Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
La Marque EDC: dozens of new businesses, eight years of record sales-tax growth
Summary
The La Marque Economic Development Corporation reported continuing residential and retail growth, a string of new and returning restaurants and businesses, and sustained sales-tax revenue during an update to the City Council.
Alex Geddy, director of the La Marque Economic Development Corporation, told the City Council that the city has seen steady residential growth and corresponding retail follow-through, with more than a dozen new businesses or returning locations in recent months.
“The corporation, is a a a board of 5 voting members...we've had more than a dozen steady years of residential growth,” Geddy said, describing both west-side development and infill on the historic east side that he said helped produce roughly a 45% population gain over about 12–13 years. He listed openings or reopenings including ARs (an entertainment/food venue), Sid’s Grooming, a rebranded Church’s Texas Chicken, new Marble Slab, Chipotle, Fidelity National Title, PJ’s Coffee and several smaller local operators.
Geddy said the EDC produces social-media profiles called “Shine on La Marque” for local businesses and that the corporation has partnered with a commercial-listing service (Resimplify) to aggregate available properties. He also noted the EDC’s participation at retail and commercial real-estate shows, including ICSC events, and said those efforts have brought leads and tenant interest.
The director credited continued sales-tax growth to a mix of new rooftops, infill, and persistent marketing. “As a result of those 10 or 12 slides, we've had 8 years of record sales tax,” Geddy said, and he indicated that, based on the fiscal-year trend, the run was likely to continue.
Council members asked about participation in small-business programming (Geddy said an average of about 15 businesses attend the Small Business Series, roughly 100 individual attendees overall), and about a pending sales-tax audit (Geddy said he expected the audit report to be forwarded to him or Finance Director Turner when HDL completed it).
Why it matters: The EDC’s pipeline of restaurants, service businesses and national tenants is a key driver of local sales tax and job growth; the council heard the update as staff sought ongoing support for marketing, property-listing, signage and façade initiatives.
Geddy invited residents and property owners to supply listing information for the Resimplify page and highlighted a forthcoming Meribel small-business class on selling with impact. The council did not take a formal vote on the EDC presentation; the briefing was informational.
Ending: The council acknowledged the update and asked staff to follow up on the sales-tax audit and to circulate EDC materials for distribution to council offices and residents.
