OEDC Dreams Big at Planning Meeting
The Olney Economic Development Corporation served up an ambitious menu at Old Time Cafe on Aug. 12: a home factory, downtown apartments, new life for two landmark buildings, and a lakeside recreation area complete with docks, a beach, and food trucks.
The gathering brought OEDC directors together with representatives of state Rep. David Spiller, state Sen. Brent Hagenbuch and U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, along with structural engineers, City Administrator Andy Wolfe, Mayor Rue Rogers and local rancher and businessman Shad Sullivan.
OEDC President Johnny Moore said it was the first time the board had invited such a broad group into its annual budget planning.
“Normally, it’s just us,” Mr. Moore said. “This is bringing in more than we’ve had before.”
OEDC Executive Director Tom Parker presented the board’s priorities for fiscal year 2026-27, asking the state and federal representatives to help identify grants, loans and programs that could turn the proposals into brick-andmortar projects.
The biggest reveal was the name of the modular housing manufacturer considering a factory on 10 vacant acres behind Dairy Queen and Sonic: Fab-ulous Homes.
Mr. Parker unveiled drawings for the approximately $6.5 million plant, which would manufacture modular and panelized building components. The operation could begin with 25 to 35 employees and grow to 75 to 85, with production potentially starting within 11 months. Its business plan calls for producing about 15 homes per week.
The factory could do more than supply new houses. Its locally made components could be used to rehabilitate the historic Hamilton Hotel and the vacant Olney Savings building, linking three of the OEDC’s largest ideas.
Mr. Parker proposed turning the Olney Savings building into senior apartments with a retail plaza on the first floor. The approximately $12-million redevelopment would begin with an estimated $2 million “white boxing” of the building—removing its interior, correcting structural and code problems, and preparing the shell for new construction.
Structural engineer Steven Turner of Arlington-based Twiin Group said shops below apartments are common in larger developments and could bring vitality and walkability to downtown Olney. The building’s prominent location and ample parking add to its potential, he said.
The broader downtown vision would encourage Main Street property owners to add second-story apartments above existing businesses, creating housing within walking distance of stores, restaurants and services.
The Hamilton Hotel could be restored initially as temporary housing for workers constructing the proposed Project Saltworks data center campus near Graham. When construction ends, the units could be converted into permanent apartments or lodging. Mr. Parker said Fab-ulous Homes could manufacture the interior components needed to complete the hotel much faster than conventional construction.
The lake plan was the most colorful proposal on the table. Preliminary drawings for Lake Olney-Lake Cooper include improved roads, several parking areas, picnic grounds, food-truck spaces, restrooms, a beach and separate docks for fishing and boating. Later phases could add light camping and recreation areas on the peninsula.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists already have mapped the lake and helped establish gravel spawning beds, he said. The OEDC also hopes to add underwater habitat and remove salt cedar from the dam to improve fishing and strengthen future grant applications.
Mayor Rogers said the long-neglected, City-owned lake could become an important community asset.
Mr. Sullivan supplied a note of caution amid the enthusiasm, saying in an interview after the meeting that even grant-funded projects ultimately involve taxpayer money and often come with conditions.
“The ideas are all great,” he said. “But it all takes money.”