McAllen holds town hall that addresses downtown revitalization

The City of McAllen is planning on making some moves — specifically for its downtown area.

The city held a “Downtown Strategy” Town Hall on Thursday in which a large turnout from the community was present. The meeting not only brought in residents from the area, but particularly business owners and stakeholders were also present.

According to the city, the meeting was part of an effort to discuss the revitalization of the city’s downtown.

The city said the effort is in a partnership with Mend Collaborative — which is a consulting firm that specializes in this sort of work. The purpose of it is to develop a sustainable strategy that builds on assets that are currently existing, while addressing current challenges.

McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos said that the turnout really portrayed how much the community cares about the downtown project.

“This level of engagement speaks volumes on how much our community cares about downtown McAllen,” Villalobos said. “ We are committed to listening and working together to support our businesses, honor our history and create a welcoming environment for all.”

During the meeting, Mend Collaborative consultants called upon residents to give feedback and highlight the city’s strengths. Strengths included multigenerational businesses, cultural identity, and low vacancy rate among storefronts. In a release by the city, the strengths were an emphasis on how there’s more room to grow and progress.

“Revitalizing downtown is an ongoing process, that requires attention to basic infrastructure, business support, public safety and community engagement to ensure the district thrives over time”, said City Manager Isaac J. Tawil said in a release.

Among the challenges that are at stake with this project, obstacles such as parking, infrastructure and lighting improvements, cleanliness, preservation of history, lodging and entertainment were addressed during the town hall. In addition, community members spoke about other concerns, such as public safety, homelessness, and adolescent curfews.

The curfews particularly are an address to the incidents that happened last year in McAllen. More specifically, the underage drinking and the revoking of permits from nearby businesses.

“The purpose of this process is to listen first,” said Deputy City Manager Michelle Rivera, who is overseeing the initiative. “This input will directly shape a strategic plan that is both realistic and forward-looking.”

The firm will continue to assess the area and gather additional community engagement, the release said.

The city said that a follow-up survey will be distributed at a later date.

“The study phase is expected to take approximately six to eight months, with continued evaluations,” the city said in a release.