LUMBERTON, Texas — Lumberton residents and those in surrounding areas could soon have a new shopping and eating destination thanks to a Houston-based real estate company.
Plans are in the works for a retail development site off Highway 69 just south of Lumberton High School. The brains behind the upcoming development are with NewQuest Properties.
NewQuest Properties is a privately-owned, full-service commercial real estate company.
Employees with NewQuest scout out smaller areas for high growth and development. They saw Lumberton as the perfect fit.
“Lots of young families, wonderful school districts, and a very inviting community from the mayor to the council, to everybody in that area,” Andrew Alvis, vice president and development partner of NewQuest Properties, said.
Alvis said the goal of the development is to give Lumberton residents and young families somewhere to go and enjoy themselves. The company is looking to offer everything from restaurants to ice cream shops to nail salons.
“We want people to be able to come here in the morning, do a little shopping, get some breakfast, drop their kids off at school, come back over, hang out with their friends while the kids are at school, and then stay there all day until they got to pick their kids back up,” Alvis said.
At the site, a Starbucks is close to being fully operational, and developers hope to bring other popular spots like Chick-fil-A. Developers also plan on adding a greenspace, since it has done well in other developments sites such as in Katy and Missouri City.
“It's what people want nowadays,” Alvis said. “I got two little kids and my life revolves around where can I go to take my kids that I can have fun, and they can go out, and just play and be with friends. So, these little greenspace projects are very important to us.”
Area business owners are excited about the incoming addition to the city. They believe it will put Lumberton on the map and be good for business.
“Brings more traffic through Lumberton,” Mike Wright, Longhorn Liquor store manager, said. “Hopefully more people to the store that I'm at, so it's positive all the way around.”
The development is still in the early planning stages, but Alvis is confident it will be a hit for the area.
“It'll be cool," Alvis said. "We're moving forward, and it's gonna be a space where I believe the community is gonna revolve around it."
NewQuest is working with a developer out of Beaumont, who wants to put a food hall at the site. Developers said a tentative date to have the new development finished is the end of 2023.
Also on 12NewsNow.com ...