The GCC project is a partnership of Central Texas developers Green Corporate Centers Holdings Inc. and Eco-Merge, a Japan-based consortium with a U.S. branch headquartered in Austin
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--An ambitious Central Texas development will demonstrate the vast potential of common-sense green technology and planning, while creating much-needed jobs, increasing tax revenue and providing critical general-aviation capacity for the region.
At an event today at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, project and public officials said the Eco-Merge Green Corporate Center, located in Bastrop County, will show how commercial development and environmental responsibility should not only coexist, but are best done together.
The more than 1,500-acre GCC project, near the intersection of FM 1704 and FM 969 about 15 minutes east of Austin, will be home to organizations researching, creating, incubating and producing advanced green technologies. Companies already committing to operate from the center include:
A key element of GCC is Central Texas Airport, which is being designed and will function to the same high standards for environmental responsibility as the overall project. The airport will add critical general-aviation capacity for all of Central Texas, including Austin, the nation’s 15th largest city by population.
CTA will serve primarily small business aircraft. A development agreement unanimously approved by Bastrop County Commissioners prohibits regularly scheduled passenger and cargo service. The types of business, charter and other private aircraft that will be based at the airport are known to be among the quietest and most environmentally advanced in the world.
The GCC project is a partnership of Central Texas developers Green Corporate Centers Holdings Inc. and Eco-Merge, a Japan-based consortium with a U.S. branch headquartered in Austin. In addition to the initial commitments, Eco-Merge is in discussions with other global leaders in alternative energy, green building design, conservation, and sustainable infrastructure about establishing operations in Bastrop County.
The campus will be a global seeding ground and showcase for energy efficiency, renewable power and sustainability in office, industrial and manufacturing facilities. GCC’s infrastructure plans call for unprecedented energy efficiency through master community design, construction and operating practices that achieve or exceed the highest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, standards.
At the hub of the campus will be an innovative Internet Protocol-based “micro grid,” led by Austin-based Tiga Energy Services, to manage all energy generation, storage, transmission and consumption, as well as provide voice, video and data services.
An early study by The Perryman Group of Waco, Texas, indicated that during build-out GCC could generate an average of more than 3,000 full- and part-time construction and related jobs. Once operationally mature, the development may annually account for more than 10,000 on-campus jobs—perhaps another 30,000 across Central Texas—along with more than $4 billion in goods and services, $8 billion-plus in total spending, and more than $300 million in new state and local tax revenue.
Construction of essential infrastructure, including the airport, could begin before the end of the year.
Quotes:
Jim Carpenter, chairman of the board and chief executive officer, Eco-Merge Green Corporate Centers – “This project recognizes that development and economic growth require creation and use of advanced green technology. That means taking smart, new approaches. Central Texas Airport enhances GCC and the reverse is true, too. By every measure, this region is woefully underserved for general aviation, and addressing the issue will make our area much more attractive for investment and job creation.”
Tetsuo Fujino, founder and chairman of the board, Eco-Merge – “Eco-Merge is dedicated to advancing the transfer of green technology, making it both more accessible and profitable by linking leading technology from Japan, the United States, Europe, Asia and other regions with large and growing nations around the world. By doing so, the global economy can be more durable and the essential resources of our planet more sustainable.”
John Burns, president and chief operating officer, Eco-Merge Green Corporate Centers – “Bastrop County has been my home for a long time, and we have an extraordinary chance to make this area a leader in the global ecological revolution, like other parts of Central Texas have been in information technology since the 1980s. Doing that will have huge benefits for our people, our education system and our entire community.”
About Eco-Merge Green Corporate Center
Eco-Merge Green Corporate Center will be a global hub of eco-technology and commerce. Located in Bastrop County near Austin, Texas, GCC will use private investment to become a source and showcase for green technology; fulfill shared purposes of economic growth, job creation and environmental responsibility using private investment; and create much-needed general-aviation capacity for the region. For more information, visit www.ecomergegcc.com.
