Next to the train depot on Highway 69, as visitors are coming into Mineola, there is construction afoot.

Mineola City Manager Cindy Karch said the city purchased the lot in 2021 and has “big plans” for it: the plans right now, said Karch, include additional downtown parking to accommodate visitors for the many Mineola festivals and events. However, the city is very adamant that they will not be leaving it at “just a parking lot.”

It will be a new gathering place.

The lot will have greenery in the middle, and will have picnic benches and open areas for portable chairs. The edges of the lot will be trimmed with black wrought-iron fencing, and the lot will be replanted with new trees – this time those native to Texas. The blue building on the corner has been given to the nonprofit Flint and Steel, and it will be turned into an art house – an open place for kids to come and engage in something healthy and productive. The south end of the lot will have hookups for food trucks, which Karch said the city would like to feature regularly. The lot will also have 2 Electric Vehicle (EV) stations, which will be able to charge 4 cars.

Finally, the lot will also feature a new stage for entertainment and events.

“It’s been a dream since we purchased it in 2021,” said Karch. “We’re not having just an ugly parking lot; it’s going to look and feel like downtown, part of that historic charm… It’s hopefully going to be something very beneficial.”

The parking lot project, Karch says, will “hopefully” be finished by summertime. The stage may take a few years to build, as the construction requires demolition of an old brick wall and more. Flint and Steel’s art house will be done partially by the city – including bringing the building up to code – but after that, the project completion will be the responsibility of the nonprofit.