Bass Pro approved to build in Harlingen, Texas

Bass Pro Shops will use about $32 million from sales tax revenue bonds sold by Economic Development Corp. in Harlingen, Texas, to build a new 150,000-square-foot store there, according to Bill Martin, CEO of the city’s economic development firm.

The corporation has set a Jan. 31 deadline for turning the property over to Bass Pro Shops for building construction. The Springfield-based outdoor retailer signed a lease Dec. 11 with the city.

Under Texas law, .375 percent of sales tax revenue may be dedicated to economic development, including repayment of bonds.

“There’s a lot of excitement, not just in Harlingen but in the Rio Grande Valley,” Martin said.

The Rio Grande Valley has a population of 6 million U.S. and Mexico residents in a 150-mile radius of the store’s location, Martin said.

Martin is hopeful that the city’s proximity to South Padre Island and factory shopping mall in Mercedes, Texas, will make it a retail destination.

“The information we’ve seen has Bass Pro Shops as one of the top 10 retail attractions in Texas,” Martin said.

The EDC anticipates the store will open Oct. 31, 2011.   

The Harlingen store would be Bass Pro's 56th location, Larry Whiteley, Bass Pro manager of communications said via e-mail.

Owner Johnny Morris founded Bass Pro Shops in 1971.[[In-content Ad]]