Pearland Economic Development Corporation
Site Evaluation and Target Industry Analysis
The Challenge
450 vacant acres lie in the heart of the City of Pearland – a rapidly growing suburb of Houston. The need for this study was precipitated by the potential construction of an east-west arterial that would be built through this vacant acreage. The alignment and design standards for the roadway would be based on the potential uses of this land.
The Approach
TIP and TAG International were engaged by the Pearland Economic Development Corporation (PEDC) to explore the feasibility of developing a business or industrial park on approximately 450 acres and to provide targeted industry recommendations for business recruitment. The project team made several site visits, reviewed information from the city’s GIS–based website, and interviewed key stakeholders, major employers, and commercial brokers in the area. The team also did a thorough analysis of the community’s key industrial strengths.
The Outcome
After initial evaluation of this site, the project team decided to expand the site analysis and site planning to include acreage south of the original site area to a proposed roadway extension – increasing the overall site to 636 acres. TIP provided several recommendations that could enhance the efforts of other stakeholder groups such as the City, school district, and community college – all on this site. With a high school directly across the northern portion of the site, TIP recommended that a business park be built that could include a vocational training facility for high school students – geared towards technical trades required by the targeted industries. The community stakeholder groups are continuing the discussion of our recommendations and are basing the road alignment and design on the recommended site plan and potential uses. The PEDC has accepted the target industry recommendations and will be focusing marketing efforts on these industries for potential relocation to this site.
Fred Welch Executive Director Pearland EDC 3519 Liberty, Ste. 251 Pearland, TX 77581 281.652.1629 Fax 281.652.1704 fwelch@ci.pearland.tx.us
