council3_rubal
Well-known member
Fellow Council Members,
1) I had the pleasure of talking with Mr. Cassata, during a recent tour of library operations. Afterward, we exchanged thoughts for helping our City move forward. He used a term that I hope is used correctly in this post, which was a need for developing “economic nodes”. I thought about Mr. Cassata’s point and decided to take a walking tour and a fresh look at opportunities along Pat Booker Coronado Blvd to 1604. This area consists of commercial zones: Triangle Shopping Center, Forum Crossing, Buckingham Center, Coronado Square, business along Pat Booker, and the Motel 8. I talk with the business managers. All who I talked with were proud to be in UC. There were an astounding 17 restaurants with a variety of fares for all tastes. Many were locally owned or not large chains. And of course, the construction of the new apartment complex.
Triangle Shopping Center
• Bella Sera (Italian Restaurant: $10-20)
o https://www.orderbellaseraitalianrestaurant.com/
• Pho4star (traditional Vietnamese: $10-20)
o https://pho4starsatx.com/
• Shang-Hai (Chinese restaurant: $10-20)
• Wingstops
• Clean Eatz Healthy food (Café, Prepared meals, meal plans)
o https://locations.cleaneatz.com/tx/universalcity/meal-prep-160.html
• Mr. Gatti’s Pizza
• Domino’s Pizza
Forum Crossing
• Bubba’s 33 (American: Burgers, sandwiches, pizza, steaks, beer & drinks)
o https://www.bubbas33.com/locations/texas/universal-city
• Wayback Burgers (American: Burgers & shakes)
o https://waybackburgers.com/locations/us/texas/universal-city/
• Kung Fu Tea: Bubble tea, other hot & cold drinks, including coffee & slushes.
Buckingham Center:
• The Dream Bakery & Sandwich (Specialty “street food”, coffees and teas)
Coronado Square:
• Noy’s Bistro (traditional Thai dishes: $10-20)
o https://noysbistro.org/
Pat Booker:
• Ticket Sports Bar& Grill (Sports Bar)
o https://places.singleplatform.com/ticket-sports-bar-3/menu?ref=google
• JT’s Sports Bar & Grill (Sports Bar)
o https://www.facebook.com/roxysportsbar
• 7 Brews Coffee (Coffee shop)
• Bahama Bucks (nonalcoholic ice drinks, shaved ice, snow cones)
o https://bahamabucks.com/
• Golden Corral (American: buffet, dine in and food to go)
o https://www.goldencorral.com/locations/location-detail/602/golden-corral-pat-booker-road/
2) Of interest was my visit to the Super 8 by Wyndham. Until recently this was the only overnight place in our City. I talked with the manager, Mr. Pete Patel, and asked on average how many rooms are occupied per year. I was astounded when he stated that the room rate occupancy was between 35,000 to 45,000 per year. He did not have a figure for the total number of visitors. However, if there are 2 occupants per room, that would mean 70,000 to 90,000 visitors per year. Yes, that is conservatively well over 45,000 visitors to support our local economy AND within WALKING distance of 17 local food establishments. Although there was a great UC welcome sign over the front desk (see attached), when I asked if he had any info for UC, he had NONE! No maps, no directories, no history of UC…. Nada. However, other cities, including San Antonio, New Braunfels, Brenham, Austin, Livingston, and San Marcos had brochures that were well displayed.
3) It is of interest that we tend to look to the future with grandiose planning but overlook the opportunities that are present today. It is noteworthy that this “economic node” has never benefited from the hotel taxes they generate.
4) I encourage fellow councilmembers to support in the EDC budget for next year a sidewalk from the motel to Pat Booker, better streetlights, and a wall toward the 1604 sound barrier that would better isolate local residents' homes and prevent off-roaders from taking shortcuts through Coronado alleyways. For heaven’s sake, let’s get some better signage and information for visitors for this “economic node” both within this district and on 1604. Finally, I would support the initiative to work with Wyndham Corporation to make this their best Super 8!
1) I had the pleasure of talking with Mr. Cassata, during a recent tour of library operations. Afterward, we exchanged thoughts for helping our City move forward. He used a term that I hope is used correctly in this post, which was a need for developing “economic nodes”. I thought about Mr. Cassata’s point and decided to take a walking tour and a fresh look at opportunities along Pat Booker Coronado Blvd to 1604. This area consists of commercial zones: Triangle Shopping Center, Forum Crossing, Buckingham Center, Coronado Square, business along Pat Booker, and the Motel 8. I talk with the business managers. All who I talked with were proud to be in UC. There were an astounding 17 restaurants with a variety of fares for all tastes. Many were locally owned or not large chains. And of course, the construction of the new apartment complex.
Triangle Shopping Center
• Bella Sera (Italian Restaurant: $10-20)
o https://www.orderbellaseraitalianrestaurant.com/
• Pho4star (traditional Vietnamese: $10-20)
o https://pho4starsatx.com/
• Shang-Hai (Chinese restaurant: $10-20)
• Wingstops
• Clean Eatz Healthy food (Café, Prepared meals, meal plans)
o https://locations.cleaneatz.com/tx/universalcity/meal-prep-160.html
• Mr. Gatti’s Pizza
• Domino’s Pizza
Forum Crossing
• Bubba’s 33 (American: Burgers, sandwiches, pizza, steaks, beer & drinks)
o https://www.bubbas33.com/locations/texas/universal-city
• Wayback Burgers (American: Burgers & shakes)
o https://waybackburgers.com/locations/us/texas/universal-city/
• Kung Fu Tea: Bubble tea, other hot & cold drinks, including coffee & slushes.
Buckingham Center:
• The Dream Bakery & Sandwich (Specialty “street food”, coffees and teas)
Coronado Square:
• Noy’s Bistro (traditional Thai dishes: $10-20)
o https://noysbistro.org/
Pat Booker:
• Ticket Sports Bar& Grill (Sports Bar)
o https://places.singleplatform.com/ticket-sports-bar-3/menu?ref=google
• JT’s Sports Bar & Grill (Sports Bar)
o https://www.facebook.com/roxysportsbar
• 7 Brews Coffee (Coffee shop)
• Bahama Bucks (nonalcoholic ice drinks, shaved ice, snow cones)
o https://bahamabucks.com/
• Golden Corral (American: buffet, dine in and food to go)
o https://www.goldencorral.com/locations/location-detail/602/golden-corral-pat-booker-road/
2) Of interest was my visit to the Super 8 by Wyndham. Until recently this was the only overnight place in our City. I talked with the manager, Mr. Pete Patel, and asked on average how many rooms are occupied per year. I was astounded when he stated that the room rate occupancy was between 35,000 to 45,000 per year. He did not have a figure for the total number of visitors. However, if there are 2 occupants per room, that would mean 70,000 to 90,000 visitors per year. Yes, that is conservatively well over 45,000 visitors to support our local economy AND within WALKING distance of 17 local food establishments. Although there was a great UC welcome sign over the front desk (see attached), when I asked if he had any info for UC, he had NONE! No maps, no directories, no history of UC…. Nada. However, other cities, including San Antonio, New Braunfels, Brenham, Austin, Livingston, and San Marcos had brochures that were well displayed.
3) It is of interest that we tend to look to the future with grandiose planning but overlook the opportunities that are present today. It is noteworthy that this “economic node” has never benefited from the hotel taxes they generate.
4) I encourage fellow councilmembers to support in the EDC budget for next year a sidewalk from the motel to Pat Booker, better streetlights, and a wall toward the 1604 sound barrier that would better isolate local residents' homes and prevent off-roaders from taking shortcuts through Coronado alleyways. For heaven’s sake, let’s get some better signage and information for visitors for this “economic node” both within this district and on 1604. Finally, I would support the initiative to work with Wyndham Corporation to make this their best Super 8!