Less than 1% of our population, 200 or so outspoken Kylites, spelled out what they want Kyle’s historic but run-down and declining center to become in Comprehensive Plan workshops. Such visionaries! Some want a “sin city” red light district with raucous music and smoking, doping, boozing and tattooing. Others want sophisticated Parisian sidewalk bistros serving fine wine with tasty cheeses, art galleries, fine bookstores, and people watching. Or maybe a faux-Disneyland for children with playgrounds, 24hr daycare and multi-screen cinemas.
Kyle leaders plan to implement some version of this nonsense. But are Kyle’s taxpayers readily and willing to take Kyle millions more in debt in a perhaps futile attempt to redo Kyle’s Old Town? And pay yet higher property taxes and higher utility rates? And forego desperately needed road improvements to unclog traffic and improve safety?
In the 15 years I have lived in Old Kyle, Kyle leaders have worsened the business and residential climate by their clumsy, incompetent zoning, hostility to historic preservation, and deliberate neglect of basic infrastructure. Their legacy is unsafe, non existent sidewalks for children to go to school, property-damaging out-of-control rainwater runoff, increased wildfire threats, rainwater infiltration of sewer lines so that raw sewage backs up into homes and bubbles up across from City Hall, and mobility hazards for disabled persons.
Lots of money might fix this in the future. Presently, Kyle can’t even deal with absentee landlords’ traveling trash and garbage piles, private trash dumps, code violation scofflaws, and trash burners who burn insulation off copper wire and old plastic lawn furniture.
Kyle leaders should partner up with the Plum Creek developers and create a real Kyle City Center at Koehlers Crossing and FM 1626 that all Kyle residents will be proud of and can take children to visitors to.
But, if Kyle’s leaders go ahead with Downtown Revitalization and, in the future, you visit Kyle’s new Shining City on the Hill, formerly known as Old Kyle, be prepared to park in a muddy ditch, try to keep your eyes from watering from the Dickensian smog and smoke, and watch for roaming pit bulls. Some pit bull owners list runaways on Lost Pet Amber Alert but most don’t. Magnum Mace Pepper Spray from Cabela’s is proven.
Jerry Kolacny
Kyle
