La Porte uses grants, events to boost downtown
The city of La Porte is making an extra effort to encourage businesses to open and thrive in its historic downtown district.
La Porte offers enhancement grants, matching up to $50,000 for improvements, said Scott Livingston, La Porte economic development coordinator. Eligible projects include façade upgrades, renovations, beautification and addition of awnings, canopies, porches and signage.
The program is designed to encourage owners to beautify or enhance their businesses,” Livingston said.
A number of businesses have taken advantage of the program, including professional offices, retail businesses, restaurants and a craft retreat called And Sew It Began — Pieceful Stitches.
And Sew It Began owner Ronda Stockton lauded the program, in which the entities that meet city criteria can be reimbursed for half of costs for an upgrade up to $50,000. Her business received a grant of almost $9,339.
“I was able to participate and it greatly benefited us with reimbursement of our front windows and a good portion of our landscaping.” Stockton said. “The city of La Porte was very gracious to offer such a program; it was something I didn’t know existed and something that we truly appreciated.”
Aubry Sartori owner of Stepping Stone Funeral Home said, “The grant was a great way to introduce Stepping Stone to the community with a wonderful facelift for the building.”
The funeral home received a
grant of about $14,935.
Last month, the city expanded the program to all businesses in the city instead of just in downtown in an effort to foster more economic development.
The grants resulted from a strategic plan conducted in 2009, Livingston said.
“One thing that it identified was an opportunity to revitalize and redevelop our older commercial corridors, along Main Street and South Broadway,” Livingston said.
So far, the city has spent $131,697 on the enhancement grants.
The city was established and platted in 1892. Over the years, some of the old buildings were lost to a fire and the storm of 1900, but several on Main Street remain.
Also in 2009, La Porte received a beautification grant from the HoustonGalveston Area Council and the Economic Alliance–Houston Port Region to build a gateway at Main Street and Texas 146 that would identify La Porte as a member city of the San Jacinto Historic District.
In March 2010, the La Porte Economic Development Corp. completed construction of Five Points Town Plaza, which was created as a downtown place for events and a community gathering space.
The gateway and park are part of an effort to draw more commercial development to a city where population that has surged to about 35,000 over the past 20 years wasn’t matched by business growth, Livingston said.
“We were hoping to get a lot of retail development, but it all went to Pasadena and Deer Park,” he said. “We can’t let our businesses die, and at the same time, we need to improve, enhance and preserve the buildings we have here.”
Livingston said the city hopes to attract more mom-and-pop businesses.
The city is looking to create a program to guide entrepreneurs, he said.
He said having a strong local economy depends on the development of a thriving commercial district.
“If you don’t have places in town to shop and dine, people will go out of town to spend money,” he said. “It’s retail leakage.”
Livingston feels confident that La Porte can become a destination for shoppers on the hunt for something different.
“We’d like to create a niche environment, where people come to La Porte to find things they can’t find at the mall,” he said. “We’re trying to create a nostalgic and unique shopping experience.”
Jaree Hefner, marketing specialist for La Porte, has started a branding effort to drive traffic downtown by adding events to the city’s calendar.
She creates events that will pair with independent businesses along Main Street, which include a wine bar, several antique and resale shops and an upscale grill and bar.
“We’ve attempted to bring events to the area that will complement that in an effort to build those businesses and their customer base,” she said.
So far, La Porte has added the Sunset Sip and Stroll Farmers Market and Mardi Gras on Main.
This year, the city will debut the “Texas Tea Affair” and the “Search for Lafitte’s Gold,” which will feature an Octoberfest Beer Garden, as well as a city-wide scavenger hunt for gold coins hidden in geocaches.
Hefner has also conducted “Let’s Put La Porte on the Map” workshops.
“They cover everything from getting your business online, getting found on Google search and maps, advertising online, and we added information on Facebook,” she said.
She said the workshops are small enough to focus on the individual needs of each business owner.
“Our goal with all of these events, big and small, is to showcase our downtown and the people who call La Porte home,” Hefner said. “We also want to bring in new faces, and attract new potential business owners to the area as well — once they fall in love with the community we have here.”
Hefner said that the growth of La Porte has affected the landscape of the city.
“Traffic patterns changed, big freeways were built and what used to be the main thoroughfare for travelers has now become a side street,” she said.
She believes that residents are nostalgic for the way things were and that they would welcome the chance to bring that sense of yesteryear back. She is also convinced that shoppers want to find hidden gems tucked away in towns with a slower pace.
“That’s truly what we have here in La Porte, and we are excited to see it coming back to life before us,” she said.
Livingston said the city is also considering changes in streetscapes ranging from lighting and landscaping to sidewalk pavers and benches.
“We want to make it more attractive and more pedestrian-friendly,” he said. “It takes time to work through the problems and come up with solutions.”