Hutto City Council approved an amended agreement that will advance a project to construct a major thoroughfare in the Megasite, a roughly 1,400-acre parcel of land in east Hutto earmarked mainly for industrial development.
The details
Approved July 7, the agreement gives the project reins to the Hutto Economic Development Corporation at a cost of about $18.23 million, up from an original estimate of about $11.7 million.
The project will run east to west from FM 3348 to approximately the center of the 1,400-acre Megasite.
During discussion of the project on July 7, city staff clarified that because the HEDC owns the land where the road will be built, there will be no delays caused by common road project hurdles, such as right-of-way purchases.
However, officials expressed reservations about the amended price tag that accounts for needed utilities.
"For the record, I'm the same way if I spend $100," Mayor Mike Snyder said. "$18 million just makes me sleep a little less."
City staff have not yet provided a timeline for the project.
Posted July 5 at 12:30 p.m.
The gist
At a July 6 meeting, Hutto City Council will consider an amended agreement that would allow the Hutto Economic Development Corporation to construct a major arterial road through the city's Megasite at a cost of $18.23 million.
Project scope
City documents state Spine Road will run east to west from FM 3348 to approximately the center of the 1,400-acre Megasite. The HEDC stated construction of the thoroughfare is necessary to attract more businesses to the Megasite and sell parcels owned by the HEDC.
Why it matters
The road construction project, which will run east and west through the Megasite, initially received about $11.7 million in bond proceeds, but city documents state the original project design did not include water, waste water and detention costs.
The new cost estimate comes in at $18.23 million, and if approved, the remaining funding will come from the city's utility fund, city documents state.
