Simon sets sights on Bastrop Retail developer plans up to 1M square feet on 145-acre site Giselle Greenwood and Mary Alice Kasper Austin Business Journal Staff Simon Property Group Inc. plans to build a retail center in Bastrop that could be as much as 1 million square feet. Simon [NYSE: SPG], one of the country's largest retail developers and owners, has 145 acres under contract for purchase at the southeast corner of State Highway 71 and Highway 304. Simon executives say they hope to begin construction in 2004 and open a first phase in the fall of 2005. "Over the next several months, we'll be working to get the appropriate approvals from local and state agencies," says Les Morris, a spokesman for Indianapolis-based Simon. The land, called Pecan Crossing, belongs to the Brundage and Morrison families. They are represented by San Antonio-based NAI/Rohde Ottmers and Siegel. In 2001, the Brundage and Morrison families, who develop mini-storage centers, bought the land with the goal of building roughly $40 million worth of retail space. Tom Rohde, president of NAI/Rohde Ottmers and Siegel, declines to comment on the deal. Simon is planning a community center-style retail development, an open-air project that includes "big box" retailers such as Home Depot and Target. Tenants haven't been lined up for the project. Big box retailers usually occupy tens of thousands of square feet of contiguous space. An example of a "community center" as built by Simon is Lakeline Plaza in Far Northwest Austin. It features 345,000 square feet occupied by retailers such as Old Navy, Best Buy and OfficeMax. Simon has been aggressively positioning itself in the Austin area's outlying communities over the past few years. For instance, it is breaking ground in December on a 750,000-square-foot, $100 million retail center in Georgetown. Simon also has confirmed putting roughly 200 acres off Loop 4 and I-35 under contract for a mixed use development in Buda. Furthermore, it has agreed to purchase 133 acres in Round Rock to develop a 750,000-square-foot retail development that includes hotel, office and residential components. That site is at the northeast corner of FM 1431 and I-35. Joe Newman, president and CEO of the Bastrop Economic Development Corp., says Bastrop has been awaiting a retail explosion. "A lot of people go to Austin now for their shopping needs," Newman says. "I think it's great that we're attracting more retail." The Pecan Crossing tract is near other major retailers, including Wal-Mart, HEB and Home Depot. "Ever since we were listed as the 30th fastest growing county in the nation, more and more developers have been paying attention to us," Newman says. Newman is referring to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau about Bastrop County's population growth from April 2000 to July 2001. During that period, it was the eighth fastest growing county in the state. The Texas State Data Center at Texas A&M University projects the county's population will reach 73,108 in 2005, up from 63,934 in July 2002. Lance Morris, director of brokerage in the Austin office of The Weitzman Group real estate firm, says outlying communities in the Austin area have garnered plenty of retail attention because of their population growth. "Retailers and developers are recognizing them [outlying communities including Bastrop] as other submarkets of Austin," Morris says. "While the jobs might be in Austin or Round Rock, the outlying communities offer a great place to live." Bastrop is about 30 miles southeast of Austin. Simon's interests in the Austin area include Barton Creek Square, Highland and Lakeline malls. Email Giselle Greenwood at(ggreenwood@bizjournals.com) and MARY ALICE KASPAR at(makaspar@bizjournals.com). From bizjournals.com

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210 Acres Added to Bastrop Area Nature Preserve (TX) Contact: James Sharp, The Trust for Public Land (512) 478-4644; Carrie Knox, Pines and Prairies Land Trust (512) 308-1911 Bastrop, TX, 1/9/2006 - The Trust for Public Land (TPL) announced that a local natural haven will be conserved to promote cleaner air and to protect prime habitat land for an endangered animal. TPL purchased the 210-acre property and conveyed it to the Pines and Prairies Land Trust (PPLT), a local nonprofit land conservation organization serving Bastrop, Lee, Fayette, and Caldwell counties. This is the second land acquisition purchased using Alcoa settlement funds from a recent civil suit against the local aluminum producer for emissions violations. In 2004, TPL worked with PPLT to acquire 310 acres of forested upland. Both acquisitions are located with potential habitat areas of the endangered Houston toad as designated by the USFWS in 2000. The purchase of these tracts was made possible by a settlement following legal actions against Alcoa's aluminum smelter in Rockdale for violations of the Clean Air Act. The lawsuit was lodged by the citizens' group Neighbors For Neighbors, national groups Environmental Defense and Public Citizen, the US Department of Justice, and the US Environmental Protection Agency. A federal court decreed that some of the settlement funds be used to protect air quality and extend existing Houston toad habitat of the Lost Pines and Post Oak Savannah areas of Bastrop and Lee Counties. The property will be a major addition to the growing preserved land privately owned and managed by the PPLT. This newest property brings to over 1000 acres protected by the Pines and Prairies Land Trust. "The Trust for Public Land is pleased to have made this conservation effort possible for the Pines and Prairies Land Trust," says TPL project manager Amy Wanamaker. "As central Texas continues to grow, conservation efforts like these become more critical to balance new development with the natural areas that are important to the health of our communities." "This land adds a significant amount of protected wildlife and endangered species habitat virtually in the city limits of Bastrop and less than a half-mile from Lake Bastrop," says PPLT President Carrie Knox. "Keeping such a large tract open will also help improve the water quality of Lake Bastrop and, ultimately, the Colorado River." The Pines and Prairies Land Trust was founded in 2001 to help landowners protect themselves from unwanted development and to preserve special natural spaces in the region for current and future generations. PPLT has developed a conservation easement on a 670-acre ranch in Paige in northern Bastrop County, a 230-acre conservation easement in northern Caldwell County and owns 1.5 miles of Colorado River frontage, which is now being developed into Bastrop County's first free public park. Please contact PPLT at 512-308-1911 or visit the PPLT website at www.pplt.org The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national, nonprofit land-conservation organization that conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and other natural places, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. Since its founding in 1972, the Trust for Public Land has helped protect more than 2 million acres of land in 45 states. In Texas, TPL has protected more than 30,000 acres for communities, including areas in and around Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. The Trust for Public Land depends on the support and generosity of individuals, foundations, and businesses to achieve its land for people mission. For more information please visit TPL on the web at www.tpl.org from http://www.tpl.org - The Trust for Public Land

Item 62 entered Fri, Dec 26, 2003 (15:20) by Paul Terry Walhus (terry) Bastrop Texas Type "." to exit or ":help". Enter your response: http://www.bastropedc.org/facts/demo.htm is a population project for Bastrop by ethnicity and also has a lot of other interesting facts relating to the areas economic growth. year total anglo black hispanic other 2005 73,459 46,452 5,110 13,845 2010 93,117 55,685 7,076 29,475 2040 358,041 115,286 16,911 222.302 source http://txsdc.utsa.edu/