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EDC tables Old Town Master Plan, requests joint workshop with City Council
Summary
Consultants presented an Old Town Master Plan recommending expanded boundaries, a drainage study and a tax increment reinvestment zone to fund infrastructure. Directors praised the plan but raised concerns about aging utilities and funding; the board voted to table the plan and seek a joint workshop with city council.
The Cibolo Economic Development Corporation heard a presentation on a draft Old Town Master Plan and then voted to table formal action while seeking a joint workshop with the City Council.
Consultant Abby Gilfillan of Lionheart Places summarized the planning process and recommendations, saying the team "really enjoyed working in Cibolo" and noting the plan expands Old Town boundaries, highlights chronic drainage problems, and recommends a phased implementation including a central public hub and potential tax increment reinvestment zone to pay for infrastructure and public improvements. Aaron Spencer, the city’s assistant director of planning, told the board that the EDC had already budgeted $160,000 for the project.
Directors’ questions focused on how to pay for recommendations and whether infrastructure needs must come first. One director urged starting with utility repairs, saying the city needs to “fix the water lines, fix the sewer lines, fix your fire hydrants, fix your roads, fix your flooding” before major redevelopment is practical. Supporters of the plan argued a TIRZ (tax increment reinvestment zone) could help finance long-term repairs by capturing incremental tax gains as development occurs.
Board members also discussed the plan’s timeline and implementation tools. Gilfillan described a 10-year horizon for some elements and said many “quick wins” (signage, wayfinding, streetscape paint treatments and shared parking programs) could be implemented earlier. Several members emphasized the need for a drainage or flood study to guide where more costly reconstruction would be necessary.
After debate about timing, priorities and past plans that did not proceed to construction, a director moved to table action and request a special coordinated meeting with the City Council to review priorities and funding approaches. The motion passed by voice vote; the board asked the mayor (in his ex officio role) to help find the earliest available date for both bodies.
Next steps: the EDC will arrange the joint workshop with council, and staff indicated minor edits could be made to the plan before that meeting. No formal adoption or regulatory changes were approved at the EDC meeting.
