Tyler mayor’s annual State of the City focuses on transformation

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Inside the new W.T. Brookshire Conference Center, Tyler Mayor Don Warren updated a crowd of about 800 on the state of the Rose City.

“There’s a lot of things that have happened this year,” Warren said in an interview with KLTV. “And it’s making Tyler transform.”

“Transforming Tyler” was the theme of this year’s State of the City. From the opening of the new conference center to breaking ground on a new medical school, and voters approving a new Smith County Courthouse. A decision that puts into motion a plan to forever change the downtown landscape.

“When we talk about the transformation of downtown, I’m talking about narrowing down the street, making it more pedestrian-friendly, taking two-way streets and taking down the stop lights and having other modes of slowing down traffic like roundabouts,” Warren said in his moderated update.

Warren admitted the downtown changes will likely be met with some hesitation, but it’s an effort he believes will bring even more people to a growing downtown area.

“For the first time, the downtown occupancy of buildings is actually higher than that in south Tyler,” he said.

And to keep things moving across all of Tyler, the city continues to retime red lights. An effort Warren said has already resulted in a 32-percent reduction along Broadway Avenue.

“We’ve retimed a third of the intersections. We’re doing another 18 this year. So, the more we go, the better it’ll be,” he said.

The city also continues to revitalize by removing blighted buildings, restoring the historic brick streets, and rebuilding city parks. Visible changes in addition to work behind the scenes to push Tyler forward, according to Warren.

“I think we’re in the best position we’ve been in in years as far as people that love coming to work and working together for the common good of the community,” he said.

Click here to read the City of Tyler’s 2022-2023 Annual Report.

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