DeSoto development board outlines steps to attract $100M-plus projects in entertainment corridor

DeSoto Development Corporation staff updated the board on plans for an entertainment district centered on the southern end of the Hampton/BeltLine corridor, saying the agency owns two key development parcels and is working to align zoning, design and developer partners to attract major private investment.

City and development staff said the planned district is intended to boost hotel occupancy and conference and performing-arts activity, link to a new recreation center and create shuttle connections. Staff described seeking developer commitments that would each likely exceed $100,000,000 but said no such commitments exist yet within the TERS 2 zone.

Board members were told the EDC now owns both strategic sites referenced in the plan, including a parcel acquired in April that had been Community Missionary Baptist property. Staff said that owning the sites allows the EDC to set conditions and to require specific design or program features from future developers.

Staff described two parallel tasks: (1) completing the mixed‑use zoning categories and associated regulations, which they expect to advance in July–August, and (2) attracting a willing private-sector development partner to reduce market risk and move projects into design and infrastructure work. The board was told design work could proceed before full construction commitments are in place, but that doing so carries financial risk to the EDC.

Officials said infrastructure work will be substantial and cited the planned rework of the BeltLine and Hampton intersection as an example; that portion will require coordination with TxDOT on lane configuration and signal design and will take about a year of construction on its own. Staff also said they are evaluating financing options, including a possible revenue bond (discussed informally at $20,000,000) to fund public improvements that make phased private development feasible.

Economic activity cited during the discussion included expected local hiring from major employers. Staff reported Allied Stone will increase employment by roughly 200 and that Solar Turbines remains one of the largest private employers in the industrial park. Those expansions are concentrated in the city’s northeast business park and were described as locally based jobs that bolster overall employment figures.

The board also reviewed outreach and marketing needs. Staff urged more visible public communications — newsletters, time‑lapse photos of construction and regular updates — so residents and potential partners see tangible progress.

Next steps listed for the EDC are finalizing mixed‑use zoning language, running responses to developer RFPs, completing conceptual design work to support developer negotiations and starting formal conversations with TxDOT on the Hampton/BeltLine intersection. Staff said they will return with more details as responses to RFPs and developer negotiations progress.

Ending: The board scheduled further review and a joint meeting (board/commission) later in August to discuss the comprehensive plan, mixed‑use zoning categories and the Convention Sports and Leisure (CSL) market study that will help size proposed public facilities for the entertainment district.