centexguy

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.

Austin's Metro Transportation Authority is about to start a light rail service. It will run from Leander (NW suburb of Austin) to downtown. They've had some setbacks and cost overruns but service should start soon. I actually live just a few miles from the Leander stop but I work from home so I have no use for it.

Thanks UNLV for the update on BISD's new stadium. If the economy doesn't stay in the dumps too long we could see a lot more development in this area real soon.

The Penland-Umphrey group is looking into building a Motocross track at Ford Park and they just built the Cowboy Badlands Motocross park just down the interstate. Link: Motocross track proposed for Ford Park

And in April a Houston developer bought 500 acres just south of Ford Park that could be used for residential development and other uses. Link: Interstate land purchase gives hint of westward growth pattern for Beaumont

Another article on Crockett Street from The Examiner

Speculation over those financial concerns increased after it was reported that five venues operated by McCarson

Unless they plan on tearing down the buildings for the waterway, there would be no reason to close the clubs. The guy has owned these establishments for a while, a now he owes back taxes and has 2 lawsuits to deal with. My guess is that he didn't have time to find new buyers before the leases ran out. I've never been to any of the clubs or restaurants, but what I've read about them is that they've been profitable. My guess is new owners will come in soon, renovate the clubs, and reopen them.

As far as the new riverwalk, I hope they get started on that soon. If they can get that done in the next few years, along with expanding the Riverfront Park, plus get a new hotel and/or condos, Crockett Street and downtown will really take off. With Port Neches actively seeking a developer for their ambitious riverfront park and Port Arthur looking to develop their boardwalk, the area is finally beginning to take advantage of some of it's assets.

The Spindletop Restaurant was also closed on Monday. Do you have some inside info on why they abruptly closed? It seems to me if these closings were intentional then they would have announced it before they closed. It's good to see Beaumont moving ahead with these plans, but I find it hard to believe these closing were related to that.

Last year there was talk of a high-rise hotel next to the Civic Center. What's the status of that? It would be nice if they built both a high-rise hotel and condos, but I have my doubts. I assume high-rise in Beaumont would mean 10 to 15 stories?

I was surprised that all these clubs were owned by the same person. Some of these clubs were doing pretty well so I wouldn't be surprised to see at least a few of them reopening soon under new ownership.

From an article in The Examiner:

The discovery of what has been termed a loophole by some to gain easement rights along both sides of the Interstate 10 frontage road from Walden Road to Major Drive has opened up a potential goldmine from commercial property investment in Beaumont, according to city officials.

Another article in the same paper mentioned that BISD is looking to build their new athletic complex out there and that Phelan Investments is trying to get a hotel chain and restuarant by Ford Park. I've always wondered by there was no development along this stretch of highway, even after the access roads were put in. Does any one know of any other projects planned for this area? Phelan Investments owns a lot of this land and it sounds like they've been wanting to development this area for a long time.

I found the last paragraph a little strange:

"A lot of people don't know that yet. It has to be a connector street. It can't just be a street named "Jerry." It has to tie in from Brooks Road, Major Drive or Highway 124. From what I understand, they have been doing this all over Texas, so this is not unique to Jefferson County. We just found out about it."

What took them so long to find out about it?

Links: Anatomy of a Windfall and Bump in the road for BISD

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.