The most recent discussion between the two entities at a June 24 special meeting focused on deciding the next steps for the 52.69-acre tract west of Lake Pflugerville.
The timeline
City Council approved the land purchase in October 2024 and passed a resolution allowing the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation to issue bonds to purchase the land at a Jan. 28 meeting.
Neither City Council nor the PCDC have authorized actions regarding Project Greenfield since. However, some form of solicitation for contractors should have been sent out in February, Pflugerville City Manager Sereniah Breland said.
In February, the city heard a presentation from representatives with Kimley Horn and Hayat Brown detailing a vision for a community that connects to the open spaces of the lake, offering food, shopping and entertainment. Key components also included a higher education campus as well as a convention center, multifamily housing, hotels and an amphitheater.
The same presentation was also delivered to the PCDC and the contractors emphasized that without a market analysis, the concept design only shows a possibility of what the land can become.
During this process, the PCDC also received a new executive director, Jerry W. Jones Jr., who began his position in early February.
"The fact that we've had certainly some administrative changes have derailed us a little bit in terms of our momentum," Mayor Victor Gonzales said.
City Council discussed the future of Project Greenfield at a June 10 meeting and decided to hold a special joint meeting with the PCDC June 24.
"Sometimes I think we forget what the vision is and I think each of us have a different perspective of that vision," Gonzales said.
The discussion
In pursuit of a contractor on the project, city staff drafted a request for qualifications, while the PCDC board directed Jones to move forward with a request for quotes, according to Jones. Both are methods of soliciting contractors for the project.
Because the law precludes the city government from issuing a request for quotes, City Council and the PCDC discussed the merits of each tool. The city's process typically involves a request for qualifications, while Jones said he believes a request for quotes is more appropriate for this stage of a project.
"We don't know what the project is," Jones said. "We don't even know what the project looks like."
Gonzales emphasized the importance of collaboration between the two entities.
“It doesn’t really matter who drives the bus as long as we get there together," Gonzales said.
Place 6 City Council member David Rogers said council should defer to the PCDC on the method of requesting services.
"Somebody has to drive the bus, and this is a decision about who you're going to put behind the wheel," Rogers said.
In a move to uphold the partnership with city staff and the PCDC on Project Greenfield, the council passed a resolution directing the PCDC to initiate a request for qualifications. The resolution passed 4-2, with Place 3 City Council member Kimberly Holiday and Rogers voting against.
An amendment by Place 1 City Council member Doug Weiss specifies that city staff should work with the PCDC to choose an owner's rep, or project manager, from the results of the request for qualifications. This passed 5-1, with Holiday voting against.
