A new vision for Wells Fargo begins to emerge

Special by Kyle Kramm, Main Street & CVB director
(Seguin) — The City of Seguin and its consultants are continuing the process of developing a vision for the redevelopment of the Wells Fargo block. Two public meetings have been well attended and through survey forms at the meetings, the consultant and City are getting a clearer picture of what the community would like to see.

At the first meeting on February 21, there was a lot of discussion on the character of Seguin and downtown. Participants were asked to share what buildings and landmarks define Seguin’s character the most and the attendees felt the library, the Texas Theatre, Walnut Springs Park, Central Park, Park Plaza Hotel, and Starcke Furniture highlighted Seguin’s charm and character the most. The public at the meeting also discussed wanting more outdoor seating and the possibility of parklets and widening sidewalks to make that happen.

Overwhelmingly, attendees agreed that the rehabilitation of the historic structures on the site be a top priority for the project. 95 percent of attendees said restore the Nolte Bank building to its original design was important to the overall success of the project.

Attendees also shared the ideal uses for the site with restaurants, retail, hotel, and outdoor spaces being the highest scoring uses. Other elements the community mentioned as being needed or wanted included walkability, additional parking, public art, and more landscaping. Also mentioned was the importance of retaining the uniqueness of downtown Seguin.

At the second meeting on March 7, attendees heard about the economic impact the different development scenarios could have on the community.

Under development scenario 1 which would see minimal changes to the site, but a reworking of the existing facades to allow for additional retailers on the first floor, over the first ten years, there would be an economic impact of over $1 million in the rest of the downtown district. In the remaining scenarios, the economic impact over the first ten years to downtown would be between $3.4 million to $6.8 million.

These scenarios included the preservation and rehabilitation of the two historic structures and the demolition of the remaining structures to construct three to six stories to serve as additional retail space, a parking structure and possible hotel or residential options. Results from this meeting will be shared soon.

“We appreciate the support the community has shown with attending the first two public meetings,” said Kyle Kramm, Seguin Main Street & CVB Director, “We have one more meeting for the public to attend where we will go into more detail on the design elements of the building. Please join us for the last meeting on Wednesday, March 20 at 6 p.m.”

All presentations and project information can be found at www.visitseguin.com/wellsfargo.