Brownwood News – The Early City Council on Monday, July 29, 2019 approved funding requests from CJ Real Estate of Fort Worth, and sale of city-owned property, that sets the stage for Starbucks to come to Early.

[adrotate group=”8″]

It involves property at 113 Early Boulevard which was the former Cullen’s Hometown Market or, back in the day, Sliger’s.  According to Tony Aaron, Early City Administrator, the buyer has purchased approximately 1.5 acres of land from the family who owns it.  His intentions are to put at least two, possibly three, businesses on the site, one being Starbucks.  The project has been in the works for about two years.  “There have been a lot of site issues the various entities have had to work through such as easements, Oncor lines, City of Brownwood sewer lines, City of Early water lines, gas lines.  The delays have come from trying to work out all of the agreements with the different entities and moving these lines to where they need to be moved,” Aaron said.  To help make that happen, the Council also passed an Ordinance to close a portion of a road on the back of the property which has never been dedicated as a city street but owned by the City of Early since 1996.  The property, known as the Old Fort Worth Highway, will be sold to the developer.  “No property owners (nearby) are losing access by closing the road,” said Aaron.  The City of Early and Early Municipal Development District both awarded grants to the developer, CJ Real Estate LLC, not to exceed $50,000 from the Early MDD and not to exceed $73,000 from the City of Early in a 380 agreement to include the sell of city owned property, approximately 0.703 acres out of Henry Kraber Survey No. 19, Abstract No. 584.  That money is to be used for site improvement.  “They’ve got to build a retaining wall across the back of the property,” Aaron said, describing the announcement as a “healthy investment in our community and a draw to other national chains who may want to be neighbors with them.”

It is hoped the developer may begin work on the property later this year in September.