LAMPASAS, Texas (KXXV) — The Lampasas City Council and the Lampasas Economic Development Corporation (EDC) recently held a joint meeting to address the future of the Lampasas Business Park, which has been sitting empty and accruing costs of nearly $7 million, according to the city.
The meeting brought together local leaders and residents, offering an opportunity for community involvement in the decision-making process.
“Pretty much everyone in that room weighed in that night, and it’s one of the best meetings I’ve ever seen for getting community involvement and participation,” Eddie Bowden, a member of Forward Lampasas, said.
“The people that were there were business folks, or real estate agents, and they have had interested parties that need property in the Lampasas area, so they kind of gave their opinion and it showed us that there was needs for different kinds of use of that property,” Martha Noell, another member of Forward Lampasas, added.
The EDC has focused on the business park for nearly two decades but has not yet reached its potential.
Now, for the first time, the local leaders are considering reducing its size and possibly selling off portions of the land that have been unsuccessful in attracting development.
“Some of the things they’re going to consider is maybe reducing the size of the park, by a third, nearly a half, to get some of the land appraised and possibly sold,” Bowden said.
While no immediate actions were taken, the workshop set the stage for further collaboration between local leaders and the community, working toward a long-term, realistic solution for the business park’s development.
“People are adverse to change sometimes, but I think the meeting was a result of everyone coming together and saying let's talk about this. It brought consensus with our elected officials. It gave them a direction to move forward, which would also give us an opportunity to prepare for additional growth,” Noell said.
The Lampasas Business Park spans more than 140 acres, with 46 of those acres already built on and connected to water, sewer, and electricity.
Moving forward, the two entities have agreed to seek appraisals for Lot 4 of the park, which is the undeveloped portion, to help determine its viability for future development.
