The completion of the Riverfront Park restoration, four downtown buildings restored and a plan for façade renovations -- the city of Beaumont is headed full-steam ahead in a new direction.
The city gave an update on those and other projects at a forum on Wednesday, allowing residents to learn about their plans for downtown, then visit with city officials to ask their own questions.
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Here are five things discussed that you should know:
1. The Riverfront Park renovation should be completed by the end of this year.
Riverfront Park was damaged by Tropical Storm Harvey in 2016. Using $20 million in funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to repair the park, renovations started in March 2023.
The project includes a new sheet pile wall along the river, concrete dock, drainage, sidewalks with handrails bordering the river, repaired pavilions, lighting throughout the park, park benches, picnic tables and water fountains. The city plans to complete the project by the end of 2024.
As part of its Vision 2035 plan, the city of Beaumont is planning in the future to expand Riverfront Park to include an observation walk and an amphitheater for live music. This project, which will cost approximately $8.7 million, is set to take place in 2026 and 2027.
2. The city wants to add residential opportunities downtown.
The city wants to make downtown a more desirable destination, bring in more businesses and revitalize the area. Its Vision 2035 plan includes various elements to do that, including a 3,500-foot riverwalk connecting the Lake District and Crockett Street. That riverwalk is expected to be lined with restaurants, retail stores and residences, a connected downtown hotel and convention center and the expanded riverfront park.
Assistant City Manager Chris Boone said adding residential spaces downtown is a key aspect of their plan.
"You can imagine whether for its (apartments for) rent or condominiums, if you had residential overlooking the Neches River, it's going to be a very, very popular option," Boone said. "Having people live downtown 24 hours a day, seven days a week is a key missing element."
Partnering with the private sector to make that happen is going to be key, he said.
"Our job is to really focus on the infrastructure. ... Perhaps (there will be some) public-private partnerships in certain elements, but really, a lot of it's going to be the private sector," Boone said.
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3. The city plans to fund several projects, including a façade renovation program with special tax funding.
In December 2023, the city established a tax increment reinvestment zone, which provides additional tax revenue to the city.
The Zone is forecast to generate more than $140.6 million in revenue. The city has identified 14 projects, valued at $180.2 million, which could be funded through this source.
These projects include roadway rehabilitation, relocation of transmission/ distribution lines, improvements to the Civic Center and the City Hall courtyard and a restroom facility in the Lake District.
The façade renovation project is budgeted at $6 million. Through this initiative, downtown businesses can apply for grants to improve their building exterior.
The most expensive project to be covered by the Tax Zone funding is a downtown waterway feature budgeted at $114 million.
4. Four downtown buildings with code issues have been entirely repaired.
The building code department has been working on a proactive downtown code enforcement program. As part of this program, code officials conducted a three-phase approach to inspect every building within a four-block grid from College Street to Calder Avenue and as wide as Main Street to the Neches River.
At the time of the first City Council presentation about the program in August, 17 building owners committed to fixing the issues in agreed upon time, three had been filed in court, two were repaired and five had yet to respond.
Now, the city has 10 buildings ready for fixes, eight filed in court, five with construction permits and four that are completely repaired.
Beaumont's Deputy Building Official Beau Hansen said this is progress.
"We're seeing small steps of progress (and) I know it feels slow, but this is the progress that we want to see," Hansen said. "Essentially, we want to see less work programs and filings in court and more permits pulled, ultimately resulting in repaired buildings."
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5. The city does pre-development meetings to help plan a businesses move to Beaumont.
The city also is working to promote economic development within downtown and throughout the city.
Incentives to invest include lien waivers, tax abatements, permit fee waivers and expedited permitting processes. Another service that the city offers to encourage business development is pre-development meetings.
"So you're able to come in and sit with everyone from fire to water to engineering for free and be able to discuss whatever business you're bringing to Beaumont and what those plans look like," said Beaumont Economic Development Manager Christina Lockey. "Then, we'll be able to administer all the help that you need to allow for (ease in opening) your business."