Latest news with #DowntownMasterPlan
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Marshal McIntosh takes helm as Brownwood city manager
BROWNWOOD, Texas () – The City of Brownwood has appointed Marshal McIntosh as city manager, as the previous city manager, Emily Crawford, transitions to Abilene. McIntosh previously served as the city's Deputy City Manager, bringing more than a decade of experience in public service. 'Marshal McIntosh is not only a product of this organization and community, but a key architect of its recent success,' said Brownwood Mayor Stephen Haynes. 'His appointment is a strategic investment in the future of Brownwood. He brings the vision, capability, and character needed to lead Brownwood confidently into its next chapter.' City of Abilene appoints new city manager City officials say he has been a driving force behind projects such as the Downtown Master Plan, Riverside Park renovation, Brownwood Event Center Complex, and much more. McIntosh joined the city in 2014, moving into the Deputy City Manager position in 2021. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Public and Media Communication and a Master of Business Administration from Howard Payne University. He has also completed the Texas Certified Public Manager Program through the William P. Hobby Center for Public Service at Texas State University and Texas Christian University's Certified Public Communicator program from the Bob Schieffer College of Communication. He also holds certifications in economic development from the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service and in emergency management from FEMA's national disaster and emergency management programs. McIntosh was also named Professional of the Year by the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce in 2022 and is recognized as a '40 Under 40' standout citizen. McIntosh is also a 2018 graduate of the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce Leadership Brownwood community leadership development program. Brownwood moves forward with $18M for downtown master plan phase 1 'Marshal's appointment reflects the best of what it means to grow leaders from within,' said Mayor Stephen E. Haynes. 'Having served Brownwood in nearly every capacity over the past decade, he brings unmatched insight into our community's operations, challenges, and potential. His long-standing relationships with staff and his forward-thinking vision make him uniquely qualified to lead as our next City Manager.' McIntosh is a member of the: Texas City Management Association (TCMA) International City Management Association (ICMA) Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers (TAMIO) Government Finance Officers Association of Texas (GFOAT) Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC) Texas Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus (TACVB) Texas Midwest Community Network (TMCN) International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) 'I am deeply grateful to the City Council for their confidence placed in me,' said Marshal McIntosh. 'I look forward to serving alongside our city staff, whose commitment to our community gives me the confidence to lead the City of Brownwood and continue making progress in the place we are proud to call home.' McIntosh will assume his duties as City Manager on June 6. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘It's a poor investment right now': Downtown Wichita Falls business owners seek more investment for growth
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — If you had to grade Downtown Wichita Falls on an A-F scale, what would you give it? 'In my opinion, I think it's a 'C,'' Wichita Falls Councilor At-Large Austin Cobb said during Tuesday's regular session meeting. TxDOT partners with law enforcement for 'Click it or Ticket' campaign The comment comes as city staff provide an update and discussion on the 2018 Downtown Master Plan. It's a plan that hasn't been touched since 2018. 'The 'C' grade is probably correct,' Duchess and Mimi co-owner, Roberta Richardson, said. 'That is very generous of the councilman,' Pinnacle Orthopedics Founder, Amber Schacter, said. Though both differ on the homework grade, the two business owners agree that downtown needs more work. Richardson said the past three and a half years in downtown have been a great experience. But she's about beautification. Adding more planters and signage could attract the foot traffic she seeks. 'We need to make it more retail-friendly because we love downtown,' Richardson said. 'It really has beautiful areas, but I think making it a bit more retail-friendly is the key.' Schacter is on the opposite side of Richardson. 'It's a poor investment as it stands right now to put a business downtown,' Schacter said. The former Karat Bistro owner is calling for some type of incentives to grow downtown. She said other North Texas downtowns have grown while Wichita Falls has dipped. 'For Wichita Falls not to follow suit, and to blame it on the economy, I don't believe that's true,' Schacter said. 'Truly treat downtown as a place of economic development and put our money where our mouth is, as we're planning for [next year's budgeting].' Cobb knows that if downtown is going to be successful, investment is needed. 'We need to incentivize some of these businesses to kind of help redo these buildings,' Cobb said. 'The real core of economic development, I think, we've lost a little bit. We've had some restaurants and stuff close, but I want downtown to be a vibrant part of our community.' Downtown business leaders push for stronger investment to build a stronger downtown. It's unclear when the council could revisit its master plan and update it. Businesses and Cobb said there's plenty of opportunity to grow downtown. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Little Rock highlights positive economic impact of tourism in recent years
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Little Rock officials say visitors have left a positive impact on businesses in the capital city. There are a thousand places tourists choose for vacation and travel, but Little Rock became a destination for many last year thanks to the city's 2023 Downtown Master Plan according to Libby Doss Lloyd with the Little Rock Convention and Business Bureau. 'To have $1.5 billion in a year in visitors spending and have that A&P tax collection up to $19 million, we definitely have been coming out of that pandemic over the last five years,' Lloyd said. Master plan for downtown Little Rock approved by city board of directors, needs funding Lloyd said the Statehouse Convention Center, the Robinson Center and the River Market all host some of the biggest events in the city, allocating over $50 million in direct spending. '2024 was the second year of the implementation of that 10-year plan so we're really working hard to elevate tourism in the capital city,' Lloyd said. Some visitors chose not to leave the workforce getting in on this uptick with over 8,000 direct jobs. Desirae Jones, a manager at Gus's Fried Chicken, said she's run across many visitors from different states. 'Even though we're not a big city, we don't really have much going on, just for them to come and experience being down here and seeing what our city and our state is like, I feel like that's pretty awesome,' Jones said. Little Rock Master Plan focuses on bringing more housing to downtown She said she's seen growth in the city, and says she likes how there's always something for visitors to do. 'Hang out downtown, go to Brewski's or La Chingada across the street, or maybe even us for good chicken or a good time,' Jones added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New downtown master plan committee holds first meeting, asks for more guidance from city
Sarasota's brand-new downtown Master Plan Update Ad-Hoc Committee held its first meeting at City Hall on Tuesday afternoon, in what may be a year-or-more long process to potentially reshape the city's rapidly changing downtown. The committee's formation was approved by the Sarasota City Commision in September. Their task: to update the downtown Master Plan, which was first adopted in 2001. The committee's formal recommendations will eventually go before the city commission for final approval. Meet your new Downtown Master Plan Update Ad-Hoc Committee The city commission considered more than 40 applications and came up with a board of 13, which is heavily represented by Sarasota's business and development community. Committee members were chosen by the commission in November. Chair Howard Davis – A local developer and urban planner. Vice Chair Bill Waddill – A senior planner with Kimley Horn and the former Managing Director of the Bay Park Conservatory. Chris Voekler – A member of the city's downtown Improvement District board and owner of State Street Eating House + Cocktails. Elena Paul – general counsel at the Ringling College of Art and Design. Erin DiFazio – A realtor and member of the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation's leadership team. Jamie Still - vice president of the downtown Sarasota Condo Association and secretary of the Urbanite Theater. Jen Stulter – president of Stutler Strategies. Ken Shelin - Former Sarasota city commissioner and a veteran of a litany of city advisory boards. Melissa Laughlin – The owner of a local business consulting practice. Richard Russell – general director of the Sarasota Opera and chair of Visit Sarasota County. Sarah Lyons – The founder and owner of architecture. Tiffany Nisbet – A downtown realtor with the RE/MAX Alliance Group. Will Luera – An actor, performer and director of events and training for DreamLarge. The committee also has an official facilitator, Tammy Vrana, an urban planner and the president of Vrana Consulting out of Safety Harbor. 'My role as your facilitator is that I will be a neutral participant,' Vrana told the board. 'I'm going to just create space for the diverse voices on this committee to be heard, and then hopefully to help you do productive discussions in coming up with your recommendations.' Shayla Griggs, the city's auditor and clerk, took several minutes at the beginning of the meeting to remind the board members that their activities fall under Florida Sunshine Laws. Members cannot discuss board business outside of public meetings and were asked to forward all committee-related communications to their city emails. The ad-hoc committee will essentially function liken any other elected or advisory board for the city. Election of a chair and vice chair There was some procedural awkwardness and confusion as part of the committee's first day jitters. The process of selecting a chair and vice chair became slightly confused without a city attorney present. Voekler voiced her concern that the board should perhaps wait until they have a clearer scope of their plan and objectives before they elect leadership, but not enough of her colleagues agreed. Howard Davis and Bill Waddill were both nominated to be chair. After an extended period of consulting with city staff, the board ultimately elected Davis, who won out by a single vote. Waddill was then voted in to be vice chair. Nisbet asked if a city attorney could be present at the next meeting, an idea seconded by Waddill, to ensure a smoother procedural process. City Planning Director Steve Cover said that staff will look into it. Davis and other board members asked city staff for more direction on what will be expected from them as a committee. The newly minted board chair said he wanted an overall timeline of the committee's work 'so we can at least see what the steps are and the approximate time it will take to get from the beginning to the end.' 'This group needs to have a more clear sense of the schedule. This group needs to have a more clear sense of the step by step by step - 'this is how this process will work.'' Davis said. The meeting's only public commenter was Marlon Brown, the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce's director of government affairs, and Sarasota's former City Manager. 'This is a very, very important and monumentous task that you're about to undertake,' Brown said, as board members nodded along. 'As I've always said to everyone, this is a marathon. It's not a sprint. So please take your time and do this right and do it for the right reasons." Sarasota Vice Mayor Debbie Trice was also present for the meeting, as a spectator. City officials indicated the committee's next meeting will be March 26. Christian Casale covers local government for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Email him at ccasale@ or christiancasale@ This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: New city board to update downtown master plan holds first meeting
USA Today
05-02-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Sarasota must reject obnoxious Obsidian skyscraper project. Again.
Sarasota Herald-Tribune Obsidian still wrong project, wrong place The Sarasota Planning Board should reject the 1260 North Palm Ave. project. The board voted 4-1 in January 2024 to reject the 18-story condo tower, also known as Obsidian Sarasota. Despite minor changes, the proposal should be rejected again for the same reasons cited last year. It still violates Sarasota zoning requirements for: Full retail frontage. Habitable space for first and second floors. Parallel facade coverage. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. And its excessive height − 100 feet taller than other North Palm buildings − still violates the Downtown Master Plan compatibility criteria. This project also violates Sarasota's zoning requirements for trash handling. It proposes off-premises refuse collection in a nonadjacent alley − from which the city refused to let Cafe Epicure's refuse be collected. Additional reasons to reject this proposal include: The blatant use of interstitial space, unsupported by past practice and industry standards, to circumvent the 18-story limit. Prolonged construction within inches of Bay Plaza condos, threatening its structural integrity as well as area businesses' operations and residents' and pedestrians' safety. Increased flooding and water drainage problems, already problematic on the 1260 North Palm lot and Gulfstream and Cocoanut avenues. 1260 North Palm remains the wrong development in the wrong place. Paul T. Hess, JD, Sarasota In politics, pickles can't be tomatoes Governors and presidents should attend cooking school. No worthy chef would serve insalata caprese with mozzarella over dill pickles. Even sweet pickles. Not even a sous chef would ask a pickle to be a tomato. Why then do we expect lawyers to succeed in operations, lawmakers or news pundits to be government administrators? Let's return to the pickle. The pickle was originally a cucumber. A cucumber is a fine vegetable. One bite of a fresh cucumber and it's cascading waterfalls through fresh green grass. We do ask the cucumber to be a pickle. Dill, sweet, bread and butter. A cucumber can be a fine pickle and a pickle can be a fine relish. We can ask a cucumber to be a pickle and a pickle to be a relish but don't ask a pickle to be a tomato. So it should be with political appointments. We inadvisably assign staff from technical fields to be directors. Similarly, is it sensible for a political hobbyist or a news pundit to administrate a gigantic government bureaucracy? The fault is in asking the pickle to be a tomato. Rodney Romig, University Park Trump could bring back 'good ole days' Watching the plans of the current administration I must have been fortunate to have grown up in a community that gave no thought to DEI programs. That small North Florida town knew intuitively that straight, Anglo-Saxon, Christian males were the best choice to perform any complicated work. Women could do some jobs if they hadn't found a husband to make a home with. There were gays? Who knew? Black residents most likely found work cleaning up or on the many area farms. They knew their place and stayed there, knowing the cost of challenging the power structure. My grandfather had a small store near the quarters. He was 'Mr. Willie' to his customers. African Americans could buy unopened bottles through a side door at my dad's bar. Washington started to get in the way of that lifestyle and, over many difficult years, things changed. My hometown voted overwhelmingly for a president who would allow residents to put a bit of that favored way of living back in place. I'm sure they can hardly wait. Kyle Quattlebaum, Sarasota President follows Project 2025 playbook For those of you who did not read the 900-page Project 2025 manifesto that President Donald Trump had feigned ignorance about during the presidential campaign, below are some of the Executive Actions he has recently taken that were outlined in the plan: Suspending refugee admissions. Suspending asylum claims. Militarizing the southern border Declaring there are only two genders. Withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement. Withdrawing from the World Health Organization. Ending protections for federal workers. Ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Revoking security clearances. Ending effort to fight misinformation. The president claimed during the campaign that he had never read Project 2025, but he is following the Heritage Foundation's playbook exactly as outlined. He also claimed to know nothing about the people involved with it, but has appointed several Cabinet picks who authored chapters, including Russ Vought, the self-proclaimed architect of Project 2025. If you want to find out where we are heading over the next four years, I suggest you take the time to understand the proposed radical restructuring of the executive branch and reorganizing the federal government agency by agency. Laurie Ulrop, Punta Gorda Write to us:How to send a letter to the editor
