Bisnow has learned that the City of Dickinson and Dickinson EDC have purchased 17 acres along I-45. (That's a polite way of expanding your city's space; we've come a long way from the Conquistador method.) And now they want you to come build on it.
Dickinson City administrator Julie Robinson tells us her area is growing exponentially, and her team has worked hard to improve the city over the last five years. Henry S Miller Houston retail division prez Shawn Ackerman is listing the tract for Dickinson EDC and the City, and tells us it’s impressive how much Dickinson has changed in such a short time. He says the hardest part of bringing a developer into any PPP is gauging the City’s commitment, and there’s no better sign than it buying the land. (Can't accuse someone of being afraid of commitment if they buy the ring.) Julie says that was a process—the Dickinson team had to acquire multiple tracts to compile this site.
The 17-acre tract sits at the corner of I-45 and FM 517; Julie says it’s the entry into Dickinson (and borders the Dickinson Bayou), so they want something special there that the City can be proud of. (It's like the lobby of the city.) She envisions a quality development with hotel, conference space, shops and restaurants, and perhaps a medical/professional building. Shawn (here with teammate Cyrus Chen) says it’s a phenomenal retail location—including 900 feet of I-45 frontage—and some retailers he spoke to at ICSC are already chomping at the bit. (He says it’s the only deal he’s worked where he’s had a ton of calls with interested parties before finalizing marketing materials.)
The hotel is the priority—if Shawn can’t find one buyer for the whole site, he’ll close a hotel first before filling in other uses. He tells us the perfect fit is an upscale select-service hotel with around 125 rooms. He’s impressed with how dedicated Dickinson is to the deal. Julie tells us her team (the City, the EDC, and the management district) will do whatever it takes to facilitate development. That will likely include some incentives. (Two years ago they revised their economic development program to build more flexibility into working with development as it comes.)
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