KILLEEN, Texas — The City of Killeen is seeking your input on ways to create a community vision for its struggling Downtown area.
City leaders created a survey asking for feedback that will help shape the direction of the city's future.
Damascus Ross is the owner of Enclave Killeen and Premier Gentleman’s Barbershop in Downtown Killeen. He has seen changes in the area.
"I’ve had this shop since 2016. So, I have seen growth as far as redoing the streets, sidewalks and streetlights,” said Ross. “They are doing things to make it better, but we still need to keep driving smaller businesses to come down here."
City of Killeen Community Engagement Coordinator Levallois Hamilton hears a lot of mixed opinions and feedback about the state of downtown.
"A lot of people, when you mention Downtown, there are concerns about not being a lot to do, not enough activities, or events for children of that nature,” said Hamilton.
But there are those who see potential. That is why the city created an 11-question survey asking what kind of activities, events, businesses and restaurants people would like to see in Downtown Killeen.
"Our community is known for its diversity,” said Hamilton. I tell people all the time, if you come on the north side of Killeen or Downtown and go to restaurants, you can taste just about every culture and restaurants from Jamaican to Korean and Panamanian. All the foods are here. We just want to bring people together and bring some excitement about our city and culture."
Ross hopes Downtown Killeen can mimic other Central Texas cities.
"I would like to see more local businesses; more entrepreneurs move into the area. Kind of like a smaller 6th Street in Austin, or like the growth in Temple is having and even Waco," she said.
To take the survey click here. It must be completed by Nov. 14.