During Tuesday’s meeting of the Brownwood Municipal Development District Board of Directors, Deputy City Manager Ray Tipton shared with the board that work on the Shops on Commerce should begin soon.

The 41,000 square foot shopping center – announced by the City on Jan. 17 with an anticipated opening date at the time of the first quarter of 2026 – will be located at 537 W. Commerce. Ross, Ulta Beauty, Five Below, Bath & Body Works and James Avery will be housed in the Shops on Commerce.

“They will be moving equipment on site probably this week to start the site work,” Tipton told the board. “I don’t know the exact date that they’ll start that, but they’ve got the contracts fully signed and all that stuff’s going. A local dirt contractor is going to do the site work, and he’s finishing something for the county, and then he’s going to mobilize.”

Tipton also informed the board a Pinkie’s Liquor Store, which has locations across west Texas, will soon be opening at the Shoppes at Pecan Bayou in the same building as the Tropical Smoothie Cafe.

Earlier in the meeting, Marco Sandoval was introduced as the replacement for Daniel Hutson on the board, and new Assistant Director of Economic Development & Tourism Amy Whitmer was introduced to the board.

The board also held its election for officers, which remained the same as the previous year with Lynn Day serving as president, Jon Oplotnik serving as vice president, and Weston Jacobs serving as secretary.

City of Brownwood Sports Coordinator Robert Anders gave a report on the 2024-25 financial impact of sports events held within the city, which was estimated at $3,441,007, an increase from an approximate $2.8 million in 2023-24.

A total of 46 sporting events within the City of Brownwood, up from 41 in 2023-24, averaged out to an economic impact per event of $74,804, an increase from around $58,000 the year prior.

The biggest sports event each year for Brownwood is the TexasBank Holiday Classic, which will be held Dec. 29-31 in 2025. The Classic will draw approximately 20,700 visitors, result in just over 1,200 room nights, and net an estimated economic impact of $905,472.

Then in 2026, from March 11-14, the Brownwood Coliseum and Brownwood Event Center will host 12 teams from across the nation for the 2026 NJCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship. An estimated 5,760 visitors will result in approximately 720 room nights for an economic impact of $424,800.

Brownwood will be the first Texas location to ever host the NJCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship, according to the City.