By Christine Bolaños

Thursday, 15 December 2011

PFLUGERVILLE — Pflugerville Community Development Corp. will open the Renewable Energy Park near Toll 130 on Dec. 30, land they hope will eventually house green energy businesses, a hotel, retail shops, residences and an electric vehicle charging station.

The opening was postponed from Dec. 19 due to construction delays from the recent rain.

The triangular-shaped, 167-acre park is meant to be a mixed-use industrial park that will attract green technology companies to Pflugerville.

“It will be a major employment center for the City of Pflugerville. We estimate the city’s largest employers will locate there,” PCDC Executive Director Floyd Akers said.

He said the front 40 acres or so of the property will be primarily office space with some restaurant, retail and hotel use. The back part of the property will house office and light industrial manufacturing space.

“We anticipate having upwards of 720,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space and half a million square feet of office space, ultimately,” Akers said.

A solar sail grid–powered electric car charging station, located at the front of the property at 2700 E. Pecan St., will be open to the public beginning Dec. 19.

“The solar sail is really an architectural feature. That’s the gateway into Pflugerville from the south on the tollway. So we wanted something on the front of that property that sets the tone for the rest of the property,” Akers said.

He describes the type of architecture as “functional art.”

The solar sail will be fitted with LED lighting that changes colors, providing a visual light show for users and passersby.

People will be able to use the electric car–charging station free of cost for now, Akers said. But he expects people will be required to pay a fee at some point.

Akers said the city will encourage businesses at the park to be green energy–friendly, though it is not a requirement.

He said the city expects businesses to use solar panels and green roofs and will offer the option to use treated wastewater for manufacturing processes and landscaping at a reduced rate as low as 25 cents per 1,000 gallons.

“The tentative goal is to have all the infrastructure in this park be carbon-neutral,” Akers said.

He said he anticipates two real estate contracts involving 20 acres on the site will be taken to the Pflugerville City Council for approval in January. The contracts would involve an office and research development site as well as a manufacturing site.

“We are hoping, ultimately, what we’ll have is hundreds if not thousands of people working at this site. This spot will dramatically increase the tax base in Pflugerville and allow the council to reduce property taxes,” he said.

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