Client | The Harlingen Economic Development Corporation
Project Completed | 2023
Services | Planning and Architecture Prime
Due to its extensive size, Project Organic incorporates a new connected pedestrian-focused retail “spine” road. This east-to-west connection that bridges from Ed Carey, crosses Camelot, and turns back down to Hale Street to allow for better overall connectivity (both vehicular and pedestrian) across the entirety of the project area. The spine creates the opportunity for a more urban inward-facing commercial main street types of development pattern.
Restaurant and retail spaces that are centered around vibrant and active public spaces see a higher volume of visitors and demand higher rents than those of traditional suburban strip malls set behind expansive parking lots. Within Project Organic, Main Street facing restaurants and retail spaces are focused around a “destination park/plaza” that makes visitors to the development want stay, eat, and shop.
Across the country, there has been a recent trend in consumer demand for eater-tainment concepts. These types of activated programs satisfy three main needs that help bring people to sites: food, activities, and social experiences. Project Organic benefits from an eater-tainment anchor node along Camelot that will serve as a destination for Harlingen and provide a great amenity for the medical district that will also help with recruitment of students and professionals. Flanking this anchor with a hotel will help drive foot traffic to the other restaurant/retail areas of the site.
Traditional regional detention basins are commonly built as a “hole in the ground” with little use beyond flood mitigation. The size of the detention basin required for Project Organic opens the potential for its use as a more naturalized park space and public amenity.
In order to create a diverse and socially vibrant community, the plan incorporate a wide range of housing types, including low- and high-density single-family and options for different scales of multi-family housing. Including various housing options and income levels within the plan is key to bringing a greater number of people to the site’s destinations.
The Project Organic TIRZ Plan was developed through a community-based process that began in March 2023. The goal of this process was to ensure that the plan was shaped by the lived experiences, perspectives, and needs of the community through meaningful and insightful engagement. The planning team aimed to amplify the voices of key stakeholders, build trust within the community, enhance the effectiveness of the TIRZ Plan, and identify needs and opportunities the plan could address. Throughout the design process, the team continuously analyzed, integrated, and validated findings alongside public input to inform the final Master Plan.
Working closely with the Harlingen Economic Development Corporation (HEDC), the planning team identified key stakeholders and scheduled a series of open public meetings and workshops. These stakeholders included property owners, members of the local real estate and development community, employees from relevant city departments, elected officials, and others. In total, the planning team facilitated three community workshops during the planning process. These sessions were essential for gathering input, evaluating design alternatives, and shaping a final direction that truly reflected community input.
In addition to public workshops, the planning team conducted one-on-one meetings with key stakeholders to gather feedback on the plan’s progress. These meetings helped build trust in the planning process and provided informal opportunities for property owners directly affected by the TIRZ Plan to express their concerns and share ideas about the plan’s direction.
Planning, Architecture Prime | Alamo Architects
Planning, Landscape Architecture | TBG
Civil Engineering | Halff
Market and Financial Analysis | Economic Planning Systems
2025 | American Planning Association, Texas Chapter (APATX)
Silver Award for Economic Development Planning
“Project Organic, TIRZ Master Plan for the Harlingen EDC;” a comprehensive economic redevelopment master plan for Harlingen, Texas.
