MAIN ST INITIATIVES DISCUSSED AT COUNCIL MEETING

  

During Thursday’s Council meeting, the Main Street initiatives were discussed in their continued progress and status. The three key priorities listed for Main Street were to 1st, attract a downtown hotel development, 2nd, negotiate the ownership of TxDOT’s right of way, and 3rd, and improve relations with key downtown stakeholders.

In regards to the hotel, it was reported that staff has been in contact with multiple private industry hotel consultants and developments who have expressed interest in the idea of bringing a hotel to downtown Brenham. The City has in mind their new responsibility of operating the Barnhill Center at the historic Simon Theatre, and believes mid-week conference delegates will desire a hotel that is within walking distance to their meeting venue.

For the TxDOT right of way, ERC Committee Chairman Jim Moser led the effort with City Staff’s support to create what is known as a “pedestrian retail zone” within the historic downtown district. The retail zone includes three areas of control, including local control of vehicular traffic in Brenham’s predominately pedestrian downtown (which includes placing speed deterrents), a local determining voice in the development in any streetscapes that encourages pedestrian retail traffic, and local control through municipal ordinances with the ability to enforce those ordinances for commercial signage as well as awning, bench, planter and table placement in the TxDOT right of way.

This meeting was successful, and ERC was able to establish some control with TxDOT according to their presentation.