Government
BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN
Kyle begins negotiations to purchase 6th downtown property
The city of Kyle is en route to purchasing its sixth downtown property. In a 6-1 vote, Kyle City Council authorized City Manager Bryan Langley to negotiate and enter into a contract with Brian Fennell, the owner of Kyle Auto- motive Service Center located at 107 N. Main St., at a special meeting Aug. 15. Council member Miguel Zuniga was the single dissenting vote. What you need to know Kyle City Council spent $4.45 million on five downtown properties in July. The city has since closed on contracts for four out of the five prop- erties. Property owners of the remaining prop- erty—106 N. Burleson St.—are under contract with the city, Mayor Travis Mitchell told Community Impact . Mitchell said he was excited about what this could mean for the revitalization of downtown Kyle. “We have a long way to go, but for the first time
the city of Kyle is gaining control of its downtown,” Mitchell said. Dig deeper To redevelop downtown, Mitchell said he would like to create a public-private partnership in which the city goes out to bid, and asks firms to put together proposals for the land the city owns and make all-ground-floor retail—and the city would master lease all of it. Mitchell said the city would utilize revenue from its downtown tax increment reinvestment zone, or TIRZ, to subsidize leases for small businesses and incubator spaces, or coworking spaces. What the owner is saying Fennell explained he had mixed feelings about his property potentially being purchased by the city as part of their efforts to revitalize downtown. “I think the city’s vision is good. I think for them to make it happen—it’s [going to] be expensive,”
"We’ve done very well in this small spot, but we have been limited. This is [going to] allow me to help and service more community members and residents." BRIAN FENNELL, KYLE AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE CENTER OWNER
Kyle
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Fennell said. He also said if he and the city could come to an agreement, it would help his small business. The city has not ruled out making additional downtown purchases.
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