Diving in deeper
CesiumAstro is an aerospace and defense technology company, and the facility will be used to produce satellite communication technologies as well as serve as a new business headquarters.
“CesiumAstro’s investment in Texas helps further position our state as a global hub for the aerospace, aviation and defense industry,” Abbott said in the news release. “Partnering with industry leaders like CesiumAstro, Texas will continue to set the pace for innovation, technology, and advanced manufacturing in America.”
The investment represents more than $500 million plus the creation of 500 new jobs over the next five years, according to the news release.
"Our expansion in Texas marks a transformative step for CesiumAstro as we advance cutting-edge space and defense technologies in the United States,” CesiumAstro founder and CEO Shey Sabripour said in the news release.
The background
On Jan. 5, the city announced that CesiumAstro will move into the building formerly known as the West Austin Business Park, an incoming warehouse facility embroiled in a legal battle with the city and nearby resident groups. The city announced a settlement agreement between the parties was reached in January, in which warehouse developers Velocis and KBC will pay the city $500,000.
This follows a settlement agreement that wrapped up part of a year-and-a-half-long legal process between the city and the business park developers.
“This agreement helps us deliver on those promises and represents a much better outcome for our community than a last-mile warehouse distribution center,” Bee Cave Mayor Kara King said in a Jan. 5 news release.
In lieu of the warehouse settlement, Cesium has worked with the city to modify the development’s design, and the development agreement will be altered to ban warehouse and distribution uses.
The facility will be modified by turning 76 of the loading bays into windows, leaving four truck bays. The updated Cesium facility is expected to generate no more than eight trips per month, rather than the hundreds previously expected under the warehouse plan, according to the city.
