In a 6-1 vote, Kyle City Council authorized City Manager Bryan Langley to negotiate and enter into a contract with Brian Fennell, the owner of Kyle Automotive Service Center located at 107 N. Main St., at a special meeting Aug. 15.
Council member Miguel Zuniga was the single dissenting vote.
What you need to know
Kyle City Council spent $4.45 million on five downtown properties in July. The city has since closed on contracts for four out of the five properties. Property owners of the remaining property—106 N. Burleson St.—are in contract to close on the contract with the city, Mayor Travis Mitchell told Community Impact.
Mitchell said he was excited about what this could mean for the revitalization of downtown Kyle.
“We have a long way to go, but for the first time the city of Kyle is gaining control of its downtown,” Mitchell told Community Impact, emphasizing that public engagement will be important as the city puts together vertical projects.
Dig deeper
To redevelop downtown, Mitchell said he would like to create a public-private partnership in which the city goes out to bid, and asks firms to put together proposals for the land the city owns and make all-ground-floor retail—and the city would master lease all of it.
Mitchell said the city would utilize revenue from its downtown tax increment reinvestment zone, or TIRZ, to subsidize leases for small businesses and incubator spaces, or coworking spaces.
“We will rent it out for less than what we’re paying for it or below market rate because we’re [going to] add a bunch of extra provisions and caveats,” he told Community Impact. For example, businesses would have to be local or open until a certain hour of the day.
What the owner is saying
Fennell explained he had mixed feelings about his property potentially being purchased by the city as part of their efforts to revitalize downtown.
“I think the city’s vision is good. I think for them to make it happen—it’s [going to] be expensive,” Fennell told Community Impact.
He also said if he and the city could come to an agreement, it would help his small business. Right now, Fennell said they have to turn away about five cars daily because they do not have the space.
“We’ve done very well in this small spot, but we have been limited,” Fennell said. “This is [going to] allow me to help and service more community members and residents, which is awesome."
One more thing
The city has not ruled out making additional downtown purchases.
