The Leander ISD board of trustees approved further due diligence research of a potential satellite transportation facility near Grandview Hills Elementary School.

The proposed hub would accommodate 31 bus routes, reducing bus travel by 225,000 miles per year, said Jim Disler, LISD executive director of capital improvements. Existing warehouses would be renovated for use by maintenance and technician staff. Preliminary plans include 50 bus parking spaces and additional spots for employees.

Disler said the district's only bus barn in Cedar Park is overcrowded and inadequate.

"It's going to relieve that facility and provide room for expansion and future growth," he said.

District estimates indicate the project could cost just more than $3 million, more than five times the $580,000 allocated for the facility in the 2007 bond proposal. But Disler said the original estimates did not include basic amenities like restrooms, HVAC units or the 25 additional parking spaces recommended by district administration. The new proposal reflects those adjustments.

"I think the coverage in the original proposal is different than what we are talking about now, which isn't necessarily wrong, but I want to make sure we are making a conscious decision to make that change," Trustee Aaron Johnson said. "It appears that the original plan, frankly, underestimated the cost. There's not a lot we can do about that in hindsight."