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Odessa receives final draft of Downtown Masterplan

The Chairman for the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone said this plan is an essential component to the next steps in the process of new developments.

ODESSA, Texas — If you've been in Downtown Odessa, you've probably seen the new Marriott hotel or you've stopped by Torchy's Tacos to eat.

It's all part of the plan to make Downtown Odessa a hotspot. City officials are looking to bring more changes to the downtown area. A new firm, Kimley-Horn and Associates, was brought in to oversee the changes.

This week they've sent in their final draft. NewsWest 9 spoke with Craig Stoker, Chairman for the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ). He said this plan is an essential component to the next steps in the process that included public input.

"What we did in September was to involve the public through different meetings," said Stoker. "We had several meetings in the course of three days. This gave the public the opportunity to come give there opinion. It worked out really well because we had a great response to the surveys that were sent out."

Stoker said the final draft of the masterplan has been received back from the consultants. It's already been presented to the Odessa city council and is pending approval.

"Some of the highlights we are going to be able to implement pretty quickly are improvements to the side walks," said Stoker. "We are really going to be working on signs around the area. We want people to know there is parking available for free in downtown that people may not known about."

Stoker said the downtown plans include new opportunities for education and recreation. 

"We have some some great ideas like creating a festival area," said Stoker. "We can block the streets for events like farmers markets or an art walk. There is partnerships with different entities like the Odessa College and Odessa Arts."

Overall, Stoker believes the plan will help provide guidance with the money that is provided.

"There is not really specifics that are going to be laid out in this masterplan," said Stoker. "It's a general road map to things like improving housing, improving lighting, safety and bringing more restaurants and retail stores to downtown.

There will be a public presentation of the updated downtown masterplan on Thursday, February 24 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Copper Rose Building.

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