At a press conference held July 23, 2008, the Tyler City Council announced the authorization to purchase approximately 8.65 acres of property in downtown Tyler. The property under contract extends west from Bonner along both Ferguson and Erwin streets and includes the former site of the King Chevrolet and White’s Ford car dealerships.
“This action has been under consideration for many months and purchase of this property is a major step toward achievement of the Tyler 21 goal to create a destination downtown,” said City of Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass.
The property has been vacant for several years since the closure of the dealerships. During the Tyler 21 planning process, the property was identified as a possible location for a western downtown square. Other potential uses for the $1.675 million property include residential, retail, and arts and culture-oriented development through public/private partnerships. Since the property is adjacent to existing City offices, the City will retain a portion for public parking and future expansion.
Funding for the purchase of this property has been authorized from the City’s Oil and Gas Fund, which must be used for projects that have a City-wide benefit as previously designated by the City Council. Other much smaller and adjacent tracts to be put to use for the same purposes are also currently under consideration for purchase.
“This property is pivotal to realizing the vision for a business, arts and culture district downtown,” said Council Member Chris Simons. “By purchasing the property, we are able to ensure it is repurposed in a way that benefits the community.”
This development came on the heels of the announcement that the Heart of Tyler Main Street operation will be brought into the City and a new department will be created - along with a visitors’ center and arts center. Recent Tyler 21 plan developments to revitalize downtown include:
- Creation of a Tax Increment Financing District – will allow for incremental increases in property tax to be directly reinvested in the downtown
- Creation of the BAC (Business, Arts and Culture District) – as an outcome of the new Unified Development Code, the BAC will encourage the arts in downtown.
- Purchase of the Liberty Theatre – the City purchased the theatre and will partner with the East Texas Symphony Orchestra to create a performing arts center that will be a destination point in East Texas.
- Half Mile of History Program – creates a half-mile heritage trail around the downtown square. The program recognizes significant people, places and events in Tyler’s history.
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