ALAMO, Texas — Mayor J.R. Garza believes the City of Alamo has secured a steady pair of hands to guide its next chapter of growth, pointing to the arrival of new City Manager Michael Leo as a major milestone for the municipality’s leadership team.
Leo, a veteran municipal administrator who previously served as city manager in Palmview and managed enterprise funds for the City of Pharr, officially assumed his duties with Alamo last week. In addition to leading city operations, Leo will serve as the interim director of the Alamo Economic Development Corporation (EDC) as city leadership conducts a search to permanently fill the economic development position.
“Mike will lead our city. Not only will he lead our city, but he'll also be our interim Economic Development Corporation director as we move forward and until we fill that position,” Garza said during a recent interview with the Rio Grande Guardian. “He has a ton of experience—well over 20-some years of experience—so currently Michael Leo is going to be running the show here for us. We have full trust in him, and he'll be working hand-in-hand with the commissioners and myself.”
Leo’s arrival comes as Alamo experiences a surge in commercial interest and strategic infrastructure investments. Garza attributed much of the momentum to the city’s location in the heart of the Mid-Valley, positioning it directly along major transit arteries between McAllen and Harlingen.
“If you come down, say, Mission towards South Padre Island, you'll see that most of the cities are built out off the highway—McAllen and Mission have very little inventory left,” Garza explained. “When you come into the Mid-Valley area, you do see this big boom happening, and Alamo is strategically placed right in the middle of all of that. It makes sense financially, and it makes sense with the layout currently in the Rio Grande Valley.”
Garza noted that commercial freight moving from nearby international land ports—including the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge and the Donna-Río Bravo International Bridge—frequently flows through Alamo along Interstate 2/U.S. 83, creating high traffic counts and favorable site metrics for national retailers and developers.
To capitalize on the growth, the City of Alamo and the Alamo EDC jointly purchased a 17-acre commercial tract near the frontage road at Tower Road.
The site recently hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for a brand-new IHOP location, which Garza revealed will feature the restaurant chain's "California Heritage" design concept. Alamo will serve as the flagship city nationally for the concept, while also marking the final IHOP planned for construction in the Rio Grande Valley.
The development has catalyzed interest across the remainder of the 17-acre parcel and adjacent properties.
“Shortly after that groundbreaking, we've been extremely busy with different types of investors wanting to come in,” Garza said, adding that city officials are evaluating both commercial and light industrial proposals for the remaining land.
Infrastructure to support new development is already in place around the Tower Road corridor, anchored by a large-format Stripes convenience store equipped with diesel facilities for commercial truck traffic. Across the highway, property adjacent to Burger King—previously acquired by Carmike Cinemas prior to the pandemic—has also become a focus of renewed investor inquiry.
Elsewhere in the city, three retail plazas under construction along the expressway near the local flea market are fully booked with incoming retail and restaurant tenants, Garza noted. Furthermore, Alamo’s Walmart Supercenter on Cesar Chavez Road continues to rank among the top-performing Walmart locations in the region for sales tax generation.
Garza emphasized that the city’s ability to attract commercial investment was made possible by first addressing long-standing municipal infrastructure deficiencies following his election in 2023.
Chief among those priorities was a multi-decade flooding issue along Alamo Road (State Highway 907), a key commercial artery housing major retailers and restaurants.
“For over 40 years, that highway would flood. Over 40 years of water going into people's homes and businesses,” Garza said, referencing severe weather events two years ago that temporarily halted operations at local businesses along the corridor.
Partnering with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the city completed a comprehensive modernization project along Alamo Road, installing brand-new underground drainage pipes, manholes, and runoff infrastructure.
In addition to drainage upgrades, the city has upgraded both of its fire stations and enhanced municipal public safety facilities.
Looking ahead to the upcoming 89th Texas Legislative Session in January, Alamo is preparing its state agenda. The city will once again retain lobbyists Rene Ramirez and Amanda Saldana of Pathfinders Public Affairs, building on a successful prior session that secured nearly $10 million in state funding for local water and sewer infrastructure projects.
As regional growth continues to push eastward into the Mid-Valley, Garza reiterated that Alamo has positioned itself to accommodate further commercial expansion.
“I just want to let the residents of Alamo know, and anybody else watching across the state of Texas, that Alamo is open for business,” Garza said. “We're well prepared for it. We've done everything we can do to prepare for growth, and I invite investors and the greater Rio Grande Valley to visit Alamo and invest in our city.”
Editor's Note: Here is a podcast with Mayor Garza:
