The top 10 development stories of Whats New – Beaumont Enterprise

Photo: Kim Brent / Kim Brent/The Enterprise

The top 10 development stories of Whats New

Southeast Texas saw a bevy of change in the retail scene this year with new businesses moving in and old staples growing or disappearing.

The Beaumont Enterprise launched a new ongoing feature called Whats New to help readers catch up with some of the latest business updates online in brief web stories and took broader looks at the highlights of the week in a Wednesday print column.

There is sure to be more coming in 2020, but here are a few of our favorites from the past year.

10) Chick-fil-A announced at the beginning of December that it is working to bring a location to Orange directly off the I-10 corridor on 16th Street. The location has been teased for more than a year after Orange Mayor Larry Spears Jr. announced the company was interested in developing the 16th Street area. The city has invested economic development dollars into the land around the commercial property for road upgrades and utility connections.

9) The developer bringing Walk-Ons Bistreaux & Bar to Mid-County teased that construction would start in November or December of this year. The story of the Louisiana-based franchise co-owned by Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees coming to Southeast Texas has been a microcosm of what growth and speculation has been like in the area. C.O. Vallet, a Lake Charles club owner, is bringing the franchise to Port Arthur after originally planning for a Beaumont location after seeing a boom in industrial investments.

8) After more than a year in development, Beaumont now has a Topgolf connection with the opening of 5 Under Golf Center. The centers double-deck driving range is still under construction, as is its outside bar, but the business opened to the public with its Topgolf Swing Suites. It is also an example of an older family business, Games People Play, changing in the hopes of creating a new business model in the city.

7) The Walmart Supercenter in West Orange finished a complete remodel and fully integrated new pick-up technologies in September. It is part of an ongoing plan to introduce the new grocery and online pick-up model to new markets throughout the state. Walmart plans to invest $265 million in renovations to Texas by the end of the year. It also plans to integrate 82 new pickup towers across the state.

6) Parkdale Mall and its parent company CBL Properties are creating a new business on the malls property set to open next year that embodies the changing landscape of modern retail investments. The large steel structure being built near the malls food court entrance will be a drive-thru, multi-level, climatized storage facility for long-term and short-term storage, according to the mall management. Kathryn Reinsmidt, executive vice president and chief information officer with CBL, briefly discussed the project in an August investors call, comparing it to other storage designs where the company has used its land as equity in the investment. The work led by EMJ Construction is expected to be completed sometime in the spring of 2020.

5) Southeast Texas saw an increase in online pick-up options as retailers shifted to attract customers inside their stores. Arts and crafts chain Michaels and UPS partnered to create drop-off points for packages called UPS Access Points at the Beaumont location and more than 1,100 other stores nationwide in October. The Michaels partnership followed the local Stein Mart on North Dowlen Road which was equipped with an Amazon Locker Hub in May. Big box stores like Target entered the delivery business with the acquisition of Shipt, while Kroger and Walmart increased their in-store pickup options regionally.

4) A new event space and retail center on North Major Drive in Beaumont, named the Major Event Center, became the latest addition to a quickly growing corridor for residential and retail investments. The center will be a space for conferences and parties that can fit as many as 500 people, according to the managing company. The overall retail space will also host a new pho restaurant, automotive business and possibly two other tenants. The event center will likely be open by February.

3) The new headquarters for Neches Federal Credit Union had big progress in 2019 and is on track to open in the spring. The 48,000-square-foot building at Magnolia Avenue and Merriman Street is expected to be finished in April. The project will complete the first step of the land swap with Port Neches-Groves ISD approved in fall 2017. The banks old office will become the districts new central administration building, putting all of the districts administrative staff in the same space for the first time.

2) Broussards BBQ made a November return in Beaumont with a new building and plenty of barbecue after it was destroyed in a May lightning storm. The restaurants interior was burned away. The structure was torn down to build anew. In its place is a new barbecue joint complete with the iconic green and yellow easily seen from 11th Street. Pitmaster Leonard Broussard, known to most as Mr. B, said losing the old building was a challenge thats kept him busy for the past six months, but its also created new opportunities. Gods got it, Broussard said He has plans, so maybe he didnt like that old building I was in. I kind of believe that.

1) After Tropical Depression Imelda swept through Southeast Texas and damaged businesses through central Beaumont and the I-10 corridor, residents waited for weeks to hear when some of their favorite spots would reopen. Twin Peaks reopened in late October after what company representatives called significant water damage to the building. Chilis followed at the end of November. Outback Steakhouse on I-10 South in Beaumont reopened in early December.

jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/jdickjournalism

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The top 10 development stories of Whats New - Beaumont Enterprise