I ventured into downtown Amarillo this morning and saw a fairly dramatic sight.
Construction is well underway on three major parcels of property.
I had noted in an earlier blog about the view of those parcels from atop the Chase Tower.
However, as I made my way to keep an appointment with Potter County Sheriff Brian Thomas for a story I’m writing for KFDA NewsChannel 10, I was stunned to see how much progress has occurred on those sites.
Traveling along Buchanan Street from south to north, I took note of these sites.
The Southwestern Public Service office complex that is now several stories high. The floors aren’t done. The crews have just framed them, but they’re now looming above the ground — with a huge construction crane towering over the project.
The parking garage lot has been leveled and is now full of building material.
The Embassy Suites convention hotel site perhaps was the most stunning of all. Crews have poured the concrete slab. The site is full of building materials. But rising from the ground is what looks like an elevator shaft, which means that the beginning of the building’s superstructure is beginning to take shape.
The multipurpose event venue site across the street hasn’t yet been disturbed, but its day is coming.
There’s a good news/bad news/better news sequence taking place.
The good news? The construction reveals a lot of vibrant activity downtown where there had been little for many years.
The bad news? Crews have had to close off east-west streets to keep traffic away from the construction work.
The better news? When it’s all done, downtown is going to look dramatically, spectacularly different — and better — than it does today.
I could not help but ponder as well this final thought.
Why in the world did the city feel the need to peel away economic development responsibilities from Downtown Amarillo Inc. — which has played a huge role in what’s transpiring downtown at this moment?