RIO GRANDE CITY — For the first time, two national chains will set up shop in Starr County, signaling a possible new wave of economic development in the county.
Rio Grande City and Starr County officials on Wednesday broke ground on the construction of what will be the county’s first Starbucks, their first Panda Express, and an additional Stripes Convenience Store.
“Today is really a very exciting day for Rio Grande and Starr County,” said Starr County Judge Eloy Vera. “This is probably the biggest — if not, certainly one of the biggest — economic development projects that we’ve had for a very, very long time, if not ever.”
“I think this will be the seed that will begin a domino effect into our unemployment and job creation and economic development,” he added.
The construction of those three commercial properties is part of the Rio Grande Village project, a mixed-use development that will sit on 150 acres of land across from the Walmart in Rio Grande City. To bring the project to life, the city partnered with St. Ives Realty LLC, a Dallas-based real estate developer.
The first business to settle onto the property was a new Whataburger that opened late last year and plans are in place for Buffalo Wings & Rings and Hilton Hotels & Resorts to open locations there as well.
“I think that the best way for us to describe this is that we broke ground today not just on some commercial sites but on new beginnings and greater opportunities,” said Rose Benavidez, president of the Starr County Industrial Foundation. “This is going to create millions of dollars of investment, it is going to generate between $1-2 million annually when it’s all said and done in sales tax revenue back to this community but, more importantly, between 500-700 new jobs.”
Such economic development, Benavidez said, is a significant part of the county’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In a community that saw a lot of loss during the pandemic, and we knew that this recovery was more about economics,” she said. “It was about the community moving forward.”
“We had a great effort vaccinating, we’re already over 70% fully vaccinated in Starr County, and so we’re seeing now what the resiliency and the collaboration can do and we’re witness to it so we’re excited.”
The Starr County Industrial Foundation, the Rio Grande City Economic Development Corporation, the city and other county officials, had been working on Rio Grande Village project for at least seven years. When officials broke ground on the first phase of the project in November 2019, they expected many of the retail and commercial stores would be completed by fall 2020. But, of course, the pandemic — along with flooding and the freezing temperatures experienced earlier this year — caused delays and even led to some tenants to rethink their plans about opening a location there.
“It made everything slow, late, made everybody question their decisions,” said Jim Gissler, a partner in St. Ives Realty. “After the pandemic, things took a step back as far as tenants were concerned but we’ve got new contracts working; some of the tenants that had left are now back at the table and that’s most exciting.”
Benavidez further explained that the pandemic caused tenants to rethink their plans because brick and mortar is now just one component on top of online and curbside.
“So everyone is reassessing what the look is going to be like but we know they’re going to be here,” she said.
Most of the individual businesses will be open by the end of summer, Benavidez said, and by fall, at least five or six new business will be fully operational.
