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ACC closing in on Leander campus

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The Austin Community College has “negotiated a contract to acquire a tract of approximately 100 acres of land in Leander for a future campus,” according to an ACC pre-budget report circulated late last week.

“It's huge,” said Kirk Clennan, Leander's economic development director. “It's something we have been working on for four years. It's half of the last steps for our sustainability.”

Clennan elaborated saying that higher-ed and health care facilities were the two things Leander needed to become a place where people “can do anything in their lives.”

The plan for a Leander campus has been in the pipeline for a while, however the pre-budget report is confirmation that a location has been finalized. That location has not yet been announced, however it is likely to be near the Metro Rail station.

At Leander City Council's last meeting, during a discussion about proceeding with improvements to land near the station, a city employee cited the fact that ACC “had” a tract of land nearby, as a reason for moving forward. Clennan said getting health care and higher education facilities near each other and near transportation infrastructure was part of the city's strategy for development.

ACC is in the process of branching out in Central Texas with plans for campuses in Round Rock, Leander, San Marcos, Elgin/Bastrop and Kyle/Buda. However Leander, along with Round Rock is at the top of the list because the land has already been bought and the proposed campuses are already in areas where part of the property tax goes toward ACC. A source at ACC told Hill Country News that the campus would be around 100 acres in size in order to allow for future expansion and parking needs.

Clennan said the commitment was good for Leander's image as well.

“The way we are presenting our community to people is to say, 'don't just think about office space. Think about research too.'”

With Joule biotechnology on the way as well, an ACC campus is another step in the right direction.

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