Aubrey's Main Street will stretch from downtown to U.S. 377.
The council voted to approve the name change of the small stretch of Springhill Road from the highway intersection to the train tracks at the March 27 meeting.
'I'm going to put on my citizen hat and say I've always insisted on preserving the heritage of the city of Aubrey,' Mayor Chris Rich said. '… It's important to not let 377 becoming six lanes and the Outer Loop to kill downtown.'
He added that he felt the change was just one more piece of the downtown puzzle the city has been working on.
'Just one change, while it may seem minor, will drive the future of downtown,' Rich said.
Before the decision was announced, a collection of community comments was read or spoken about the change, 11 in favor, with nine opposed and one neutral.
'I meet new residents every week, and they mention how they didn't even know we had a downtown Main Street,' said Marisa Stover, the owner of Casey & Co. 'Since I opened in 2014, I've seen three businesses close on Main Street. Ruby's store on the corner, Moms on Main and Nancy Cates. As Aubrey continues to grow, we need to hold onto our roots.'
The owners of one of those closed businesses—Moms on Main—also wrote in.
'The locals knew where to find us, but any small business will tell you that you also need to attract people from out of the area to make your business succeed,' Steve and Krys Murray wrote.
Property owners directly affected by the change felt differently.
'I don’t feel a name change for our street is going to benefit anyone,' said Darla Wood, who owns Hair Illusions Salon as well as a rental property next door. 'I agree with Bud and Brenda Baker that the monument sign would be more beneficial as to bring people into downtown if that is what this is all about.'
She added that she and the seven independent hairstylists who rent space at her salon would have to spend time and money to make the change.
'Keep in mind all items such as deeds, salon license, TDLR license, electric, ADT, salon software, sales tax permits, website, social media, bank accounts, business cards, gift cards, insurance, credit cards, financial advisor, merchant accounts, accountant, etc.,' she wrote.
The Bakers also spoke again, asking the council to invest in a monument sign instead of the name change.
Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Perry included an allowance of up to $2,000 in reimbursement money from the city to anyone— residential or commercial— who bares real costs as a result of the change in his motion, which passed 4-1, with Erin Allen dissenting.
Also at the meeting, the council received a clean audit that included an unassigned fund balance of around $11.5 million, or 72% unassigned balance, which can be used as essentially a savings account for the city.
That equates to roughly 286 days of the operating budget.
The council approved new roadway impact fee figures for the two sections of the city— $2,082.17 for Service Area 1 and $2,963 for Service Area 2.
Council also accepted new water and wastewater rates, including a 3% increase starting May 1, with a $10 discount for seniors included.
