PROSPER, Texas — There are few places with a location marker quite like Prosper. The Town of Prosper is known for its towering silos, remnants of what first built the town.
It is hard to miss the full expansion of the silos as you drive over Broadway Street. The town announced early this week that four of the silos will be removed.
"We're identified by the silos, that's our landscape," said Michael Pettis, owner of The Gin, a restaurant and live music venue.
"It's hundreds of years of history and how Prosper started," he said.
It is the price of progress. Four of the silos will come down in the coming weeks and the other four silos will remain.
The eight silos and grain elevator hugging the railroad tracks made it an easy destination for photo shoots.
But the reason for the demolition of the silos is that the new property owners have bigger plans for the area. There is discussion of planned housing development for the area.
Pettis said he understands both sides of the issue. He also owns the land one grain elevator sits on, and he's drawing up plans to build a destination event center.
"We've got plans for ours to maintain it, and it's going to be a functioning product," said Pettis.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones owns Blue Star Land, which now owns the land the four to-be-removed silos sit on and the large parcel behind it.
"It's the unfortunate part of growth and that is prime real estate," said Pettis.
Auggie Trevino has lived in Prosper for 20 years. He remembers a time when he practically knew everybody in town.
Back in 2000, the U.S. Census showed Prosper with a population of 2,400 people. Now, 20 years later, the estimated population is over 28,000.
"Tearing stuff down and building something new isn't always the right answer," said Trevino.
Pettis would also like the silos to stay, but he understands private owners have to serve their own interests.
WFAA received the following statement from the Town of Prosper.
"Understanding the importance of the silos as a historic town landmark, the Town began working with the property developer many months ago... The Town is currently in the process of purchasing a 2.87-acre portion of the property from the developer that includes the three smaller silos at a cost of approximately $690,000. It is the Town’s intent to preserve the three silos and eliminate any safety hazards, with the hope of incorporating the silos into the Downtown Master Plan and our ongoing downtown revitalization efforts."