Waco, Texas: The Blue Building Site
Abandoned but Not Forgotten: A Neglected Building Gets Another Look
To the citizens of Waco, Texas the term “brownfield” is synonymous with the “Blue Building” site, a
5.1-acre plot of land housing a run-down, vibrantly painted abandoned building. Formerly a
pesticide and herbicide batching facility owned by the now-defunct Southwest Chemical Company,
the site has since been used for a number of enterprises including a haunted house and an adult
entertainment facility. Although the building is now vacant, ground and water contamination
remain, hampering the present owner’s ability to sell the property. The City has stepped in to help.
City officials are eager to redevelop the site and bring it back into productive use. Located on the
east side of the city within a federally designated Enterprise Zone, the Blue Building’s location
could be particularly valuable for commercial development. Due to its accessibility to the freeway
and close proximity to several hotels and attractions such as the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and
Museum, as well as to Baylor University, city officials are optimistic that the site will soon become
economically viable.
In 2002 the City of Waco received an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields
Assessment Grant to address the Blue Building site and other properties in East Waco. The grant
is being used to conduct community outreach as well as fund assessments and engage in
remediation planning. Now that environmental assessments have been completed, the city is
working to get the building demolished and to remediate pesticide and herbicide contamination
discovered at the site. Participants are eager to progress to the site planning and redevelopment
stage. They are striving to craft a plan that will benefit the adjacent community—an isolated, lowincome, minority neighborhood—while also providing services that will attract visitors to the city.
Regardless of the site’s final use, community members can look forward to an increase in the
environmental conditions and aesthetic quality of the gateway to their neighborhood.
The Blue Building Site and Neighboring Community
Situated in downtown Waco’s Brazos River Corridor, the Blue Building site sits on one of the city’s
last undeveloped freeway interchanges along Interstate Highway 35. This neighborhood of 3,000
residents is located in an isolated pocket of East Waco, surrounded on all sides by highways and a
railway spur. Few services are offered in the immediate community other than a small
neighborhood store. Residents must leave the neighborhood to meet many of their needs—a
difficult task for the elderly and those who do not own cars.
A large number of disadvantaged citizens reside near the site, with almost half living below the
poverty line. Eighty-eight percent are ethnic minorities with African Americans being the
predominant group. Although some homes in the neighborhood are well-maintained, there are also
many blighted and vacant properties. The city’s infill housing program has helped bring new,
attractive affordable housing to the area, but some residents continue to live in substandard
conditions. Redevelopment participants hope that these residents in particular will benefit from the
services and jobs brought about by the revitalization effort. Although the site is underutilized and
contributes to blight in the neighborhood, the building’s shell remains an East Waco landmark.
Distinctive and easily recognizable, many of Waco’s citizens are familiar with the Blue Building site
and its unique history. Mike Jones from the City of Waco explains:
“It was at one time a haunted house. People remember the haunted house a little bit
but they all remember the X-rated movie theater which is very interesting… People
noticed it not because… [they thought it] was the big scandal—I think it was the
location. One, you can’t miss a building that color with three X’s on top and that
goes to show the accessibility. People notice things on the freeway and they’re
drawn to that.”
The Blue Building Site Awaits Redevelopment
Once planning activities are completed, participants hope to capitalize on the site’s location to
attract developers. Optimistic that the site has many attractive benefits, Jones notes, “Developers
like access to freeways—to be noticed. It is one of the few interchanges that doesn’t have
something on that particular corner.” He also argues that new businesses could obtain their staff by
drawing from the adjacent residential neighborhood—a win-win for citizens and managers alike.
However, there are many more steps the city must take before the community can realize
significant benefits from the site. Currently working to remediate contamination and demolish the
building, the city is continuing its long-standing efforts to educate citizens about brownfields and
the site, as well as encourage them to share their own hopes for the future.
Public Participation: So Far So Good
The City of Waco has been working diligently to make sure that citizens adjacent to the Blue
Building—as well as those in the rest of the city—are informed about the site and redevelopment
efforts. Public involvement activities began early in the process. Prior to applying for an EPA
Brownfields Cleanup grant, city staff person Mike Jones printed notifications regarding the site in
both English and Spanish and posted them in public libraries. He provided comment cards for
people to record ideas for the future redevelopment. He also sent out comment cards to
community members in the neighborhood adjacent to the site, asking them what uses they would
like to see.
Although the library displays did not generate much feedback, several neighborhood residents
returned completed comment cards to the city. Citizens expressed a wide range of ideas for the
site, ranging from Laundromat to museum to gas station to convenience store. These responses
have helped the city understand the community’s preliminary ideas for the site. City staff members
were also pleased to learn that the types of uses local citizens are generally interested in—basic
services—could also benefit visitors to the city. Citizens were pleased by the city’s efforts to get in
touch with them. Community member Jimmy Freeman felt that the cards provided “plenty of
information” about the site and the nature of the issues there. He mentions that the cards helped to
generate discussion about the project amongst neighbors as well.
The city has also shared information about the Blue Building redevelopment through the media and
city council meetings. The project has been featured prominently in several newspaper articles,
which has led to citizen inquiries. Additionally, it has been possible to spread news about the
redevelopment process through traditional community involvement vehicles such as city council
meetings, because the citizens of Waco closely follow the proceedings—especially when topics
related to economic development are covered. People who are unable to attend meetings in
person can watch television recordings which are replayed several times throughout the following
week.
Another way in which city brownfields manager Mike Jones shares information related to the
project is by nurturing relationships and encouraging open lines of communication with many
different people and organizations throughout Waco. For instance, he has created a connection
with the East Waco Development Corporation, which works to attract more businesses to the city’s
east side. He keeps the corporation’s president abreast of any developments in the redevelopment
effort. Furthermore, he regularly stops to chat with acquaintances on the street where he gives
updates and invites people to call him for more information. By relying on both formal, professional
connections and casual, informal contact, Mike Jones keeps citizens and professionals alike
informed.
Citizens in Waco tend to be active in decisions affecting their community. One participant shares
that Waco has “a very open and vocal community when they want to know something.” Although
many voices have already been heard, certain populations’ views—such as the elderly
community’s—are more difficult to obtain. Despite impressive efforts to reach out to diverse
residents, city staff members believe more outreach needs to be done. But before formally
soliciting additional community feedback the city plans to demolish the building. As one participant
explains, “people have a better insight into what that property can be once the building’s gone”.
Building on What Came Before: Next Steps for the Blue Building
Brownfields redevelopment often yields high-market condos and other uses not accessible to lower
income surrounding communities. These projects are pursued with very little citizen input guiding
the plans. The City of Waco is taking a different approach and is looking to craft a plan with the
help of local citizens as well as select a developer who will be interested in building projects
citizens will support.
Although planning activities are still in their infancy, the City of Waco has made impressive efforts
to hear the community’s opinions. Once the building is demolished, participants will pursue
additional formal planning activities. Community member Jimmy Freeman encourages the city to
continue reaching out to diverse citizen groups by using a variety of different methods: “not just the
cards…get it out through TV or paper…radio, or whatever. They’ll get it one way or the other.
Some don’t like watching TV too much—they read the paper. Some people can not do anything
without watching TV.” As the process moves forward to the next stage, the city will need to
continue and intensify its multifaceted approach if it wishes to reach all segments of the community
City staff members’ willingness to foster professional and casual discussion regarding the site is
another positive way in which publicity and interest for the project is being built. Another effective
approach would be for professional participants to attend local neighborhood association meetings.
These meetings would take place in the comfort of community members’ own environment where
citizens would be most likely to attend and express their opinions. This approach would be
especially helpful because staff members have a genuine interest in the welfare of the local
community members and a desire to design a plan that will benefit them. Although employees
regularly visit the site and are familiar with the surrounding neighborhood, they are still willing to go
beyond the surface and discover more about the community. As one participant exclaims, “That
community…there’s always something new to learn!”
After an innovative and effective first round of public involvement, the City of Waco is looking to
continue its approach to engaging the public. Now the challenge is to inspire more people and less
visible populations to shape the future of their community. Through environmental remediation, the
elimination of blight, the arrival of convenient services, or job opportunities, community members
will stand to benefit from this redevelopment effort. It may not be bright blue, but residents will still
have something new and much more positive to embrace as their own.