Pflugerville government and business leaders have hailed the Toll 130 corridor as the key to the city's future development. On Nov. 15, the idea took another step toward becoming a reality.

The Pflugerville Community Development Corp. hosted a ground breaking ceremony Nov. 15 to commemorate the beginning of construction at One Thirty Commerce Center, a 160-acre mixed-use development site in East Pflugerville.

The first development within One Thirty Commerce Center was unveiled to local residents and officials at the ceremony. Identified as the Pecan 130 Business Park, the PCDC said the site will eventually host six building with more than 720,000 square feet of space. Ground is currently being cleared for construction of the first building, a 120,000-square-foot light-industrial structure that could be open as early as July 2013, according to a PCDC news release.

"Where you are standing right now will become the major employment center for the City of Pflugerville," PCDC Executive Director Floyd Akers said. "We could easily see in excess of 3,000 or 4,000 people working on this 160-acre tract."

EIEIO Inc., a Austin-based coffee manufacturer and distributor, has already signed agreements with the City of Pflugerville and the PCDC to build and relocate to One Thirty Commerce Center. EIEIO President Cecil Andrews confirmed in October that the company plans to build a 40,000-square-foot corporate headquarters and industrial plant in Pflugerville. Construction on the site could begin in early 2013, according to the PCDC.

Akers said the future plans for One Thirty Commerce Center include a hotel, convention center and restaurants.

"This really is going to help our daytime population, which is going to help all the stores and restaurants and all the small businesses in Pflugerville," said Patricia Gervan-Brown, Pflugerville Chamber of Commerce president and CEO. "As we know, business drives business."