Downtown Odessa, a non-profit organization dedicated to the revitalization of Downtown Odessa recently held a 3 day workshop but struggled to peak the interest of local investors. Some of the topics of discussion were public parking, housing and permit assistance for new construction.
The most successful downtown districts have many major functions such as shopping, entertainment, employment and housing. A key ingredient for creating a diverse downtown district is to have destinations that draw people to downtown for reasons other than employment. One such draw would be a satellite campus. Odessa College is looking in to building one such facility at 222 E. Fourth St where the Odessa American was located for many years. If a deal is hammered out it would come in two phases. The first phase would have a nice outdoor turf section with a stage for live music, water shooting out of the ground kind of like the Bush Convention Center has and an outdoor seating area for relaxation. In the second phase of construction we would see the erection of a 32,000 sq. ft. continuing education building with culinary, welding and other trade type classes. This would be a great addition to downtown Odessa.