sense of hopelessness," Zaretsky said. "Public markets have been found to be literally one of the most successful generators of new jobs of the amount of dollars that are spent. People love public markets - it gives people a sense of hope for the future, and we feel like it will really serve as a way to reunite the town."


https://www.houstonchronicle.com/neighborhood/bayarea/news/article/Public-market-complex-planned-for-Dickinson-12559768.php

[CrockpotandGravel]

Originally posted August 17, 2019 in the previous thread for Gulf Coast Public Market | Dickinson.  It may be helpful to see what was previously discussed or shared before since the original thread and other content from me were removed.  An archive link to original thread is here.

 

Galveston Daily New published an updated on Gulf Coast Public Market, April 2018.  This is the produce market, food hall, and entertainment venue in Dickinson.

Article is behind a paywall:



Readers lately have been wondering about the status of the market, inspired by such venues as the famous Pike Place Market in Seattle. The Dickinson market will feature vendors selling prepared and fresh food — including local seafood — and arts and crafts.

Project Manager Jodi Montemayor last week said engineering was in the design phase and Dickinson Economic Development Corp. officials were about six months from going out for construction bids on the project planned for state Highway 3, across from Dickinson’s City Hall and library. The Economic Development Corp. and the city of Dickinson are behind the project meant to help revitalize the region.

...The city’s Economic Development Corp. has worked with consultant Aaron Zaretsky of Public Market Development for two years on a plan for the marketplace featuring at the former site of the now-demolished Dickinson Independent School District administration building.

https://www.galvnews.com/business/buzz/article_872c2cf2-8bb9-5eda-9a91-93d03cb3e7cf.html

[CrockpotandGravel]

Originally posted August 17, 2019 in the previous thread for Gulf Coast Public Market | Dickinson.  It may be helpful to see what was previously discussed or shared before since the original thread and other content from me were removed.  An archive link to original thread is here.

 

More on  Gulf Coast Public Market. This is the produce market, food hall, and entertainment venue in Dickinson.

In November, Galveston Daily News reported on shakeups with the Dickinson Economic Development Corp. that may could hinder the market's development  plans.

Here are portions of the article (article is behind a paywall:


 

A radical shakeup of executive leadership at the Dickinson Economic Development Corp. over the past six months won’t hinder plans for a 40,000-square-foot public market, board members and officials said.
 

Since June, Dickinson Economic Development Corp. CEO Dan Redd, Director Angela Forbes and Project Manager Jodi Montemayor all resigned from their positions. But the turnover doesn’t signal trouble for the $12 million Gulf Coast Public Market, the economic development corporation’s flagship project, officials said.
 

“The council’s most recent direction was to proceed as usual,” said Chris Heard, Dickinson city manager and a member on the economic development corporation’s board of directors. “Obviously, this has been a bit of a restart for the EDC, but it’s moving forward on the market like it always has been.”

...“There were several issues with the city council feeling there were some personnel issues,” he said. “They felt the board wasn’t doing what they wanted them to do and the EDC board serves at the pleasure of the council. That’s just a reality of how those things run. I don’t think it had anything to do with city council members not liking the project or the efforts being made; they just were never real comfortable with the EDC having separate employees from the city.”
 

Indeed, a two-year-old agreement between the city and the development corporation was rewritten at the most recent Dickinson City Council meeting this month, Heard pointed out. The new agreement will require future hires for the corporation be employed by the city, as opposed to the economic development corporation itself.
 

“The previous one was poorly written,” he said. “It didn’t describe the roles and responsibilities of the EDC as specifically as it could have and we feel bylaws are a better way to articulate the roles.”
 

“The EDC Board will handle most of their business unless they need city regulatory information,” Masters said.
 

Still, there are some former economic development corporation employees who don’t have as much confidence in the direction the city is taking with the market.

Forbes, who the city paid $39,720.59 as part of a severance package, according to a separation agreement that was finalized last week, said the employees who knew the most about the public market project are no longer employed.
 

“Everyone that knows anything about it is gone,” she said. “The city has had little to do with the project, and there definitely has been some concern about it getting finished. But, hopefully, they’ll hire someone who can get it finished.
 

Redd, who resigned from his role as CEO of the corporation this summer, has separate concerns. The city is focused too much on that project, at the expense of pursuing other economic opportunities, he said.
 

“That public market may work,” he said. “But from what I saw, the amount of money it was going to take to get it up and get it started, I’m just not convinced that money is there. I’ve been in in economic development for more than a decade and I was always used to chasing smoke stacks — bringing in new business. But for the city, everything is 100 percent for the public market.”

https://www.galvnews.com/news/article_b4d9c66e-8c2e-58a3-a952-2e1dfde772dd.html

[CrockpotandGravel]

Originally posted August 17, 2019 in the previous thread for Gulf Coast Public Market | Dickinson.  It may be helpful to see what was previously discussed or shared before since the original thread and other content from me were removed.  An archive link to original thread is here.

In March ( 2019), Galveston Daily News reported on the frustrations and concerns residents have about  Gulf Coast Public Market. This is the produce market, food hall, and entertainment venue in Dickinson. 

The article also includes updated information on the planning stage progress and a new consultant hired.



After nearly four years of preliminary planning, interrupted in 2017 by devastating floods following Hurricane Harvey, the Dickinson Economic Development Corp. is hoping to rejuvenate public interest and public input around the proposed Gulf Coast Public Market, starting with a public meeting on Wednesday at Dickinson City Hall.

Initially touted as a $9 million to $12 million project, the public market was envisioned as a Galveston County version of the famed Pike Place Market in Seattle where fish vendors toss monster catches across the counter, tourists gather for the show and locals drop by for food and drink from numerous vendors surrounding the fish market.

Some residents are concerned about the amount of money already spent on a project that has yet to break ground or to make a final decision about what it wants to be.
“The biggest complaint I have is why didn’t they bring it up for a vote,” Dickinson resident Ron Hebert said.

“This is taxpayers’ money. If it had passed and everybody had said, ‘Yeah, that’s a good idea,’ I’d have backed them up 100 percent, but that’s not how it happened.”

Hebert expects a large crowd to show up Wednesday at the public meeting to hear the latest about the market, and he expects a significant amount of serious questioning about the project, he said.

The author of the market’s first feasibility study, in 2015, was Aaron Zaretsky, an industry star who has consulted on the development of some 50 public markets around the country and internationally.

Near the end of 2018, a shakeup of executive leadership at the Economic Development Corp. resulted in resignations from the corporation’s CEO, its director and the project manager for the public market, as well as turnover on the corporation’s board of directors, all key players in the flagship market project.

Former board President Darrell Carney said the turnover was the result of the city wanting more authority over the development corporation’s decisions. An agreement between the city and the economic development entity was rewritten and approved by city council, requiring future hires for the corporation to be employed by the city rather than the economic development corporation.

Mayor Julie Masters acknowledged a shift in the way things will happen moving forward.

“The mayor pro-tem and I were liaisons on the EDC board and were kind of involved but not as involved as we would have liked to have been,” Masters said. “We would be presented information and might have made comments and suggestions and it felt like the plans were already set in concrete.

“We’re trying to get a little more transparency between the EDC and the council.”

Masters supports the public market concept and hopes the upcoming meeting will reignite community enthusiasm she saw earlier in the market’s planning stages, she said.
“I think it’s a great project and we’ve got a lot of pieces to fit in.”

An interim executive director, Alison Benton, has been hired by the economic development corporation and a new consultant, Community Strategies LLC of Galveston, has been brought on board to shepherd the project forward, including answering the public’s questions at the upcoming meeting.

“There has been a lot of good work done on this project,” said Kathy Thomas of Community Strategies, who will facilitate the meeting on behalf of the economic development corporation. “Now, we’re refining the process.”

Attendees at the meeting will hear a project update, including what work has already been done and a timeline moving forward, and will be invited to give feedback on what they want to see at their public market, a community meeting place, Thomas said.

“We want to hear their questions and concerns,” she said. “We just want to evaluate everything one more time and refine it so that when we move forward with this project, it will be what the community wants, what the community needs and that it will be a great success.”


https://www.galvnews.com/news/article_68dbd207-9485-5388-8aea-54ef2df6edec.html

 

[CrockpotandGravel]

Originally posted August 17, 2019 in the previous thread for Gulf Coast Public Market | Dickinson.  It may be helpful to see what was previously discussed or shared before since the original thread and other content from me were removed.  An archive link to original thread is here.

This month, Galveston Daily News reported federal funds were granted for Gulf Coast Public Market. This is the produce market, food hall, and entertainment venue in Dickinson. 

Article is behind a paywall:



The city’s plan to build a public market, which would feature food and wares from local restaurants and businesses and create a strong downtown center, got a big financial boost Thursday from the federal government.

The U.S. Commerce Department announced it would award $3 million to the Dickinson Economic Development Corp. to help it a build a 30,000-square-foot building billed as the Gulf Coast Market.

The money is being awarded through the commerce department’s Economic Develop Administration. Federal officials and elected leaders said they expect the market to help Dickinson recover from the severe damage caused by Hurricane Harvey, according to a statement announcing the award.

“The Trump Administration is committed to helping communities rebuild in the wake of natural disasters,” Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said. “The new market will help fuel a thriving small business hub in an area experiencing economic distress due to Hurricane Harvey.”

Congress set the money aside for hurricane recovery work under a budget bill passed in 2018. The city’s Economic Development Corp., which is funded by local sales taxes, is expected to contribute $1.3 million to the project, according to the federal government.

The market would help create nearly 400 jobs, the commerce department said.

...The city applied for a grant from the commerce department in March, said Alison Benton, the interim economic development director for the Dickinson Economic Development Corp. She and other city leaders learned about the commerce department’s award Thursday when it was announced in a press release, she said.

The grant doesn’t guarantee the market will be built, but it does help the project get closer to reality, Benton said.

“This is absolutely the start of helping people feel comfortable about continuing with the project,” she said. “It definitely gets us way past the thinking stages.”

The next step for the market project is to create an advisory board and to write a business plan for the market, she said.


https://www.galvnews.com/news/article_45dfa181-2095-5a84-9cac-74336966125d.html


 

[CrockpotandGravel]

Originally posted August 17, 2019 in the previous thread for Gulf Coast Public Market | Dickinson.  It may be helpful to see what was previously discussed or shared before since the original thread and other content from me were removed.  An archive link to original thread is here.

 

A website for Gulf Coast Public Market was launched this year.

The site has details presented to the city council, planning commission and public hearings. There is also an estimated timeline in a pdf file.

http://www.gulfcoastpublicmarket.com

 

[CrockpotandGravel]

Originally posted August 17, 2019 in the previous thread for Gulf Coast Public Market | Dickinson.  It may be helpful to see what was previously discussed or shared before since the original thread and other content from me were removed.  An archive link to original thread is here.

 

An updated rendering of Gulf Coast Public Market released this year: This is the produce market, food hall, and entertainment venue in Dickinson. 




 

[CrockpotandGravel]

Originally posted August 17, 2019 in the previous thread for Gulf Coast Public Market | Dickinson.  It may be helpful to see what was previously discussed or shared before since the original thread and other content from me were removed.  An archive link to original thread is here.

 

More updated renderings  (lo-res) of Gulf Coast Public Market released this year. This is the produce market, food hall, and entertainment venue in Dickinson. 

Renderings are from Engberg Anderson Architects (found in a proposal for another project the firm is working on) 


Gulf Coast Public Market is planned for four acres owned by the Dickinson Economic Development Corp. The $12 million project will  feature the market, an outdoor public gathering area, splash pad and small, locally owned businesses. Designed to be a community gathering space, a regional destination and an economic engine for Dickinson, the market has an estimated 2020 completion date with a ground breaking slated for 2019. Engberg Anderson is working with Public Market Development to provide planning, and A/E design services.