Abilene s DCOA at a glance
What does it do? The DCOA’s stated goals are: To use sales tax revenue to effectively stimulate Abilene’s economic growth by assessing the community’s economic development needs, develop a plan to meet those needs, coordinate community economic development efforts, support targeted activities that enhance the quality of life in the community and maximize the public’s return on invested dollars.
Other goals under that wider umbrella include:
► Increase job opportunities and capital investment in the community.
► Invest sales tax dollars in opportunities that “generate a positive return on investment in our community – investing for today and the future.”
Early discussion of a possible downtown entertainment district that would allow patrons to stroll from business to business while consuming beer or wine is on the Abilene City Council s agenda Thursday.
The area would include the city s cultural district downtown and the nearby South of Downtown Abilene District (SoDA), said City Manager Robert Hanna Monday.
Also under consideration is a one-time credit for water customers, rezoning property near Hardin-Simmons University for a proposed Braum s, roadway upgrades around the Five Points Business Park and more.
Cities such as Fredericksburg and Denison have created entertainment district successfully, Hanna said.
The district would basically serve as a defined space in which an individual would be able to go from a brewery or brewpub to a clothes shop or from a wine shop to a retail center, while carrying and drinking an alcoholic beverage on the public sidewalk.