SEGUIN, Texas — A ghost-town of a shopping center in Seguin is on track to receive major upgrades, with the goal of attracting big-name retailers.
The Seguin Economic Development Corporation announced the Seguin Crossroads Shopping Center at 1500 East Court Street is now under new ownership.
Houston-based PBC Interests plans to pour more than $5 million into redeveloping 126,000 square feet of commercial space.
The 1980s-era shopping center was at 32% occupancy at the time of the purchase, according to Josh Schneuker, director of the Seguin Economic Development Corporation.
“I think it’s going to be a really attractive option for retailers that have really been exploring opportunities in our market, especially with all the growth that we’re seeing in Seguin right now,” Schneuker said.
Beverly Rayna is among the residents looking forward to a revamped shopping center without having to leave Seguin.
“I’m excited to have new stores. At the current time, we drive to San Antonio, New Braunfels to go to the stores to shop because we really don’t have much here other than Walmart and H-E-B," she said.
Seguin remains an ever-growing community with just over 30,000 people.
Chester Jenke, president of the Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce, said the commercial redevelopment is a must to keep up with consumer demand, and to boost the local economy.
“If you look at our population right now, we’re looking at 30,000 with 15,000 houses coming to town. It’s crazy that we could be double the size in the five years,” Jenke said. “We’re going to have that retail to maintain and retain some of those dollars and cents inside of the city.”
But perhaps not everyone is on board with Seguin’s population and business growth.
“We are trying to grow responsibility. We are trying to focus on infrastructure. But my argument to that is with growth also comes opportunity.”
Redevelopment includes interior and exterior changes at the Seguin Crossroads.
Spring 2023 is the expected completion date for the shopping center’s makeover and opening of new businesses.