By Theresachristine Etim
An economical makeover may be in store for Kyle, as a strategic plan regarding the city’s assets is scheduled to be adopted by the city council on Oct. 20.
Developed in 2007, the plan aims to expand the economical development for Kyle.
The foundation for the plan involves the city’s strengths, areas to improve, and its future goals. It further helps the city’s trade move in the right direction.
Roger Dale, the managing principal of the Natelson Dale Group and the city’s economic and financial consultant, said location and land are among Kyle’s assets.
“The city is right between two strong economies: San Antonio and Austin,” Dale said. “There’s a lot of room for growth in this area. Also there’s a good availability of land to develop and the growth is increasing gradually, and there’s a number of medical facilities and stores here, along with moving facilities.”
The lack of diversity, however, in employment opportunities and housing are among things that need work, according to Dale.
“There’s a good market of internal housing, like starter homes for families,” Dale said. “There’s not much else, so now we want to expand with executive housing. This means more employers are more likely to come. We want to attract more developers and target high tech industries and businesses.”
Retail happens to be a strong point for Kyle, as it was highlighted in the 2007 version of the plan.
A newer version of the plan, started this year, uses the current state of the financial appearance to develop a new one. This plan will last a total of five years. Dale said the first part of the plan will be implemented after the first of the year.
Kyle Assistant Director of Economic Development Victoria Vargas said a continuing emphasis on things like stores and storage is a recognized flaw, and that the plan aims to stray from its concentration on retail. She also said the plan hopes to implement recreational facilities.
“It shows a great strength for the city economically, but it’s not something we’ll continue to (highlight) in the future,” Vargas said. “The Greater San Marcos Partnership does work recreational development in Kyle as well as San Marcos and we hope to move into that direction.”
Dale said the city has been meeting with stakeholders and groups, such as Austin Community College, in order to “reflect financial recommendation.”
“The meetings we have with stakeholders are an important process because it offers a sense of local stability,” Dale said. “It provides an outline of what the city of Kyle can become.”
And there’s much optimism for Kyle’s future, as past plans have made improvements. These can be seen throughout the city, according to Jerry Hendrix, Kyle’s Chief of Staff and Director of Communications.
“Looking at the last strategic plan is pretty impressive,” Hendrix said. “We saw closely to what was presented in the plan and there was a lot of success. Looking back, it’s been a continued progress.”
