CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Halloween may be around the corner, but what’s really giving Alice city leaders a thrill this month isn’t ghosts or goblins…. it’s growth.
After years of economic hits from the oil and gas downturn, Alice officials say the city is finally seeing signs of a comeback. New homes, new businesses, and new confidence in the future.
City Manager Michael Esparza met this week with his department heads to talk through a string of development projects that could reshape the community.
“We are looking at a potential development of 358 houses in town,” Esparza said. “That’s pretty big for our community, especially from an economic development standpoint.”
Another smaller subdivision, with 27 homes is also planned on the city’s southwest side. For a town that’s seen its population and tax base shrink for years, it’s welcome news.
Restaurant owner Roberto Diaz, who recently opened Mr. Bones, said local entrepreneurs are feeling that same energy.
“We wanted to bring to Alice something different, something they don’t have,” Diaz said. “So they don’t have to go back to Corpus or San Antonio. Keeping it local.”
Alice has always been a hub for South Texas, sitting at the crossroads of major highways and rail lines. But now, with a new desalination plant designed to provide a long-term water supply, city leaders believe Alice is positioned to attract bigger industry.
“Water is a big part of our future,” Esparza added. “People are looking at us because of the availability of water.”
City Councilwoman Sandra Maldonado-Bowen says it’s time to turn that interest into jobs that keep families in town.
“We want a factory that could employ one to two hundred people, that’s economic development,” she said. “And we want those employees living and spending in our community.”
Esparza says sales tax numbers are climbing, and infrastructure upgrades are already underway. More signs that Alice might finally be turning the page.