The Save Our Springs Alliance is gearing up for what could be another major environmental battle in the new year. Temple-Inland Inc., one of only two companies to build over the aquifer in compliance with the 1992 SOS Ordinance, now wants to break from those regulatory constraints to add another 200,000 square feet to its existing operations along MoPac at Barton Skyway.
The expansion is being touted as an economic boon for Austin because of the Fortune 500 company’s projections of 800 additional jobs. The company currently employs about 1,600 people. The proposal also comes with the promise of mitigation dollars to go toward the acquisition of some choice preserve property, which would benefit the ongoing efforts of the Hill Country Conservancy.
Judging from copies of e-mails that the SOS Alliance obtained under open records laws, the Temple-Inland plan has strong backing from Mayor Will Wynn, who indicates in those e-mails his desire to sell the idea to at least five other council members — the magic number needed to waive the SOS Ordinance on behalf of Temple-Inland (or any other property owner). Wynn apparently mentioned the proposal during a golf game in September with the Statesman‘s Arnold Garcia, according to one e-mail exchange between the two, but when the columnist tried to follow up, the mayor cautioned Garcia to “keep the Temple-Inland opportunity hush-hush for a couple of months while I try to negotiate council support.”
Garcia agreed to do just that: “I’ll keep a lid on the Temple-Inland deal.” Then the Austin Business Journal broke the story in November, prompting some inquiries from Statesman business reporter Shonda Novak, after which City Manager Toby Futrell observed, in an e-mail to her staff, “This appears to be spinning more quickly than I thought.” Wynn says that realizing new job growth in a down economy would be his primary interest in the expansion of Temple-Inland. “Job creation is the task at hand and will be for the foreseeable future while our local economy, and specifically the city’s budget outlook, are in the shape that they’re in,” he said. The mayor also noted that water quality controls and mitigation dollars could alleviate environmental concerns.
In a lengthy letter to council members last week, the Alliance laid out its arguments against the Temple-Inland proposal and predicted the project would worsen existing Southwest Austin traffic problems and increase pressure to spend more money on highway expansion. It’s uncertain when, or whether, the Temple-Inland proposal would go before the council. Residents in the area are similarly preparing to fight the plan.
This article appears in 2003.
