The Hutto City Council reviewed a proposed light industrial project at a May 7 meeting that will consist of approximately 800,000 square feet and represents a projected $125 million total investment in the city.
The breakdown
The project known as the Opus Development aims to bring significant taxable value to a currently undeveloped piece of land.
The development encompasses 69 acres on the northeast portion of the city, created by combining two separate properties. The first is a 50-acre property that was annexed into Hutto in 2023 and is already designated as an "employment center" under the city's comprehensive plan.
The second is an 18-acre property fronting Ed Schmidt Boulevard that is currently outside city limits. The developer plans to annex and zone this portion into the city.
What else?
The development site also includes plans for a new collector road. By combining the two properties, the developer can incorporate the entirety of this road within their property lines. This will allow the road to be constructed about 10 years sooner than originally anticipated, and the city will not have to acquire additional land outside of city limits to build it.
Amanda Swor, of real estate law firm Drenner Group and representing Opus, said the use for the property would be dependent on the market.
"Where we sit, having the access to both roads, gives us the unique opportunity to bring in some of the types of tenants that you would want to see here," she said. "We don’t anticipate there being any conflict with the neighbors and we’ll make sure that the project is built to be respectful of those individuals and communities that are already established. They were there before we were."
The property sits just north of the city's current wastewater service area, and the city engineer has identified two viable wastewater options to serve the site.
The developers have active lease negotiations with potential tenants and are looking to move through the entitlement process as quickly as possible this year.
City Council unanimously passed a motion giving permission for city staff to continue working with the developer on the development agreement, service extensions and subdivision planning.
