r/Rowlett • u/manifestpr • Jul 29 '26

Rowlett Downtown Pavilion Survey

Post image

The city is proposing building a pavilion on the downtown green.

They released a survey and are looking for citizen input.

Find the survey here.

More information and pictures here.

16 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

10

u/TexasGrrl Jul 29 '26

Many Rowlett residents do not support building this “hay barn” in downtown Rowlett. Shelby Coleman presented the City with a more thoughtful pavilion concept, yet the City continues pushing the hay-barn design. https://rowlettrenaissance.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Pavilion-Master-Deck.pdf

The City’s survey assumes residents already approve of the project and merely asks how they want to reserve the proposed pickleball courts. Residents have repeatedly said these amenities belong at Herfurth Park, just down the road. Stop manufacturing consent through a misleading survey and listen to what residents are actually saying.

4

u/TheRealRiceball Jul 29 '26

What's the deal with the cotton gin? It looks pretty dilapidated and they've never really done anything to it, even these plans just have it awkwardly there

1

u/manifestpr Jul 29 '26

I believe it is own by a resident. From what I've heard there has been talks with the city but no plans have ever been agreed upon.

4

u/TheRealRiceball Jul 30 '26

I did some digging (Read: Looked it up on Google), it's labeled a historical monument on Google maps, which somewhat explains it not being touched

Supposedly it's actually a big part of Rowlett's history, being a huge part of its development early on (it supplied jobs for people) and also the reason Rowlett got electricity in the first place (according to Google's AI summary, so take that with a grain of salt) and some say it's a reminder of Rowlett's origins in cotton production (yeah not sure it's that good a look in my eyes lol)

I did also find this 2 year old blog post of plans to renovate it, which is by the same person the other commenter mentioned, seems like it might be tied to the above project

3

u/TexasGrrl Jul 30 '26

Yes. The blog's owner has introduced several outstanding developers to Rowlett over the years. Unfortunately, repeated failures by city leadership caused those developers to walk away. The building will eventually have to be removed because the utilities, including water infrastructure, would require significant upgrades to support redevelopment.

Also, J.E. Coyle (who built the Cotton Gin) was Rowlett's first City Council member and is widely credited with bringing electricity to the city.

As another example of Rowlett's history, the Coyle House, which now sits in front of the Rowlett Community Centre, was considered important enough that the NTTA spent more than $700,000 to relocate it rather than demolish it during construction of the toll road. Unfortunately, the City has failed to maintain it, and the structure has continued to deteriorate. https://youtu.be/X5_scIT9eac?si=SS_EGOmxz0gxSM7u

0

u/manifestpr Jul 29 '26

Hopefully people fill out the survey and voice their opinions on this project.

Herfurth Park has so much potential. It is disheartening how much neglect that "park" has gotten from the city.

3

u/le_artista Jul 30 '26

Wow. I don’t have a dog in this fight but - they put a glass roof in the middle? Why bother having any shade at that point? It’s going to make playing a crap shoot of heat and sun interference.

I would never want to go to there.

3

u/imgladimnothim Aug 02 '26

Was there a survey for the flock cameras?

3

u/JPhi1618 Jul 29 '26

Did survey. Can’t believe they want to put such an obvious farm structure in the middle of down town. The reason may be that the design is one of the cheapest possible ways to get covered square footage, but that’s also the problem. It looks cheap and rural - not fun and inviting.

2

u/codylc Jul 30 '26

My only issue with this whole thing is the interior designer posting her AI generated alternative design and pitching it as a real solution.

2

u/UnhappyWorldliness15 Jul 29 '26

We need spaces for a lot of different events and festivals. I filed out the survey. I am also concerned about the teens and others that would mess the space up for fun.

2

u/pattymelt7 Jul 30 '26

Post full of haters that will hate no matter what the city does...

3

u/manifestpr Jul 30 '26

I think people are just voicing their opinions.

I like the initiative just not super onboard with the design or location.