It is a busy time for McAllen’s Heart of the City program
It is a busy time for McAllen’s Heart of the City program. They have recently moved their offices to the Showery Building (formerly El Rio Hotel) at 220 South 17th St. The non-profit made the move in November of last year. In the next two years City of McAllen funding will run out and the group is in the process of developing a fundraising campaign that it hopes will make it self-sustaining.
Heart of the City was approved and funded as a non-profit in January of 2005 by the McAllen City Commission. Its mission is to preserve and protect the core of Historic McAllen, both residential and retail areas.
“Our main thrust is to revitalize and redevelop the downtown, our more historic area,” declared Heart of the City Chairman of the Board Alida Hernandez..
Recently much of the group’s focus has been concentrated on the few blocks just south of its new headquarters. The area is zoned as an Entertainment District. The recruitment of businesses for the three-block area has been successful so far, says Hernandez. Heart of the City is planning workshops to discuss expanding the district and eventually the expansion proposal will make its way to the city commission for approval.
Hernandez feels the renovations at the Showery Building have helped spark renovation in the immediate area. Just down the street, plans call for a combination martini and patio bar. The building next door to the bar has been refurbished.
“The El Rey Theatre has been completely redone. People can have private parties or exclusive dinners there,” Hernandez pointed out giving a verbal tour of the transformations along 17th Street. “Further down the street a pizzeria and three bar and grills are planned while across the street a beer garden is on the drawing board.”.
“We hope to have a workshop to discuss extending the boundaries of the overlay district because the first three blocks are done. We want it to go another four blocks down to Houston Street,” Hernandez added.
If approved it would double the size of the present district’s boundaries. The first three blocks of South 17th Street should look very different by the end of 2008.
“In some places development can take 10 to 15 years. We have done all this in the entertainment district in less than three years,” Hernandez stressed.. Heart of the City is also working on enhancing two other districts in McAllen’s down- town section; the Retail District and the Arts District.
“We are going to try and change the mix in the retail downtown area,” Hernandez related. “The Arts District runs along Main Street. We want to extend it to Pecan Street because there have been a lot of art shops opening.”
Hernandez added that a developer is planning to open an arts center on the site of the old Wilson Funeral Home located on Main Street.
Hernandez has headed up the non-profit since January of 2006. The organization is in its second to last year of receiving funds from the city. Hernandez feels the group needs $125,000 to operate annually.
“One thing we have done is put parking meter money into a separate fund to pay for our parking garage. After it is paid for, the meter money will go to Heart of the City,” she explained.
Fundraising events will also be part of the group’s future. On Feb. 22, the Heart of the City will be participating in the SeniorCitizens Olympics and in April, the Margarita Fest.
Hernandez who is referred to as the “H” in Heart of the City, moved to McAllen from Sullivan City when she was 18 years old. Many of her early working years were spent in businesses that populated McAllen’s historic downtown.
“We have to remember were we came from, and preserve it,” explaining her dedication to volunteering for her beloved Heart of the City.
Article is from The Business Times - January 31, 2008
Story by Kevin Knoch
Photo by Ivan Xavier Ramirez
