The City of Rockdale is undertaking a massive, longput- off water line replacement project that will finally eliminate our red water issues. Check.
In May, voters will go to the polls to vote on a school bond package that, when passed and the work is complete, will bring all RISD campuses up to where they need to be for expected future growth. Updated and safe schools also help with enrollment and revenue. Check.
Love it or hate it, the TxDOT project will be completed in early 2023 giving us new roads, sidewalks and an improved downtown. Check.
In other words, Rockdale has a lot of things going for it to make it attractive to new residents and businesses.
So what else should we be doing and why should we do it?
On Monday the Rockdale Municipal Development District held a lunch-and-learn at the Patterson Civic Center from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The topic of conversation was making Rockdale an attractive place for new residents.
The talk was given by Steve Spillette, an Urban Development Strategist with Community Development Strategies, a national consulting firm located in Houston who has worked with Rockdale MDD on other projects.
Increasing attractiveness increases our tax base and that can only be a good thing for the city, who can provide additional services for residents with the extra money.
It also increases support for businesses, both established ones and helping to attract new ones. Old businesses can be revitalized with programs like the MDD façade grants making them more attractive. Just look at The Snug and the Christian Information Bookstore. Programs like this also help Rockdale get on the radar for business expansion and relocation.
Once on the radar, Rockdale will attract a variety of housing developments. In addition to our big new 660home neighborhood, we need apartments and other types of dwellings.
The city has also passed two new ordinances “with teeth” to help make Rockdale more attractive. One of them has to do with businesses with too many tires in front of them that are an eyesore. The other one is a help to revitalize downtown. Property owners who are not actively trying to fix up their empty downtown buildings or sell them are going to be in for a rude awakening after years of the city not being aggressive with building owners about downtown revitalization and the owners reticence to help it happen.
Attendees of the MDD lunch-and-learn came away from Monday’s meeting with the idea that, yes, we could do more to help Rockdale grow, but we are already off to a good start by fixing the water issues, school improvements and everything else Rockdale’s doers are getting done.
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