09-25-06 Regular Called Meeting of La Porte Development Corporation

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entrance corridor to show off the cultural and civic assets of the City. San Jacinto Boulevard, being one of the two major radial streets which converge at Sylvan Beach, is a logical improvement corridor and one that will likely stimulate land values immediately to the east of the Bay Shore Sub -district. 4. Another opportunity for an entrance corridor to Sylvan Beach is further south via Fairmont Parkway, the contemporary access to Sylvan Beach. Far less interesting in its visual character due to the development patterns along it, the Fairmont Parkway corridor could be enhanced through landscaping, signage control s and setback standards. However, since the development along this corridor is relatively recent, it is unlikely that significant changes can be easily encouraged. It appears therefore, that Main Street and of Fairmont Parkway are likely to maintain their distinctly different visual and historical characters as approaches to Sylvan Beach. 5. Another major opportunity lies in the redevelopment of the historic commercial circular areas immediately adjoining the site of the proposed waterfront hotel. This area is key to the stimulation of visitor traffic to Sylvan Beach and, thereby, to the economic development of the City of La Porte. It is a means by which retail support services can be encouraged in the hotel waterfront area. To better understand the density and type of development that should occur, a detailed examination of the feasibility of this area should be undertaken in a future study. Opportunities for higher - density residential land uses in the Marina Waterfront District exist, and this would be a strong candidate location for such development. 6. A sixth project is the development of a marina. This entails the construction of a break -water and marina basin immediately off of Sylvan Beach and directly in front of the proposed hotel site. It would provide a picturesque, functional, recreational amenity for the City of LaPorte. A mixture of private and public boat slips, floating restaurants, and, possibly, a private yacht club could become a vital, active marina development. A suggestion for the relocation of the public park area displaced by the proposed hotel site and marina complex is to the Harris County property immediately to the north of the proposed site and south of the nursing home. 7. A seventh project to consider is the redevelopment of the residential areas immediately to the south of Sylvan Beach Sub -district, employing public - sector investment and infrastructure. Particularly, it is suggested that the development of creeks and canals along public right-of-ways be explored. This would substantially increase the value of internal parcels of land and, thereby, provide stimulus for new residential construction. Spill -over development associated with this canal program would occur immediately adjoining residential areas, raising both the desirability and property values in the northern part of the Marina Waterfront District. Fully understanding the possibilities of this type of developmental stimulus requires a detailed study of the proposed redevelopment areas. Of particular concern in this type of study are engineering issues such as relocation and/or abandonment of underground utilities, condemnation of private and/or public lands to accommodate canal construction, vehicular access to contained areas, life safety, as well as other political and financial issues. •24•