Bay Area Edition | February 2024

From the cover

Hwy. 146 wrapping up

The full story

With the four-year Hwy. 146 project set to be completed in the coming months, TxDOT ocials said they hope the project will reduce trac congestion along the busy corridor and provide a better hurricane evacuation route. Both Seabrook and Kemah also have a laundry list of new plans and developments for the area following the highway’s completion, with eyes set on how it could open the area up even further. Several developments could see progress in 2024, such as The Edge at Seabrook Town Centre, a multipurpose project with retail and living space located o Hwy. 146. However, local business owners in Kemah and Seabrook said they believe they’ve borne the brunt of the project’s economic impact. Terrell estimates business was down by 50% across his three restaurants throughout construction, all of which sit near Hwy. 146’s frontage road. “GPS won’t tell you to go this way,” Terrell said, referring to trac congestion and road closures caused by the project, which in turn aected his business’ foot trac. Meanwhile, on Denis’ end, Habanero’s Taco Co. is now the lone occupied business in a strip mall along Hwy. 146. Isaac Saldaña, a Kemah City Council member and Community Development Corporation president, said he felt the compound pressures of COVID-19 and Hurricane Nicholas in 2021 had made a “signicant” impact on the local business community. “Some of the smaller businesses have suered,” Saldaña said. “We have lost some really good ones. … People just get the mentality that you’re not going to ght trac and come down here.”

Sales tax revenue in Seabrook and Kemah

Despite losing businesses in the area to make room for the project, both Seabrook and Kemah have maintained a relatively stable sales tax base throughout construction of Hwy. 146.

Seabrook

Kemah

Sales tax increase from 2015-16 to 2022-23

+15.93% +11.64%

$4M

$3M

$2M

$1M

2018-19

2015-16

2016-17

2019-20

2020-21

2017-18

2021-22

2022-23

SOURCES: CITIES OF KEMAH AND SEABROOKCOMMUNITY IMPACT

Seabrook set aside $800,000 to help oset the economic impact of the project but will not end up using it because sales tax revenue stayed fairly at, City Manager Gayle Cook said. “It ended up being stable,” she said. “With time we actually saw increased sales tax revenue.” Despite the challenges, with the project nearly behind the communities, ocials are hopeful that trac numbers will rebound soon, and out-of- town visitors will begin coming again. Kemah ocials are also working on plans to help incentivize economic growth in the area. “We just want people to start coming back this way,” Saldaña said.

Two diners enjoy dinner at TBone Tom’s during rush hour trac.

RACHEL LELANDCOMMUNITY IMPACT

Advertise in the Voter Guide

SALESSUPPORT@COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM PRINT + DIGITAL PACKAGES | DIRECT MAIL

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM