UNLV

The city of Beaumont is also trying to relocate the Amtrak stop from the middle of nowhere to the downtown area. And the Port of Beaumont has started work on the project to move the railroad switch yard from behind city hall to land inside the port which will greatly increase the size of the Riverfront Park.

The city council has decided to put the River Walk on ice for a while. It would have connected the lake to the Neches River but there was a lot of opposition to it because of the cost. Maybe after these other downtown projects are finished and more businesses move downtown and a new downtown hotel then maybe a river walk would make sense.

Opposition was not cost, opposition was because they wanted it to be voted on. These idiots want everything put to a vote.

Construction on phase I, the lake and event center began this week.

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/local/city_has_started_lake_project.html

Other plans for the area include building a new $2 million downtown library, relocating the Best Year's Senior Center from Fourth Street and a children's museum in the Oil City and Brass building, which is owned by the city.

Here's a drawing of the hotel they are building in Beaumont (except it's going to be 4 stories, not 5):

It's not being built downtown but on IH-10 near Washington Blvd and Cardinal Drive. Here's a link to the website: Red Roof Inn Prototype Design

I think I read somewhere that the owner of this company originally from Beaumont.

No, you might be thinking of the Downtown project. Not the same. The downtown projects are waiting for the Port of Beaumont

rail yard to be relocated. This will begin mid-summer.

Looks like any development at all will be some time out. A minimum 2-3 years before they can even break ground. But progress is progress... I ain't holding my breath though...

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/site/new...12588&rfi=6

No Pook, The riverfront will be the last part to start because the tracks are in the way. The downtown lake is the first part and that will begin soon. The lake will be west of the downtown area. Once the lake is complete, a river through downtown will be dug. Finally the river walk.

The city is selecting a firm to design the proposed lake park-event center and conduct the downtown waterway feasibility study.

http://recenter.tamu.edu/mnews/newsSearch....S&CID=39507

The lake is the first phase of the Riverwalk project.

Walter is not ther only Billionaire living in Beaumont. The family that owns/started the Landry corp still lives in Beaumont.

This is why most people think they are behind this river project.

Huh? Wha? OK, now I'm awake.

Details, man! We need details!

I think it will be announced soon.

I only get the Enterprise on Sundays and remember reading an article about that early December. Thats how I recalled the other thoughts. I went and looked and found the article on their site. (horrible search engine by the way) I am originally from Orangefield and have only been over here for about 7 years. Still go back all the time though. Friends and Family and whatnot.

And I guess you are right, it mentions an Event Center and Waterway type thing. Although I doubt it will look as fancy as the drawing. That is good news...

http://www.southeasttexaslive.com/site/new...12588&rfi=6

Have you heard anything on the retail/shopping center planned for Dwolen Road? I had read about that sometime around September if I remember correctly? Could have been alot earlier. Was supposed to be like the woodlands or sugarland with shops and restaurans on the first floors then lofts on the second and third. It was being planned by a couple but I can't for the life of me remember their name.

Pook, I think you will be in for a surprise when you find out who is behind that river project.

That's it! And the site says they have begun construction. I might be moving back soon and would be looking for a condo and the ones downtown don't really appeal to me. That site and location looks great. You could skip everything by hoping on Folsom if ya needed. Where exactly is it? The picture looks like it is accross from those offices that house The Pablano Grill. That would be a perfect location. Their Potential Tenant Offerings sound interesting if they can get all of that in that location.

And I doubt Beaumont traffic will ever be an issue after getting used to the crap we have over here. Specially during the holidays like we just dealt with...

Sorry for going off topic and being a pain...

Metropark is already under construction. It is located where the old west end YMCA once stood. The city will be Ok-ing a $400 million medical center on Folsom soon.

And a new high-rise in downtown Beaumont coming.

If it is a pipedream, why is Beaumont taking contract bids for the first phase?

Is it one of the blocks near the Hotel Beaumont & San Jacinto Buildings?

Yes, one is next to Hotel Beaumont and the other is on College across from the library.

Granted there just may not be much to report on at the moment... I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't anything substantial about this for a while.

On the plus side, I'm glad that someone has an interest in improving downtown Beaumont. Crockett Street was a great first step and it's nice to see that there's brisk business at the restaurants along that strip. It is disappointing though to see the amount of abandoned storefronts with broken glass (or in some cases none at all) and mildew smells only a few blocks away which remind you of the atrocious state that nearby DT Port Arthur is in. I doubt Beaumont would ever be in that dire of a situation since they do have fairly decent sized buildings which are occupied, but again it does give me hope that there is still bit of civic pride in their downtown.

2 buildings were razed downtown in the last 2 weeks, I hear 4 more is on the list.

Agreed, that building is very nice architecture. Maybe once all the other projects start someone will come along.

Port Arthur lags Beaumont. Port Arthur is currently making the same mistakes Beaumont made in the late 80's.

I think in a few years they will figure it out.

My guess would be a hotel. They talked about bringing a hotel for years. Too bad the city imploded the LaSalle hotel.

That would have been a beautiful restored high rise hotel.

Channel DT Beaumont is changing for the better fast. The city is moving the railyard behind the civic center to develope the riverfront. They mentioned

a hotel a while ago, but I don't know the status on that project. This canal and a big park with a lake was also planned. New Condo's near the Basilica.

If they could pull this off, this would attract more investors.

I don't remember. I had to do a lot of searching because the media didn't spend much time on this.

http://www.kfdm.com/news/beaumont_21516___...hayes_city.html

http://www.kbmt12.com/news/local/8843217.html

Sorry, I have no details. The media did a sloppy job of covering this story.

Just a rumor, I heard there is some type of link to this project and the people who built Kemah....

The project could start in 2 years.

Its the dark sand. Truck in white sand and you will have the bahamas.