Revitalization projects to bring
new life to downtown

by Tom Moore

The downtown that Laredoans are familiar with today could have an entirely different flavor and appearance in the near future, once revitalization projects recently announced by several entities reach fruition.
Two of the enterprises are familiar: the Calle Iturbide Pedestrian Mall is the undertaking of the Streets of Laredo Urban Mall Association, and the Villa Antigua project is piloted by the Webb County Heritage Foundation. La Posada Hotel / Suites is undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation. Riverdrive Mall is now El Portal Center and will be leased by new owners Morgan Stern Realty Holdings with an emphasis on outlets, restaurants, and entertainment. Finally, the City of Laredo is overseeing the El Portal Riverfront Development Project, which will encompass green-space growth together with outdoor activity areas along the city's riverbank.
Director of the City of Laredo's Convention & Visitors Bureau Nick Marks Reyna is enthusiastic about the developments. "I think it's going to change the face of downtown Laredo," he said. "When we bid for the Texas Downtown Association convention for 2005, we presented all these projects. We were successful with the convention because we have such a dynamic and progressive vision for the development of downtown."
In light of the projects, Reyna predicts that "Laredo will become a premiere leisure destination. Basically, the focus until now had been commerce. The new projects will give us additional attractions, which enhance the total package of Laredo as a vacation place," he said.
The concept of tourism and shopping to attract visitors -- and their dollars or pesos -- is not new to Reyna, who has worked for the convention & visitors bureaus of Brownsville and Corpus Christi prior to Laredo.
"Our strategy is basically to retain people. This is why we've moved away from the 'gateway' image -- which is an invitation for people to move through us -- to a place that is a destination in itself than as a stop on the way to somewhere else," he said.
"Our promotion of San Bernardo Avenue as the place to get unusual, handcrafted artisan products here, as opposed to going into Mexico for them, gives us a huge complement to the downtown restoration. We sell the downtown area as a huge bargain. The new mall will give us an added feature for that shopper from Mexico or the U.S. who comes to shop in Laredo. Tourism generates over $800 million and 5,000 direct jobs in tourism annually in Webb County," added Reyna.
"The new projects also open a window, with the Villa Antigua and El Portal, for people interested in the historical aspect of Laredo, groups such as the Texas Historical Commission, the Texas Genealogical Association, the Texas Downtown Association. The dynamics helped up tremendously in getting the Miss Texas Pageant for the next five years. The renovations for La Posada will be a big plus. It points to their commitment to the community in improving the visitor's product. With the visitor becoming more discriminating it gives them more options about where to stay," said Reyna.
Dr. Michael Yoder, Associate Professor of Social Sciences at Texas A&M International University, specializes in urban geography, which looks at the use of space in cities and how cities are laid out. He feels downtown revitalization is necessary to the health of cities and their inhabitants.
"In some cities it works. It would work in Laredo, because the history here is our biggest asset. Laredo is a city that needs to rely on tourism more and more. We've got to make the downtown an integral part of that. We could do it. People love history-oriented places like that. You have tourists who visit places simply because of the historical aspect. You need a very aggressive historical preservation plan," said Yoder.
"But downtown is considered kind of seedy. People don't want to go there at night. What's missing from downtown, but doesn't need to be, is residents. All those old buildings have second floors. They could be brought up to code. People could easily live there. That could work. We already have a supermarket, we already have a good transportation system; all that remains is to get people to live there. They could start by transforming those buildings into lofts. There are more and more people moving here who would love to live in a place like downtown. Location matters. The beautiful thing about the downtown is you have an ensemble of architectural styles. It makes sense to revitalize that and spruce it up a little bit," he said.
The revitalization projects are a major step in bringing life back to the city's downtown, and are happening early enough that no really harmful urban deterioration has set in. The trick, before ever getting people to live downtown, is to give them a reason to venture there, outside of work or business.
"The banking is downtown, so that's one core area," said Yoder. "There are other business areas that are developing in other parts of the city, but still, the downtown is kind of the business district. But right now that's mainly all there is there, and after six, after business hours, the downtown kind of shuts down. So getting things like restaurants and what the Streets of Laredo and the other groups are doing will get people downtown outside of business hours, and help create a kind of entertainment district. We could bring people downtown if there was something to come downtown for. So restoring downtown makes sense.
"That makes an impact," noted Yoder. "Think of all the entertainment districts in other cities -- Sixth Street, the French Quarter. They're all downtown, or just adjacent to downtown. That's important. In terms of people wanting to party, maybe more could party on this side that go across. They would probably feel more safe, too."
Yoder compared the potential entertainment district to a shopping mall, which can have many businesses that sell the same products, such as shoe stores. "They're in competition, but they do better because of that," he said. "Bring people downtown, and they can decide what they want to do. And it looks like a lot of the businesses that planned for downtown will be locally owned. That's why I think it be quite successful."
The El Portal Riverfront
Development Project
The El Portal Riverfront Development Project will funnel $15 million for new and reconstructed areas along the Río Grande where it flows through Laredo, including a rural riverside road, recreational parks, hike and bike trails, and other amenities.
A major goal of the project is the development of recreation green space along the riverbank. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 206 Ecosystem Restoration Project is part of this goal, and involves the restoration of about 103 acres of land along the Río Grande in southwest Laredo.
Additionally, riverfront properties from the mouth of Zacate Creek to Laredo Community College are being acquired by the City in an effort to support green space conservation. These properties have been targeted as prime space for nature trails, developed in conjunction with local nature enthusiasts and environmental group volunteers. The Justo Penn/Las Palmas Nature Trail is located east of the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge (Bridge II), and another project, Nature Quest, was launched last year and is nearing completion.
Access to these projects include the use of the former import lot at Bridge II as a parking lot for the greenbelt area; the San Francisco Javier Road Street Improvements Project, which runs from Santa Cleotilde Ave., under the Texas Mexican Railway Bridge, to Pedregal St.; and the Bridge of the Americas Entrance Redesign Project, the creation of a defined "gateway area" which will include access for foot and vehicular traffic as well as a river promenade and a series of public plazas.
While not all of the funding necessary to complete El Portal has been obtained, the City plans to acquire more as the project phases are initiated and completed.
El Portal Center
Riverdrive Mall finds new life as the El Portal Center under new owners Morgan Stern Realty Holdings, which plans to rehabilitate and reposition the facility as a center of commercial activity downtown, with leasing focused on outlet merchants, restaurants, retailers, and entertainment. Preliminary designs call for "strong colors emphasizing Southwest themes with an urban feel."
Morgan Stern Realty Holdings claims extensive experience in real estate redevelopment, management, and finance, and, through its affiliate company Morgan Stern Merchant Bank, investments in Asia.
La Posada Hotel / Suites
La Posada will undergo a multi-million dollar renovation project that includes upgrades and refurbishments to guest rooms, restaurants, lobby, corridors, public areas, lighting, and heating and air conditioning throughout the hotel.
Within the last year, La Posada underwent other improvements such as the addition of a business center, ATM, state-of-the-art telephone system, and wireless Internet service.
The Fasken Group, owners of La Posada, are currently reviewing bids from three different companies to undertake the renovation, according to Sergio Cardenas, director of sales and marketing for La Posada.
Calle Iturbide Pedestrian Mall
The Calle Iturbide Pedestrian Mall project broke ground in January 2003 on Iturbide St., between Flores Ave. and Juarez Ave. Begun in 2001 and shepherded by the Streets of Laredo Urban Mall Association, the $1.5 million project is rehabilitating the infrastructure of three blocks of Iturbide St. Funding was obtained in the form of grants from the City of Laredo and the Economic Development Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Planned features of the Mall include a misting system to cool pedestrians and shoppers, as well as fountains, benches, cobblestones in the street, ambient lighting, trees, wider sidewalks, and canopies over shopfronts.
The nonprofit Streets of Laredo Urban Mall Association promotes its downtown revitalization advocacy through its annual Popeye's Jamboozie Mardi Gras street festival.
Villa Antigua
Initiated by the Webb County Heritage Foundation, the Villa Antigua project will comprise a complex of cultural heritage tourism venues in several historic buildings in downtown Laredo, including a Border Heritage Museum, a pantheon honoring Laredo's pioneers, artisans' studios, retail lease space, meeting rooms, and parking.
Located in the San Agustín National Register District, the project was made possible by a $1.5 million commitment by Webb County for land acquisition and development. Additional funding has been awarded from the Texas Historical Commission, the Prairie Foundation, the Union Pacific Foundation, and the SBC Foundation, with more grant applications pending.
The project is scheduled to be underway to coincide with the 250th anniversary of Laredo in 2005.
Villa Antigua will be situated on the El Portal riverbank greenbelt. The Border Heritage Museum will highlight regional history, traditions, environmental attractions, and industry.
Other planned visitor destinations in the project include the Republic of the Río Grande Museum, the Benavides-Herrera Visitors' Center, the restored Plaza Theater, the Laredo Center for the Arts, the newly restored San Agustín Rectory, and the downtown riverfront park.