First lease inked at new retail plaza next to Port of Brownsville, see project construction map

There’s always a long line of heavy-duty trucks and tractor-trailers hauling materials both in and out of the Port of Brownsville on an average weekday, whether construction materials for all the buildings across the Rio Grande Valley or hazardous materials from Mexico heading to their next destination.

And while a local taqueria has long sat across the street from the port’s administrative offices, options beyond gas station fare are limited.

That is, until an investment by Brownsville developer Carlos Varela, who runs dozens of affiliated real estate companies under the Origo Works brand. He is currently developing Port Plaza.

Varela is the powerhouse behind the partnership to redevelop Sabal Market Center near Price Road and I-69 East in Brownsville, and Junction View Center in Pharr near West Ferguson Avenue and I-69 in Hidalgo County.