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Pearland leaders review Old Town revitalization plan, consultants outline costs, timeline and design options
Summary
City officials and consultants discussed a long-term plan to reshape Pearland’s Old Town with festival streets, a proposed Walnut Street thoroughfare and updates to local codes; consultants gave planning‑level cost estimates and warned that major changes could take years and require state or federal funding.
City of Pearland council members and planning consultants reviewed an Old Town revitalization plan during a joint workshop on June 30, focusing on design alternatives for Walnut Street and Broadway, planning‑level cost estimates and a multi‑year implementation timeline.
The plan presents alternatives intended to create a more walkable “main street” in Old Town, including a festival‑street concept and options to route through traffic onto Walnut Street instead of Broadway. Consultants said the study is intended to put options on the table for further analysis rather than to start immediate construction.
Consultant Vance (presentation lead) told the council the report contains planning‑level cost estimates and advised council members to submit comments ahead of an adoption target. “August 25 is kinda what we’re looking for for adoption. … feel free to email me comments as you’re reading or reviewing,” Vance said.
Why it matters: The plan aims to reshape a compact area of downtown Pearland that consultants and council members described as having existing underground and ground‑level infrastructure investments. Officials said decisions about which street becomes the primary thoroughfare will affect property impacts, right‑of‑way needs and how quickly projects can be funded and built.
Key details
- Cost estimates discussed included a roughly $50 million planning estimate for a Broadway‑area concept and smaller, phase‑based numbers for other sections. A staff member referenced a Phase 1 estimate of about $2 million and a Phase 2 figure in the tens of millions (the transcript reference was to $20 million then corrected to $30 million). Consultants described these as planning‑level cost estimates that include a contingency (discussed in the meeting as approximately 20 percent).
- Consultants and council members emphasized that major street reconfigurations will require coordination with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), inclusion in the regional transportation plan (RTP) and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), and completion of federal environmental review (NEPA) for projects seeking state or federal funding. Consultants warned those processes could extend a project timeline: if all funding were on hand, some pieces could be implemented in about five years; projects that rely on state or federal funding and necessary reviews could take a decade or more.
- The report recommends changes to the Unified Development Code (UDC) to reflect Old Town’s historic, smaller‑lot development pattern so that smaller projects can move forward more easily. Council members noted the existing code is written for Greenfield development and does not fit Old Town conditions.
- Staff and consultants suggested staging short‑term, lower‑cost actions—such as festival programming on Grand Avenue—as ways to build momentum while longer capital projects are studied and funded.
Discussion and concerns
Council members repeatedly asked for clearer phased budgets and funding sources. One council member said the area is small and expressed concern about the cost to taxpayers if large street reconstruction occurs in a concentrated area. Another asked how many properties would be affected if the city pursued an 85‑foot right‑of‑way versus wider configurations, noting that wider options would have greater property impacts.
Consultants and staff said additional engineering (PS&E) and ground‑truthing of GIS data are needed to confirm right‑of‑way dimensions and property impacts. Ken (consultant) described a community preference for an option that would “slow traffic down, to get people to stop and park and walk” and create space for festivals and small businesses.
Actions and next steps
No formal council vote on the plan occurred during the workshop. Staff and consultants said they will present recommendations, coordinate with the Planning & Zoning Commission, refine phased budgets, and return to council with a suggested path forward ahead of a potential adoption date of Aug. 25.
Ending
Council members and consultants characterized the Old Town plan as a long‑term effort that can begin with relatively simple, low‑cost steps while the city pursues larger infrastructure funding and completes code changes to encourage incremental redevelopment.
