Kyle still aims for commercial growth opportunities despite recently losing out on a major development prospect.
Both Kyle Mayor Todd Webster and Scott Sellers, Kyle city manager, confirmed Kyle has temporarily missed out on the opportunity of a major commercial development deal with a prospect.
The name of the commercial prospect is currently confidential as the city is still in the process of attempting to form a contract.
Webster said Kyle was one of the top two prospects in the country under consideration for this development thanks to the efforts that city leaders and staff have made towards growing the town’s infrastructure.
Kyle has experienced a steady amount of growth in the population during the past few years and has become a far cry from the small town that installed its first stoplight in 2007.
With this growth have come opportunities to establish more business in the area, which is a major focus for city leaders and staff, who have helped establish 2.5 billion dollars in commercial properties in the Plum Creek and Blanco River areas.
Despite these advances, Kyle was unable to solidify a deal that would have tripled the city’s tax base, Webster said.
“Infrastructure is the primary responsibility of government,” said Webster. “Every single aspect had to be ‘yes.’”
Sellers said the reason that Kyle missed out on this particular opportunity was the city’s proximity to the railroad and the chemical contents that are transported through the area at least once a month.
“The company was looking for very specific criteria for owning a property,” said Sellers. “It was something the company’s contract couldn’t allow.”
In the face of this setback, city leaders and staff are still hopeful of the city’s economic future and confident in their efforts.
“We’re so much better off than we were,” said Webster. “ Next leadership in the future will have incredible opportunity.”
