"Major deals" projected for downtown Lubbock in next 5 years

[lovelubbock]

I think developing the skyline of downtown Lubbock is a great idea, I have seen downtown developments in various locations such as Cincinnati, Austin, Saint Louis, and Los Angeles totally transform their Downtown from a uninteresting wasteland into a vibrant central hub, which has tripled the activities and visitor load. Reflecting on all my visits to these cities I have to say Cincinnati was the location which needed this transformation the most. however I can see downtown Lubbock gaining a prosperous future from such a transition in a very positive way.

[borgerboy]

i graduated from tech in 74. still go back (or through) lubbock a couple times a year. i honestly think a light rail from the university to the downtown area would work. maybe not a modern type system, but a retro trolley. it wouldn't have to compete with too much auto traffic unlike something in austin on south congress ave. i know some cities have old restored trolleys. the one's in san francisco usually have a sign in the front that states where the trolley operated originally. boy, if there were some old trolley car's stored somewhere in a texas city i bet there would be a bidding war among several texas cities.

[shoe01]

From Jan. 11, projects said to be set in motion by year's end:

Downtown Lubbock Redevelopment Projects Continue - Story

(1:32 mark of video)

[Double C]

Lots of growth opportunities in Lubbock! Great info!

[cobolt]

So much of the downtown problem lies with access to ammenities, mainly shopping. Until there are stores that fit day-to-day needs of people who are supposed to occupy all these office buildings turned to trendy lofts, you will continue to see downtown struggle to increase residential occupancy rates. Great, many people head downtown for evening dinners, to have a drink or listen to a band and generally socialize, maybe hit up a trendy clothing or antique store, but where do these people live? They drive back to their suburban homes. Where are the downtown grocery stores? Where are the hardware stores? Where are the furniture stores? Where are the downtown drug stores or any number of ammenties people have readily available to them outside of downtown? These models don't work anymore, as we now have multi-use, big box stores, where you have a one-stop shop mentality, and these stores are again, located where there is cheap and ample land (sprawl) compared to a downtown. To me, this has always been the shortcoming. I grew up living in downtown Chicago. The area is self-contained and you never need to venture outside of it, unless you want to. And yes, Chicago has its suburbs and big box stores, but the downtown area has always been well-established and the center for many business and commerce endeavors. Until downtown revitalization across the country can mimic that model on a smaller scale, you'll continue to have a suburban population who frequents downtown for entertainment and perhaps some who work in office buildings, and that is about it.

[Techsan]

Okay to address those of you who have called downtown a waste of space and stated that "modern downtowns are dead" I will give you some history since you apparently have no sense of urban history. Urban areas from the 1940 through 1980s were largely since use plans. You would have downtown where people work, an industrial area, and then you have the suburbs where people live. As someone else noted in the day and age where everything about being "sustainable" this is very inefficient. Some of the cities listed like Houston and Dallas boomed during this time period and epitomize the failures this urban structure. However, for you to say all downtowns are dead is quite ignorant. Have you not been to Fort Worth? Sundance square is booming and vibrant. Not to mention the arts district, the West 7th corridor, stockyards and the near south side are all being revitalized. To top this off Ft Worth has a panther island project which will connect downtown to West 7th and the stockyards. Austin is booming like crazy, the city skyline has changed drastically over the past 10-15 years. El Paso has completely revitalized their downtown. Oklahoma City (a once dead downtown) has several urban revitalization projects including their "Bricktown" (a fancier version of Lubbock depot district) which now has a minor league baseball stadium and a canal. In fact, have you been to uptown Dallas near Klyde Warren park? That area is packed every time I go there. Also Dallas recently built a permanent farmers market and is developing the surrounding areas with restaurants are and apartments.

Yes, suburbs are growing and many don't have downtowns since they exploded during the "big box era." But Texas has 5 of the 10 fastest growing cities in America. There is a need to develop multi use downtown areas in the future. Dallas will soon be passed by Fort Worth in population, because Dallas has no choice but to continue to expand outwards (pr upwards). But have you driven across the entire dfw metroplex? I can assure you it's a long commute.

[case44]

Originally Posted by lovelubbock

I think developing the skyline of downtown Lubbock is a great idea, I have seen downtown developments in various locations such as Cincinnati, Austin, Saint Louis, and Los Angeles totally transform their Downtown from a uninteresting wasteland into a vibrant central hub, which has tripled the activities and visitor load. Reflecting on all my visits to these cities I have to say Cincinnati was the location which needed this transformation the most. however I can see downtown Lubbock gaining a prosperous future from such a transition in a very positive way.

As I've said before, if it can happen in Austin, then it can happen in Lubbock, too. It's going to take vision. There's no reason Lubbock can't have a few buildings from the 25 to 40-story range. They can't continue to have the NTS Metro Tower as their signature building. It looks more like it ought to be supplemented with larger towers.

[Wolfpacker]

Originally Posted by case44

As I've said before, if it can happen in Austin, then it can happen in Lubbock, too. It's going to take vision. There's no reason Lubbock can't have a few buildings from the 25 to 40-story range. They can't continue to have the NTS Metro Tower as their signature building. It looks more like it ought to be supplemented with larger towers.

Weird question, but can Lubbock in any way bring some of that tech/start-up magic from Austin to Lubbock, particularly since the U. of Texas is a big driver of the tech/entrepreneurial scene there. Does Tech have that kind of infrastructure and spirit to drive the engine, in combination with metro area of Lubbock? Or is Lubbock just not an attractive place for this?

[afm_man]

Originally Posted by Wolfpacker

Weird question, but can Lubbock in any way bring some of that tech/start-up magic from Austin to Lubbock, particularly since the U. of Texas is a big driver of the tech/entrepreneurial scene there. Does Tech have that kind of infrastructure and spirit to drive the engine, in combination with metro area of Lubbock? Or is Lubbock just not an attractive place for this?

The big problem is that Lubbock does not have the financial infrastructure for start-up companies. You need to have VC/Angel networks to support such activities. San Jose has (and will continue) to be the hub for technology just like Dallas has been the telecom leader for sometime. Texas (Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio) has been able to grow the network of investors and it has definitely had impact over the past decade making the state number 1 in startups. Lubbock just does not have those investors that other cities in Texas have, yet.

[shoe01]

Western Bank Announces Plans to Relocate Headquarters To Downtown