DRAFT OF DOWNTOWN GIDDINGS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN RELEASED
After six months of research, the Goodman Corporation of Houston has released a draft of the Downtown Giddings Economic Development Plan.
The plan, according to the Giddings Economic Development Corporation (GEDC), provides goals and recommendations to “support and strengthen the economic vitality and resiliency of downtown Giddings”.
The plan was paid for through a grant provided by the Texas Department of Agriculture and built around stakeholder interviews, surveys, and demographic and market analysis. It is designed to incorporate the following goals: align activities among public partners; maintain and enhance the city's identity as a unique and desirable place; prioritize public investment in downtown Giddings; improve the public realm in downtown; better connect civic assets to downtown; and support the availability and development of quality housing stock through infill redevelopment.
Some of the plan’s recommendations are already being considered, as the city and the GEDC recently entered the final stages of consideration for a federal Economic Development Administration grant to pay for some infrastructure projects, including paving a downtown parking lot and extending water lines to the Sterling Theater building. Also, several years ago, the GEDC began exploring an upgrade to the city's entrance signage.
Once adopted, the plan will serve as the city's official guide for land use and development in the downtown area. It will act as a road map for the next three to five years, detailing a vision and policy agenda for issues such as land use, development, beautification, parking, pedestrian mobility, and circulation.
Before adopting the plan, the city will share findings from the report with the Giddings City Council, who will meet September 28th at 7 p.m. at Giddings City Hall. The proposed plan can be seen here.