Hugo A. Sepúlveda 
Valeria Tokun Haga/THE RIDER
City of Brownsville officials discuss the Downtown Renaissance Master Plan, which seeks to revitalize and support the growth happening downtown by a community-led project.
The Downtown Renaissance Master Plan kicked off on Aug. 1, which by now is halfway through the planning phase which will end May 2026 for the city commission adoption, according to Brownsville City Downtown Manager Allan Garces.
Garces said the project is driven by downtown stakeholders, which include business owners, property owners, nonprofits and the community.
“This project is really about getting their feedback, what they want to see,” he said. “If they have plans of their own, how we can help and incorporate that into our plans.”
According to the downtown manager, 870 people have filled out a survey for feedback.
“That just kind of shows how many people have been interested in the downtown area,” Garces said. “I think, considering it’s halfway through the process, I think that’s a lot of good feedback and we’re taking it all.”
He said, as far as the different feedback gathered from the community input, residents mentioned additional lighting, improvement on street furniture, trashcan replacements, a trolley addition, shade for walking and parking issues.
Garces added the master plan has been supported by the city commission.
“We needed to have this plan, so that we’re able to have the roadmap for the future,” he said. “So, they are very aware of this project and how it’s needed. But they’re also aware that we need to listen to the community about the things that need to happen downtown.”
Garces said his expectation for when the plan is completed is to have a “thriving downtown.”
“We wanna make sure that downtown is inviting and it is friendly and that it’s easy for even those that are outside of here to come visit and invest,” he said.
Ana Lucio, a UTRGV biomedical science sophomore, said she frequents downtown three or four times a month and added there is “not much” to complain about issues downtown.
“I’ve seen a lot has been resolved,” Lucio said. “My only complaint right now would be that there are still few roads closed.”
She said she thinks it is “great” to have a master plan that seeks to improve downtown.
“I think it’s good that they’re trying to preserve history and make sure that downtown isn’t forgotten just into the history of Brownsville, and it can still keep part of our history,” Lucio said.
Valeria Tokun Haga/THE RIDER
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