Private Entity May Build Olney Industrial Park

Private investors remain interested in developing an Olney industrial park, but a prospective housing manufacturer could look to Oklahoma if the local project does not move forward, Olney Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Tom Parker told the board Oct. 7.

The discussion reflected the lingering influence of the City Council’s recent scrutiny of OEDC spending and proposed projects. Although the Council did not formally direct the corporation to concentrate on quality of life projects, Mr. Parker indicated that OEDC was stepping back from the industrial park.

“We’re not involved in any of that,” he said during a discussion of the proposed development. “We’re looking for quality of life.”

Mr. Parker said private parties interested in the industrial park were continuing to explore the project and had asked him to help connect them with people involved in earlier planning. A privately developed project could eventually return with a request for annexation into a tax increment reinvestment zone, he said.

OEDC board member Kyle Hinson asked whether an industrial building under development in Iowa Park could attract the prospective housing manufacturer. Mr. Parker said Oklahoma was another potential destination.

“If they’re not here, they’re not doing that, they’re probably going to go to Oklahoma,” he said.

The investors could potentially finance the Olney development themselves, Mr. Parker said. He was sharing information about infrastructure and drainage, and they could commission a survey to assess the property.

Mr. Hinson said communities with available industrial buildings have an advantage in recruiting businesses.

Mr. Parker agreed, saying employers increasingly want a building ready to occupy rather than land on which to construct one.

“Now it’s if you don’t have it built, they’re not even looking at you,” he said.

City Councilmember Colson Ballard, who attended the meeting, also asked whether there had been progress on the proposed Main Street apartments. Mr. Parker reported no new development. The board took no votes.