Garland's Billion-Dollar Bet: How vision, bonds, and business-friendly moves are transforming the city
Garland has seen a flurry of development over the past six years. More than two dozen parks and playgrounds have been upgraded, the Downtown Square has been revitalized, and a new police training facility and the first of three new fire stations have opened.
Also new: The Animal Shelter & Adoption Center, plus a renovated Central Library and a rebuilt Holford Recreation & Aquatic Center. On the horizon: a new senior activity center and an expansion of Naaman School Road.
These projects have and will continue to come to life thanks to the 2019 voter approval of the City's $423.7 million bond program. That initiative focused on amenities to serve citizens by improving their quality of life and has been a 'momentum builder' for investment in Garland, said Judson Rex, City Manager. Prior to 2019, the last time the City issued bond debt was in 2004.
'The 2019 measure passed so affirmatively it opened the door to progress and opportunity that had otherwise not been available for a very long time,' he said, noting 100% of the projects in that program are in progress and more than 70% are complete.
Garland voters now must consider the 2025 Grow Garland Bond Program that has four propositions:
A – Streets ($230 million). Citywide street and alley improvements, gateway and corridor beautification.
B – Economic development ($75 million). Revitalization, neighborhood vitality, land assembly, development incentives (South Garland, Medical District, Harbor Point).
C – Cultural arts ($25 million). Includes renovation of the Granville Arts Center.
D – Parks and recreation ($30 million). Public waterfront access, trails, and other parks and recreational amenities targeted at Harbor Point.
If approved, the 2025 program will allow Garland to borrow money by issuing debt. Early voting is underway and election day is May 3.
No tax rate increase is needed for the 2025 $360 million bond program. 'Our tax base has grown considerably over the past 10 years, and we have retired old debt,' Rex said.
Garland has below-average property and sales tax revenue per capita, 'a problem that we are trying to solve by pursuing economic development and redevelopment,' he said.
'All of these 2025 propositions will come together to improve our picture for business attraction and development. Each one will contribute in a way that will help grow Garland's economy for future generations.'
The 2019 and 2025 bond measures represent a nearly $1 billion investment in the city.
City's vision, plan and capital investment impress restaurateurs
The economic development portion of the 2025 bond program is geared toward bringing more commercial amenities to Garland so residents don't have to leave to enjoy a great restaurant or browse a trendy shop. It's also meant to continue the momentum that started in 2019 to make the city a destination for visitors.
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Popular pizza restaurant Fortunate Son opened in the revitalized Downtown Square, at 500 Main St. in March 2024. A D Magazine writer visited on a Saturday night shortly after it opened and reported an hourlong wait list. Fortunate Son owners Matt Tobin and Josh Yingling also own Goodfriend Beer Garden & Burger House in Dallas.
It was at Goodfriend that a loyal customer introduced a Downtown Square building owner and Garland City officials to Yingling. The hope was the restaurateurs would open the concept in Garland.
'I didn't have an interest in going into Garland,' Tobin said. 'The building owner said, 'You won't even come take a look?' I said, 'That's fair.''
In 2023, Tobin and Yingling visited Garland, bringing along their wives for their objective opinion. The Downtown Square was completely torn up at the time because of revitalization work, but everyone liked what they saw – a City making an investment in itself for the future.
'We had a good feeling about the City and what it was committed to,' Tobin said. 'It had a vision, a master plan and an enormous amount of money it was putting into its downtown. That includes the park across the street in the middle of a centralized square that just screams community and a gathering place.'
The park project includes a vast recreational lawn, a tree house playscape inside a play area for children, a shade pavilion for impromptu concerts, patios, a water feature and a vertical prism gateway feature that lights up at night. The restaurant partners also liked that Garland's open container ordinances made it legal for customers to purchase drinks they can take with them when they walk around other areas of the Downtown Square.
'The success of this project was achieved through a collaborative partnership among the restaurant owner, property owner and the City,' said Garland Economic Development Director Ayako Schuster. 'Through our shared vision and commitment, we successfully transformed a former furniture store into a vibrant, one-of-a-kind destination restaurant.'
The City of Garland provided financial assistance to the restaurant and property owner. The City also provided the restaurant owners with a City liaison to answer questions or troubleshoot issues during the build out.
'Garland City government is young minded and forward thinking,' Tobin said. 'They were absolutely fantastic to work with, so much so that we still keep in touch with our liaison. Everybody involved in the project was open minded and ready to help. In our experience of opening multiple restaurants over the years, I can tell you we have never experienced – in terms of working with a City in such a positive way – anything like this before.'
'Texas two-step': Business-friendly approach and bonds
In addition to the incentives, Rex said the Fortunate Son story is an example of how economic development in Garland is about how you treat people.
'Anytime we interact with a business, our different departments work together to become the face of Garland and demonstrate that we're here to help them find a way to achieve what they want to accomplish,' Rex said. 'Writing a check is easy. We also want to roll out the red carpet so it is easy to work with us. If you combine the bond program projects with our business-friendly attitude, you get the 'Texas two-step.' It shows the business community we're ready to work with you to bring your project to life.'
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