Hutto Innovation Business Park will be built in Hutto, with more than 800,000 square feet of industrial and business space in six buildings. It’s the first time Hutto has had a “spec” building to offer companies that are considering the move to Central Texas.
The 72 acres of land, referred to as the Schneider family property on the east side of Innovation Boulevard and south of Limmer Loop, is part of the city of Hutto extraterritorial jurisdiction, or ETJ, and will be annexed. The eastern boundary of the property is the Emory Farms Subdivision, and the southern access will be the extension of Emory Farms Avenue, which the city will construct with the infrastructure funding.
The announcement of the new park came Thursday night at City Hall, with officials from the city, Hutto ISD and Titan Innovation Business Park LLC attending. Developers and landowners include Titan, Chris and Clay Schneider and Veronica Bolander.
“We’ve committed to building the infrastructure,” said City Manager Odis Jones, who said he has worked with leaders of Titan Development in past projects, but not the company. The city’s commitment to infrastructure totals $5 million.
The plan calls for approximately 2.5 million square feet of business and industrial space to be built over two phases, but on Thursday, the city talked about completing the first phase. The project is expected to begin this year.
“It allows us to compete in a global marketplace,” Jones said. “We can go after deals where we couldn’t before.”
Titan, builders of nearly 50 projects of this type in New Mexico, Texas and Florida, will construct a 100,000-square-foot building simultaneously with infrastructure improvements. The agreement between Titan and the city calls for a total of six buildings. The project timeline for the six buildings is 15 years.
“This will help diversify our local economy,” Jones said. “We made a strategic decision to move down that path and this is the first step in doing so.”
Jones said Titan will work with the Hutto Economic Development Corporation to find tenants for the new buildings.
Just up Innovation Boulevard is the East Williamson County Higher Education Center. Texas State Technical College Provost Edgar Padilla said the college is proud to contribute to the economic development of Texas by training highly skilled workers in a number of disciplines.
“Chief among the concerns, for any developer or employer moving to a new area, is the technical talent required to begin and sustain successful operations,” Padilla said in a statement. “TSTC maintains a proud and close relationship with the city of Hutto and the Hutto Economic Development Corporation and is eager to participate in its recruitment of primary employers and developers who can potentially bring quality employment opportunities and growth to the city of Hutto.”
Jones said it is time for Hutto to have a project of this magnitude.
“We have a large employment base, rail, highways and an airport just down the road,” Jones said. “We have the ability to connection. This is a very welcoming community and a pro-business town. A move like this says the city is open for business. I feel good about this deal.”
