CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The city of Alice is revamping its Downtown area, hoping to make it more alluring for residents and visitors.
The ultimate goal is to boost the local economy and create a lively atmosphere.
Who better to ask about the growth and development of the city than a business owner and resident who's lived in Alice all his life?
Romeo Gonzalez is a pharmacist at Rushing & Gonzalez Pharmacy in Downtown Alice. He’s seen the city's efforts to bring more businesses downtown.
"For a while, there wasn't too many businesses Downtown," he said. “In the past few years we’ve seen it kind of get a little more lively."
Gonzalez has lived in Alice his entire life. He's 58 years old.
Mayor Cynthia Carrasco says, previously, Downtown didn't look inviting.
But by repaving parking areas, and doing away with vacant buildings, Downtown Alice is on its way to seeing better days.
"Without our business owners, and what they've invested in their businesses, they put a lot of work, a lot of hard work into their businesses," she said. "Without them, this revitalization would not be possible. I recommend coming down and looking at the lights at night, visit some of the restaurants, oh my gosh, we have some really cool restaurants."
Downtown Ambassadors secretary Jenna Hoffman said lighting transformed the nighttime space.
"So we're a year and a half in," she said. "We have two major projects completed. Our third project on the horizon is crosswalk art."
Gonzalez is hoping the city will continue to make progress Downtown so it will soon resemble a bustling and busy pharmacy like his.
"It's just gonna make our city much more vibrant," he said.