Friendswood leaders credit decade of volunteer and public investment for downtown turnaround

Friendswood leaders and volunteer organizers on Thursday laid out the results of more than a decade of downtown revitalization, saying a combination of private fundraising, a local 1/8-cent downtown sales tax and grant partnerships has produced new businesses, public art and infrastructure improvements.

Mayor Mike Foreman opened the event by welcoming the Houston-Galveston Area Council gathering to Friendswood and describing how local volunteer efforts—spurred in part by community concern over the appearance of the downtown—led to renewed focus on Main Street. "We were able to find money for this kind of stuff, make our downtown look better," Foreman said in his remarks.

Brett Banfield, a local developer who helped form the Friends of Downtown Friendswood Association (FDFA) in 2015, said the group pushed for a dedicated funding stream and supported the city and a downtown economic development corporation. He noted the city approved a downtown 1/8-cent sales tax in May 2016 by 137 votes after a contentious council decision to place the measure before voters.

"We said we're not going to go out and get a new plan until we know we have public money behind it," Banfield said, describing the campaign and the association’s subsequent focus on public art, events and marketing to change perceptions of downtown.

Dr. Rebecca Hellberg, chair of the Friendswood Downtown Economic Development Corporation (FDEDC), described the corporation’s role as recommending projects for council approval and said the board has followed a pay-as-you-go approach. She cited early project costs and partners: an AT&T credit that covered a $71,270 poles-and-wires reduction for roughly 1,252 feet of overhead cable; a downtown improvement plan priced at about $143,220; and a decorative street-sign project costing about $5,725.

City staff and volunteers said a TxDOT program provided approximately $2,822,060 to fill missing sidewalk sections along the downtown corridor, work that also allowed the city to install conduit for future electrical and lighting work. The downtown illumination project—installed on roughly 123 foundations and attributed in the presentations to a total cost of about $2,350,747—was described as recently completed.

Presenters tied those investments to private activity: they reported roughly 25 new commercial buildings in downtown since 2015, seven remodels, five projects under construction or planned, and 18 new restaurants. Banfield and others said the downtown tax base rose by about $122 million during the last decade, growing from roughly $76 million to about $198 million in assessed value.

Organizers also highlighted programs aimed at placemaking and community engagement, including two downtown murals (one commemorating Hurricane Harvey), a Friendswood Military Banner program installed on downtown poles twice yearly (about 60 banners), the Farmer & Vine festival and a Shop Hop promotion that connected some 30 retailers.

Speakers emphasized partnerships—between FDFA, FDEDC, city staff, regional partners and local nonprofits—and the use of a formal downtown plan to qualify for outside funding. "It takes hundreds of people over many organizations," Banfield said of the revitalization effort.

Presenters closed by noting ongoing projects and priorities: continued wiring reductions on the opposite side of Friendswood Drive, additional decorative lighting and seasonal banners, and enhancements to downtown public landscaping and wayfinding. The session also included recognition for local leaders who represent Friendswood at the regional Houston-Galveston Area Council.