Just in case anybody forgot about the development off of loop 340 by I-35.

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/business/developer-prepares-site-plan-for--acre-shopping-center-on/article_4d656f0f-1fd8-535b-acec-378bda9e96ce.html

The site plan the company is featuring in its promotional material serves as a working wish list, Stainback said. It includes a 140,800-square-foot retail anchor, a 36,400-square-foot movie theater, three 50,000-square-foot office complexes, a 36,000-square-foot fitness complex, a 136,000-square-foot retailer, and a hotel and convention complex.

Other retail and restaurant sites of various sizes appear throughout the proposed development that hugs a corner across West Loop 340 from a 635-acre site that John and Jeff Bowden sold to the Waco Industrial Foundation for use in attracting industrial clients to Greater Waco.

Yogi said:

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UBBY said:

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Brian Ethridge said:

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UBBY said:

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Does anybody know how quickly they will be able to get I-35 expansion done? I thought I had read it would be done in 2 phases. One phase in 4 years and another phase in 3 years for a total of 7 years to finish the project. If that's true it's gonna be hell driving down I-35 for 7 years.

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It's been that way for 20 now...

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I just meant it's gonna be a little worse.

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You are correct.

Phase I = 11th Street to Loop 340 North. Construction begins 2019.

Phase 2 = South Loop 340 to 11th Street. Construction slated for around 2023.

To put the scope of this project into context, consider the complete rebuild of IH-35 through Temple and then double the cost.

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Can someone please explain to me why in God's green earth this is necessary? As someone that lived in Dallas and Houston for the last 11 years, I feel like I know when construction/expansion is necessary. I-35 through Waco would be toward the bottom of my list. It's fine. It's backed up for like two seconds every third Wednesday. What's wrong with it?

IASIP Rocks said:

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Yogi said:

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UBBY said:

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Brian Ethridge said:

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UBBY said:

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Does anybody know how quickly they will be able to get I-35 expansion done? I thought I had read it would be done in 2 phases. One phase in 4 years and another phase in 3 years for a total of 7 years to finish the project. If that's true it's gonna be hell driving down I-35 for 7 years.

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It's been that way for 20 now...

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I just meant it's gonna be a little worse.

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You are correct.

Phase I = 11th Street to Loop 340 North. Construction begins 2019.

Phase 2 = South Loop 340 to 11th Street. Construction slated for around 2023.

To put the scope of this project into context, consider the complete rebuild of IH-35 through Temple and then double the cost.

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Can someone please explain to me why in God's green earth this is necessary? As someone that lived in Dallas and Houston for the last 11 years, I feel like I know when construction/expansion is necessary. I-35 through Waco would be toward the bottom of my list. It's fine. It's backed up for like two seconds every third Wednesday. What's wrong with it?

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Increased traffic that the current infrastructure was not designed to support.

The current structures are near the end of their useful life, and it is cheaper in the long run to replace all the bridges than to bring them up to code.

Also, with massive projects in other cities the size of Waco, politically, Waco could not be left out. If IH-35 was more aesthetically pleasing through Bell County than it is through McLennan County, believe me, there would be issues.

So, there is definite a function need for a rebuild, there is also aesthetic as well as political reasons for the rebuild.

I saw some of the original plans to help with traffic were to go a little slower than they are now. In 2005 they predicted that Waco would grow from 117,000 to 132,000 in 2035. Waco is already past 135,000 people right now in 2017.

UBBY said:

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I saw some of the original plans to help with traffic were to go a little slower than they are now. In 2005 they predicted that Waco would grow from 117,000 to 132,000 in 2035. Waco is already past 135,000 people right now in 2017.

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Yep. Waco/Hewitt/Woodway/Robinson/Lorena has a chance to bust 300k by that timeline if some of these office projects come through.

In a somewhat related topic, I hate to see history get bull-dozed...so I think it's pretty cool that Magnolia has stepped in and rescued this old church building.

Second Presbyterian Church

Yogi said:

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New pic of proposed Brazos Commons development on the river. I would have thought the hotel would overlook the river. Cool rendering, though.



http://www.wacotrib.com/news/mclennan_county/riverfront-developer-seeks-money-from-county/article_d6f14907-0667-5475-877c-77941a83d921.html

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I had the same thought regarding how the hotel is facing, but I guess if it overlooks the river, it also overlooks the electrical substation.

Maybe we could plant some of those West-Texas wind-break trees to improve the view:

Really wish there was a feasible way to relocate this..

Edit: Boxster beat me to it

Brian Ethridge said:

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boxster said:

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Yogi said:

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New pic of proposed Brazos Commons development on the river. I would have thought the hotel would overlook the river. Cool rendering, though.



http://www.wacotrib.com/news/mclennan_county/riverfront-developer-seeks-money-from-county/article_d6f14907-0667-5475-877c-77941a83d921.html

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I had the same thought regarding how the hotel is facing, but I guess if it overlooks the river, it also overlooks the electrical substation.

Maybe we could plant some of those West-Texas wind-break trees to improve the view:

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or move the substation as expected...

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Well $ure, that would be optimal. It's just money.

The tall shrubs is more in line with my budget!

boxster said:

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Yogi said:

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New pic of proposed Brazos Commons development on the river. I would have thought the hotel would overlook the river. Cool rendering, though.



http://www.wacotrib.com/news/mclennan_county/riverfront-developer-seeks-money-from-county/article_d6f14907-0667-5475-877c-77941a83d921.html

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I had the same thought regarding how the hotel is facing, but I guess if it overlooks the river, it also overlooks the electrical substation.

Maybe we could plant some of those West-Texas wind-break trees to improve the view:

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Hate to read too much into this but University Parks is only 4 lanes. Is this actually going to happen?

Edmond Bear said:

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boxster said:

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Yogi said:

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New pic of proposed Brazos Commons development on the river. I would have thought the hotel would overlook the river. Cool rendering, though.



http://www.wacotrib.com/news/mclennan_county/riverfront-developer-seeks-money-from-county/article_d6f14907-0667-5475-877c-77941a83d921.html

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I had the same thought regarding how the hotel is facing, but I guess if it overlooks the river, it also overlooks the electrical substation.

Maybe we could plant some of those West-Texas wind-break trees to improve the view:

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Hate to read too much into this but University Parks is only 4 lanes. Is this actually going to happen?

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There are already turn lanes at that intersection plus the 4 lanes. Seems sufficient to me.

Still don't think this will do well. If its such a win win big $$ project, why do they need so many millions in subsidies. Ridiculous. People get way too excited over "ground floor retail" with a few floors of condos and apartments over them

Brian Ethridge said:

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boxster said:

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Yogi said:

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New pic of proposed Brazos Commons development on the river. I would have thought the hotel would overlook the river. Cool rendering, though.



http://www.wacotrib.com/news/mclennan_county/riverfront-developer-seeks-money-from-county/article_d6f14907-0667-5475-877c-77941a83d921.html

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I had the same thought regarding how the hotel is facing, but I guess if it overlooks the river, it also overlooks the electrical substation.

Maybe we could plant some of those West-Texas wind-break trees to improve the view:

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or move the substation as expected...

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I'm sure there are reasons I don't know because I don't have all of the information, but it baffles me why the city ever OK'd that location for a substation. Maybe it really did need to be there or they had no choice. I don't know. But that's some prime real estate to give to a substation. Curious what they were thinking.

HalibutRetro said:

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Brian Ethridge said:

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boxster said:

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Yogi said:

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New pic of proposed Brazos Commons development on the river. I would have thought the hotel would overlook the river. Cool rendering, though.



http://www.wacotrib.com/news/mclennan_county/riverfront-developer-seeks-money-from-county/article_d6f14907-0667-5475-877c-77941a83d921.html

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I had the same thought regarding how the hotel is facing, but I guess if it overlooks the river, it also overlooks the electrical substation.

Maybe we could plant some of those West-Texas wind-break trees to improve the view:

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or move the substation as expected...

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I'm sure there are reasons I don't know because I don't have all of the information, but it baffles me why the city ever OK'd that location for a substation. Maybe it really did need to be there or they had no choice. I don't know. But that's some prime real estate to give to a substation. Curious what they were thinking.

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Cities sometimes make really dumb decisions. For example, Waco is seriously considering placing a 280 acre landfill right in the middle of the Hwy 84 corridor - the fastest growing part of Waco.

The landfill has always been on Highway 84. What they are considering is an expansion. Tell the whole story.

ProTexana said:

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I can't speak to specifics, but I believe the subsidies are required to mitigate debris from the early 1900's Tornado that wrecked Downtown. Meaning the subsidies cover just getting the area back to square one for site development. If you ask the developer to cover that cost as well, the project would not be economically viable and would not exist. They are beholden to certain returns and yields for themselves and their investors.

Millennium Tower in SF is a good example of not building on the correct base (extreme example).

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Sorry to nitpick, but wasn't that tornado in the mid 1900's? 1953?

Probably. Didn't have time to look it up. Just far enough in the past where no one questioned pushing the rubble into a riverbank instead of actually dealing with it

Alefever said:

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All of my this stated after the Texas Baptist Historical Collection moved from Dallas to downtown Waco....coincidence? I think not!

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When you open the Texas Baptist Historical Collection PUB (with artifacts decorating the walls an ceilings I will be impressed.

Brian Ethridge said:

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Crash Davis said:

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I once went up to Drew Brees and asked him if he was Reid Brees' brother. He laughed and confirmed that he was in fact Reid Brees' brother. Asked him for his autograph and had him sign it Reid Brees' brother. He loved it...probably a nice change of pace from the same ole same ole.

/csb

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Played craps with him in Omaha and he had about 10K in $5 chips.

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The one night i went gambling with you (baseball at one of the OKlahoma series) I think I had three $5 chipsl--not 3K chips, THREE chips. Big time!

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/business/million-brazos-commons-project-put-on-ice-after-hotel-pulls/article_525a1bd6-b875-5ea4-a619-3bdc0da1d925.html

Oh goodie...

At least the Brazos Promenade is supposed to get started this year.
Anyone have any info. on any of the other projects currently being mulled over or other projects for the future?

UBBY said:

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http://www.wacotrib.com/news/business/million-brazos-commons-project-put-on-ice-after-hotel-pulls/article_525a1bd6-b875-5ea4-a619-3bdc0da1d925.html

Oh goodie...

At least the Brazos Promenade is supposed to get started this year.
Anyone have any info. on any of the other projects currently being mulled over or other projects for the future?

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"The city-county grant would require the hotel to pay minimum wage of $12 an hour, which was a term Anderson said Drury would not commit to."

that's what Waco did to stop this?

UBBYhttp://www.wacotrib.com/news/business/million-brazos-commons-project-put-on-ice-after-hotel-pulls/article_525a1bd6-b875-5ea4-a619-3bdc0da1d925.html

Oh goodie...

At least the Brazos Promenade is supposed to get started this year.
Anyone have any info. on any of the other projects currently being mulled over or other projects for the future?

Well, Rick Sheldon and some other investors have purchased land along Interstate 35 from Lorena to Waco and have platted out the land for various developments. I know they have one project in Lorena that is contingent upon the completion of sewage and water upgrades.

One project that will be moving dirt this year is The Outlook at Bosque Ridge being planned for Hwy. 84 and Ritchie Road in Woodway.

http://www.kwtx.com/content/news/Local-developer-eyes-11-acre-site-for-major-project-473854083.html

WOODWAY, Texas (KWTX) Big plans are in the works for a growing part of Central Texas as a developer who grew up in Central Texas and recently moved back to the area with plans to develop several areas in town is now eyeing an 11-acre piece of property along Highway 84 in Woodway.
"I'm from Waco and I always say when I was here 18 years ago Richie Road was kind of the end of the earth. And now no one would dispute that the growth is going that direction," developer Marshall Stewman said Monday.
The project is being called The Outlook at Bosque Ridge and the renderings show restaurants, retail space, office space, walking trails and even an amphitheater.
"(I'm) just seeing all the growth go west there is really nothing west of Hewitt Drive in terms of restaurants and retail," Stewman said.
"We want to create a really family friendly atmosphere," he said.
Commercial realtor Gregg Glime is working to secure tenants for the project and says so far things are going well.
"We've gotten a lot of positive traction so far," Glime said.
"From coffee shops to restaurants. The office space is also getting a lot of attention."
Stewman recently completed renovating a building near the Magnolia Silos now called Mary Avenue Market, which includes popular restaurant Hecho En Waco.
The Waco High graduate is also renovating the Studebaker dealership built in 1920 on Columbus Avenue, turning the old building that houses an E-gaming space and office space that can be rented out, for even the day, a concept called "co-working."
Stewman said the financial backing for the Outlook is looking good and talks with the City of Woodway have also been positive.
If all goes as planned The Outlook would begin taking shape by the spring of 2019.

Hob Howell said:

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UBBY said:

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http://www.wacotrib.com/news/business/million-brazos-commons-project-put-on-ice-after-hotel-pulls/article_525a1bd6-b875-5ea4-a619-3bdc0da1d925.html

Oh goodie...

At least the Brazos Promenade is supposed to get started this year.
Anyone have any info. on any of the other projects currently being mulled over or other projects for the future?

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Not the worst thing IMO...I always wondered why they picked Drury Inns to be the anchor hotel for the project. Drury Inns? Are you freaking kidding me.

Hope they use this as an opportunity to go get a Hyatt or Westin or something nicer. Waco deserves better.

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I agree. Think this is a blessing in disguise. I've never considered Drury (not even Drury Plaza) full-service. That's reserved for Hyatt Regency, DoubleTree, Omni, etc.