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Amazon\u2019s robotics division has been revealed as the prospective first major tenant for the nearly 2,600-acre redevelopment project in the Southeast Austin area known as Dog’s Head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ken Ellis\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Amazon.com, Inc.<\/a> has been revealed as the Fortune 100 company<\/a> that wants to build an advanced manufacturing facility in Dog\u2019s Head, a nearly four-square-mile development planned in Southeast Austin.<\/p>\n During am at-times emotional City Council work session, Assistant City Manager Eric Johnson identified Amazon\u2019s robotics division as the prospective first major tenant.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Amazon confirmed it is considering the site for a manufacturing facility that could create 300 to 500 jobs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re considering the Dog\u2019s Head site for a proposed Amazon manufacturing facility,\u201d Holly Sullivan, Amazon\u2019s vice president of worldwide economic development, said in a statement. \u201cAustin and Texas are great locations to do business, which is evidenced by the over 86,000 jobs and $100 billion in investments we\u2019ve made across the Lone Star State. If we move forward with the project, we look forward to working with the community, the county and council on this innovative project.\u201d<\/p>\n The company declined to answer additional questions about the development.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tuesday’s meeting also saw\u00a0residents raise concerns<\/a> about displacement, environmental effects including flooding and a lack of transparency surrounding the proposed public financing plan.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThis whole area is exploding development wise,\u201d said Bill Bunch, executive director of Save Our Springs<\/a>, a nonprofit environmental organization. \u201cThey don\u2019t need a penny of our money.\u201d<\/p>\n Other speakers also questioned the necessity of using tax dollars for the redevelopment.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe development has, and will, come without taxpayer dollars,\u201d declared Garrett\u00a0Tung, a Dog\u2019s Head resident.<\/p>\n In May, the council unanimously approved a 45-year annexation and development agreement for the area, named for a bend in the Colorado River that, on a map, resembles the shape of a dog\u2019s head. Under the agreement, the property owner could seek\u00a0disannexation and release from Austin\u2019s extraterritorial jurisdiction if the city declines to create a proposed tax increment reinvestment zone.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Under such a zone, a portion of any additional tax revenue generated as the area\u2019s property values rise in is reinvested in public improvements within the zone.<\/p>\n The agreement is with Dog\u2019s Head Land JV Ltd.<\/a>, an entity tied to Endeavor Real Estate Group, one of the developers behind The Domain and long-stalled plans<\/a> for the former Austin American-Statesman site<\/a> on Congress Avenue.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n