What’s happening
Mayor Bobby Warren posted on Facebook Oct. 28, stating City Council members voted to authorize the sale of 10.885 acres of land to Lovett Industrial for $4.27 million.
This money will cover the property purchased from Champion Forest Baptist Church in August, Warren said. Jersey Village City Hall is set to eventually relocate to this site.
What it means
In response to a commenter who asked about the former plans for this property, Warren said those plans didn’t work out, so officials decided selling the land was the best option at this time.
“We did our best to market the property to developers for mixed use. Unfortunately, we couldn't find anyone who was able to carry through on that vision on terms that City Council felt were in the best interest of our community,” Warren said on Facebook. “Ultimately, we have decided to sell the land on the open market.”
The city still owns 23 acres of land at the property south of Hwy. 290 near Jones Road, which Warren said will also be marketed for sale.
Remember this?
Plans for the previously proposed mixed-use development, commonly known as Village Center, date back many years.
According to the city’s website, city officials collected stakeholder feedback in 2009 regarding the property. In 2017, Jersey Village City Council created the 274-acre Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 2.
Officials later announced plans to turn 43 of those acres into a mixed-use development called Village Center with a development company called Collaborate. At the time of the proposal, the project included plans for retail, office, multifamily and a new City Hall to replace the current building.
Resident concerns over the years have ranged from potential flooding to City Hall accessibility, while others expressed support for the project to boost economic development in the city. Construction of this new City Hall south of Hwy. 290 never came to fruition.
By 2022, Jersey Village pursued a new development partner for the project, KHJR, following the end of the city’s partnership with Collaborate. Community Impact previously reported KHJR’s master plan for Village Center included apartments, senior living, a hotel, a new City Hall, office and retail space, a nursing school, and a 4,500-seat minor league baseball stadium.
