BAKER KATZ SHOPPING CENTER, MARKET SQUARE, MORE DISCUSSED IN ECONOMIC UPDATE

  

Updates on existing economic projects, as well as a glimpse into new ones, were presented on Tuesday in a report to Washington County Commissioners.

Brenham | Washington County Economic Development Director Susan Cates discussed how various projects around the county are shaping up. 

Cates said the Baker Katz shopping center has Ulta, Burlington, James Avery and GreatClips signed and in progress.  There are also some potential unnamed tenants on the way, ranging from a “major retailer” to “two national restaurants,” a “free-standing quick-serve restaurant” and a “full-service restaurant.”

The Market Square development, which is set to have a Chick-fil-A, Academy and dual-branded hotel from Wyndham Group, has another hospitality project in the works that is expected to close next week.  Negotiation is ongoing for two multi-tenant medical office buildings, and there are plans for a “smaller footprint box store” adjacent to the Academy.  That is in addition to the Brenham Trails age-restricted apartments and 170 units of multi-family residential, although Cates noted that the developer for the latter is dealing with higher construction costs and interest rates.

On the industrial side, Cates provided some details on Project Stone’s Throw and Project Color Guard.  Stone’s Throw, which she described as a “greenhouse project,” is expected to be located in Brenham’s Southwest Industrial Park, with the closing on the property likely being next month. 

As for Color Guard, a “data center project”, Cates said a predevelopment meeting revealed that the amount of water needed for the project would be “extraordinary.”

Cates said other options are being considered because the company involved really wants to be in Washington County.  Some of those options include implementing alternate cooling system technology that consumes less water or moving out to a site in the county that could use well water.

Cates wrapped up her presentation with a discussion on workforce attraction and how economic leaders are helping businesses bring in new employees.  She said a human resources roundtable has been established to share resources and develop a workforce pipeline among numerous local organizations.  The roundtable is also taking an active role in job fairs.