Evolving Seguin’s Brand Promise Begins with Us

I am writing this post from the Quiet Reading Room at the Seguin Public Library. From here, I have a clear view of Walnut Creek, burbling along in the early January morning sunshine. The spire atop St. James Catholic Church peeks through the bare pecan trees, and walkers and joggers appear and disappear along the hike/bike trail below. The building itself is buzzy for an early Saturday morning with moms and kids, Texas Lutheran University students, and old people like me.

Truly, the library is the jewel in the city’s crown, fulfilling Mayor Don Keil’s promise that it would be a destination in the cultural heart of downtown Seguin. The community took a leap of faith in 2013, approving the $14 million needed to construct the library, which is nearly triple the size of the old space and innovative in both its architecture and services. Recently, the structure earned gold LEED certification, and continues to win recognition for its design. The original site, in my old College Street neighborhood, will become a park.

To me, the library is a symbol of all that Seguin is and can be. It’s proof that we can evolve our community “brand,” if only we believe in it ourselves. This morning I listened to a volunteer regale a young student with stories about Zanzibar and the beauty of Tanzania. Next week’s programs include a meeting of the French Language Club, yoga, and Saturday morning Tai-Chi. In Seguin. On Nolte Street. In. Seguin.

How many times have you said, or heard someone say, “Well, that’s Seguin for you.” I will admit that in the past I have described my hometown as the Gilligan of cities – well-intentioned, but somehow still manages to take a coconut to the head. When the library’s design was first shared publicly, I heard people say it was “too modern” for Seguin – and I don’t think they meant the architecture. I think we suffer from a crisis of confidence, a sort of collective low self-esteem that can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

But there is optimism in the air. It began with Walnut Springs Park (thank you, Mayor Betty Ann Matthies). It grew with Walnut Springs Trail, which connects the west side of Seguin through Park West to downtown and beyond. It continued with the beautiful renovation and expansion of Seguin High School (despite the scoreboard-seen-from-space debacle). It’s bolstered by the expansion and growth of services at Guadalupe Regional Medical Center, the last city-county funded hospital in the state. And HEB’s new store certainly reflects the company’s belief in Seguin’s potential. Lastly, while I have serious concerns about the wages and community contributions of our manufacturing base, we continue to attract new employers and manufacturing jobs – something our neighbors in New Braunfels and San Marcos lack.

It is equally interesting to note what we don’t have: large swaths of big box retailers, despite rumors for years of developments along I-10. And while it may be frustrating to trek to New Braunfels for a Target run, I would argue that this may be better for Seguin – at least for now – if we hope to position ourselves as an authentic small town that welcomes the contributions of locally-owned businesses. Such businesses are widely recognized as the backbone of healthy communities. And as Amazon and the internet disrupt the large brick-and-mortar stores that helped kill Main Street, mom-and-pop shops will experience a cultural and economic renaissance (revenge is a dish best served cold.)

Given these shifts, as we consider a master plan for our community we should carefully weigh the cultural and economic value of all types of development, and ensure it’s “right-sized” to the vision we have for Seguin.

Plans for thousands of new rooftops are in the works as the spillover from growth along the I-35 corridor begins to arrive in Pecantown. This is a wonderful opportunity. New residents mean new ideas, new dollars to be spent, and new demand for products and services. I hope we will act on the gift of this growth with the same mindset as we brought to the library and park system. How will we honor what makes Seguin unique (historic, charming, diverse) even as we embrace the belief that Seguin deserves “more?” How can we harness some of what makes Seguin a little, er, weird and prevent Seguin from becoming another soulless corridor city? Finally, how can we ensure that everyone in Seguin benefits from growth and build an equitable economic foundation that sustains us long-term?

Happily for Pecantown, these opportunities come at a time when data and predictive modeling are redefining the art and science of urban planning. For example, cities like Asheville, North Carolina are looking at the economic impact of land use on a per acre basis. As a result, Asheville determined that they would realize a 1,000 percent greater return on mixed-use developments in their downtown than retail centers at the edges of town (Why Downtown Development May Be More Affordable than the Surburbs).

With that kind of data in hand and a clear vision for what, where and how we want to develop and grow, we could look to creative strategies to drive investment in otherwise under-developed and economically-challenged parts of town. For example, small and large cities alike in Texas employ Tax Incremental Reinvestment Zones, or TIRZ, to jumpstart development and re-development in otherwise underserved areas. I can’t help but think of the west of side of Seguin, which has enjoyed considerable investment of late by the city in infrastructure, but could use a further economic shot in the arm.

Whatever our approach, it begins with us. We must change our brand perception, internally and externally – and I don’t just mean our city slogan or highway billboards (though, seriously, let’s take another look at our slogan and our billboards. I’m just sayin’….)

Pecantown benefits from a strong start, galvanized by city, community and business leaders in recent years. Happily and serendipitously, we are realizing those efforts at a time when growth and development are knocking like pecans on a tin roof in fall. Let’s keep the conversation going, involve as many and as diverse voices as possible, and move past our low expectations to make Seguin a model for what small-town Texas can be in the 21st Century and beyond.

P.S. I have added new links to old and new city master plans under Resources. It’s fascinating to compare the Seguin Comprehensive Master Plan of 2008 and the current Master Thoroughfare Plan.