KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — Read this story and more North Texas business news from our partners at the Dallas Business Journal
As the growth of Dallas-Fort Worth radiates outward, economic development leaders in Kaufman County hope to take advantage by assembling a large piece of land for business use.
The Kaufman Economic Development Corp. recently purchased 105 acres in the city of Kaufman from the Trinity Valley Community College Foundation. The deal closed Oct. 30 but was announced this week as EDC officials look ahead to how the land might be used.
KEDC paid just under $2.75 million for the land, southeast of town along U.S. Highway 175, according to Executive Director Stewart McGregor. The 105 acres will be combined with 40 adjacent acres already owned by KEDC, and the entire 145-acre assemblage will be marketed for sale. The nonprofit economic development agency said it hopes to "recruit high quality jobs" and that it's targeting industries including advanced manufacturing, food and beverage processing, metal fabrication, data centers and cold storage. The site could support roughly 1.2 million square feet of industrial space and attract about $340 million in capital investment, according to KEDC.
The assemblage could attract a large corporate user to the state's fastest-growing county. Kaufman County saw its population surge more than 17% from 2020 to 2022, hitting an estimated 172,366, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest data. That rate also ranked No. 2 in the entire country.
But while there has been plenty of residential and some retail development in Kaufman County, large-scale commercial development has lagged behind. Construction started this summer on a Hampton Inn in Kaufman that will be the city's first upper midscale hotel, McGregor said.
The board of KEDC "recognizes the need to accommodate new corporate citizens as people continue to move to our city," stated Charles Gillenwater, president of the board and member of the Kaufman City Council.
Tom Allison and Milton Black with Range Realty Advisors in Dallas represented the KEDC in the purchase. TVCC did not have outside representation.
The original 40-acre parcel is valued at about $1.8 million by Kaufman Central Appraisal District, although market value often exceeds the government-appraised value.
The land had been donated to the TVCC Foundation in 2019 by Arlton White, who at the time also gave the foundation $250,000 to establish a nursing scholarship in the name of his late wife, Dr. Nancy White, a former pediatric cardiologist in Dallas.
Proceeds from the sale can be used to benefit Trinity Valley Community College, an Athens-based community college network with multiple campuses. KEDC also said it will help pay for renovations to the TVCC campus in Kaufman. That will contribute to "modern, flexible training space to meet the needs of both current and future employers," McGregor stated.
"This is about two strong partners coming together to work for the advancement of our Kaufman community economically and through education opportunities that will meet the needs of the future workforce,” TVCC President Jason Morrison stated.
The 145 acres are in an opportunity zone, meaning landowners can qualify for federal tax benefits. It also means, under the state's new Chapter 403 incentives, projects could qualify for tax abatements on 75% of their property value for school district property taxes.
