Downtown Revitatlization Action Plan

Lubbock, Texas

Lubbock is the largest city in west Texas but its downtown had lost much appeal. A mayoral task force commissioned a public planning process in which Development Strategies served as the economic and financing sub-consultant. Development Strategies converted regional market forces into opportunities for downtown growth and recommended a diverse land and building use program for downtown which formed the basis for a formal land use plan.

Market analysis and land planning classified eight key “districts” in downtown that were branded by their dominant or emerging uses. Catalytic projects to strengthen these districts were identified together with public-private capital costs to create or improve them. This resulted in a complex financing and “gap analysis” model, created by DS, that helped to prioritize projects with the greatest catalytic effect. Despite a first impression of a struggling downtown, the planning process revealed a great number of vibrant strengths that, for the most part, simply need more collaborative efforts to see them through.