The Deal Sheet; Behind ACC's Impact on Plum Creek

ACC Hays Campus has opened in Kyle’s Plum Creek. Will it spark development from other sectors? (If high school is any indicator, people always wanna copy something if it's cool.)

Oxford Commercial partner Brett Arabie has worked on Plum Creek since 2007 and tells us a higher ed institute was always part of the plan for the 2,200-acre mixed-use project. (Lower Ed could not be reached for comment.) It’s a benefit for the residents (almost 6,000 people live in Plum Creek already), but he also hopes it’ll drive office and R&D users—ACC has a great workforce training that can be a huge benefit for employers. ACC has tons of room to grow; it purchased 96 acres but so far has only built on about a quarter of it.

Brett tells us Plum Creek could house 3M to 6M SF of office/industrial space on 700 acres zoned commercial. He’s particularly targeting a 145-acre tract on the NE edge for a mega R&D center (it could accommodate 2M SF). The complex is also great for distribution users, he says, because you can easily access Austin, San Antonio, the Hill Country, and everything in between. Brett tells us his biggest challenge in marketing Plum Creek is educating users and developers that it’s shovel-ready; people are constantly asking him how long it’ll take to get utilities in place. (They’re there, including dual feed electric.)

Thus far, development in Plum Creek has been focused south of Kohlers Crossing. One multifamily property (264-unit Vantage) and three seniors housing projects (Orchard Park of Kyle-pictured, Legend Oaks, and The Overlook) are open already. Trails at Plum Creek, a 374-unit multifamily community, is breaking ground soon on the old golf driving range. 40k SF of retail is open, and two more projects are underway: Kemp Properties is building 20k SF for Austin Radiological Association, and Brett recently sold a site for a Bread Basket convenience store. He’s got 40 more acres available on 1626 marketed to retailers.