He will oversee the Liberty Hill Economic Development Corporation, which is an organization committed to the city’s growth, as well as any projects the LHEDC manages.
Kurtz spoke with Community Impact about his plans for the role and what’s to come for the city.
What is your previous experience?
I have spent the last 12 years in the city of Pflugerville, and I’ve had various roles in the Community Development Corporation over there. Having worked in the region for quite awhile, you get to know your partner cities. We all work together to bring [companies] into the region. So getting to know different cities over time, I've always been very interested in watching the growth in Liberty Hill and what the city has to offer. When the position came open, it just was the right time. The city has grown incredibly fast and will continue to grow fast, and I’m just excited to be part of helping bring smart growth into the city.
What are your plans for your new role?
[I plan] to help city staff, City Council and our board diversify economic development in Liberty Hill. We are operating under a strategic plan that's in its second year, and that strategic plan was born out of the comprehensive plan. We have guiding principles on what we're looking for and how we progress the type of companies and the kind of growth we want to see in the city. So, we have a roadmap for the future that we follow. It's a living, breathing document, so it's open to change, but it gives us good, hard and fast guidelines on how to proceed.
What is the biggest challenge facing Liberty Hill when it comes to economic development?
It's the rapid growth that has happened out in this area and the challenges that brings. Infrastructure is always going to be No. 1—having enough infrastructure to bring in the companies, the businesses, the houses, the living. The lifestyle is already here, but just maintaining sustainable businesses out here that really help [and] are good fits for the character of Liberty Hill.
What do you hope to accomplish in your first year as EDC director?
Luckily, the director before me was already on the right path. Mary Poche' had to retire recently, but she was doing really good work. So, taking the good work and moving forward with it. We all have best-laid plans for what we're going to see happen. I just want to make sure that whatever businesses come in are a good fit for Liberty Hill and vice versa.
What are some of the major projects under way or on your radar for Liberty Hill?
It's a little early to say that. This past week, I've spent time getting caught up on where we are [on] the projects themselves. I expect a couple of projects to come to fruition in the next year. But beyond that, I can't name them specifically, simply because it's a week and a half into [my role].
Liberty Hill’s downtown master plan aims to reinvest in the downtown area. How does city staff hope to retain the businesses already there while revitalizing the area and possibly bringing in new businesses?
One thing the city really doesn't have any control over is the rising costs of property. That's an economic effect. And, I think whereas when the city was smaller, you would see it was easier and probably cheaper for the mom and pops to open up. It happens everywhere, in every city I can think of, including the one that I worked at before. As the property values go up, it's really hard for the mom and pops to keep up. Especially if there's any kind of struggle like COVID-19, [which] presented a problem, an interruption to the economy in general, but [also] the economics of small downtowns.
I think the [city’s] plan is mostly to attract people back to downtown and create a vibrant downtown that includes programming. As a person who's driven through Liberty Hill many, many, many times, it is so easy to miss the downtown, because people think their view of Liberty Hill is all Hwy. 29. This gem is hidden, but it doesn't mean it's going to stay that way.
Liberty Hill does not currently have any hotels, hospitals or emergency facilities in its city limits. What is the EDC’s plan to address that? Is there any discussion about bringing these industries?
Being so new, I'm not looped into those particular conversations yet. I think it's really going to be one of those things where all the partners in economic development—and by those, I include Liberty Hill ISD, the city, the LHEDC and Williamson County Emergency Services District No. 4—are going to have to come to a conclusion on how best to address those issues. All of the economic development partners have to be aligned for those things to happen. I think that's where we are at this point, is working on that.
What is your vision for Liberty Hill in the years to come?
I would say Liberty Hill doesn't want to be like any other city. Liberty Hill wants to be a unique, vibrant community that is a job center that supports the lifestyle of the citizens. One of the things I like to remind everybody is economic development is meant to lift all boats. So that means making sure that every citizen is served by that growth.
Smaller cities that are growing really quickly often start off with heavy residential development, or being a “bedroom community.” Do you have any thoughts about Liberty Hill being a bedroom community?
I think that there are a lot of communities like that in the area. I think there's always a certain amount of the population that feels that way, and I fully understand, but then people have to realize how these things are all interconnected.
If you're just a bedroom community, it's going to be really expensive to live in that community, because retail, businesses, all of those things, offset the cost for bedroom communities. If you're going to another town for services, then you're spending your money elsewhere. You're not supporting your own city. I know there are people who are against certain kinds of growth and I fully understand where they're coming from, but there has to be some understanding that growth is going to happen, whether you like it or not. So, having a series of implementations and making sure that there's checks and balances to find the right growth is exactly what economic development is about.
I know sometimes communities will want one really large project and they feel like that's a really good fit, and I understand the want to do that. But, if you diversify your economy by bringing in complementary businesses or even diverse businesses that maybe have nothing to do with each other, then you're giving your citizens the opportunity to choose and also have a place to work. I think ‘the how these things are all very interconnected’ sometimes gets lost in the rush to either keep development from happening or hurry up and get it done.
Liberty Hill’s targeted industries for economic development
- Advanced manufacturing
- Niche retail
- Hospitality
- Architecture, engineering, landscape and design
- Defense and cybersecurity
- Specialty distribution
- Health care
- Bioscience
