By: Steve Taylor - Rio Grande Guardian
Troy Bathman, the owner of St. Ives Realty, Inc., says the second phase of the Rio Grande Village development in Rio Grande City will be light industrial.
Along with his business partner, Jim Gissler, Bathman was present for a groundbreaking ceremony last Monday for the first 20 acres, across from Walmart on Highway 83, which will focus on retail, restaurants, a hotel and a new convention center.
“The first phase is 20 acres. The second phase, all inclusive, is 95 acres,” Bathman told the Rio Grande Guardian, in an exclusive interview. “There is a total of 150 acres that was part of the flood plain and what is coming out is approximately 90 acres. The remainder is the expansion of the flood zone to take this land out of the flood plain.”