Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Anna EDC/CDC staff outline strategic plan update, Kroger groundbreaking, demolition and hiring-event successes
Summary
EDC and CDC staff said an updated strategic plan focused on commercial development will be presented next month and announced a Kroger groundbreaking Sept. 26, demolition of CDC-owned vacant homes beginning the week of Sept. 15, and a successful Holt Cat hiring event.
EDC and CDC staff told the Anna joint board on Sept. 4 that an updated strategic plan centered on commercial development will be presented at the next meeting, and staff highlighted several upcoming events and recent activities, including a Kroger groundbreaking set for Sept. 26 and demolition work on vacant properties scheduled to start the week of Sept. 15.
A staff presenter said the last joint strategic plan the board adopted was in 2020 and that the updated draft will be brought to the board at the next meeting. The updated plan will emphasize commercial development, collaborations with Collin College and outreach to medical and hospital systems; staff also mentioned a reference to a “Dallas Stars project.”
Staff announced that Kroger will hold an official groundbreaking at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26. The recorded location in the meeting material is the southeast corner of Rosamond and Highway 75; staff asked board members who can attend to RSVP through a link included in the calendar invite.
On demolition, staff said that the week of Sept. 15 is the planned start for demolition of vacant homes on CDC-owned properties to the south of the municipal complex. The speaker said the work follows the board’s prior approval and described the activity as a demolition process to clear lots for future development.
Staff also outlined recent outreach and business‑support activity. The EDC reported 13 real-estate and developer meetings, 10 business-retention-and-expansion contacts and 12 predevelopment meetings in the reported period. Social-media audience metrics noted in the director’s report included an addition of 24 LinkedIn followers, 11 Instagram followers and 234 new Facebook friends; staff reported six new newsletter subscribers.
On sales tax, staff said the CDC portion for June was $867,004.35 and that the fiscal-year-to-date trend is tracking toward approximately $4,000,000 for the year, compared with $3,200,000 last year. Staff noted an anomalous March spike tied to a late payment bringing a taxpayer current, which produced a one-time jump in reported receipts.
Staff described the Holt Cat hiring event (held at the municipal complex while the company’s local facility remains under construction) as “the most successful event they’ve ever had,” reporting roughly 180–200 attendees and strong coordination with Texas Workforce.
Other outreach items listed in the director’s report included attendance at the Farmers Bank and Trust ribbon-cutting, participation in Greater Anna Chamber of Commerce events, and staff involvement in a CUTX community roundtable luncheon and the BRE Alliance with neighboring cities.
Staff said a draft of the updated strategic plan will be provided at the next EDC/CDC board meeting for review and that additional details on some items (including specific developer projects) will be incorporated into that draft.
No formal board action was taken on the director’s report items during the meeting.
