History: Make Something from Nothing
Leander really did not have much to brag about in the year 2000. A Golden Chick and a Sonic were our claim to fame back then, but our story has changed, and changed dramatically.
In 2003, the powers that be decided to begin the process of defining who we were going to be. Would we bring in enormous shopping centers? Would we let the sprawl of homes take over? How about none of the above!
What we decided to do was to purposely slow down development, and properly plan our city. And plan we did. Your city has been master planned to, by today’s standards, perfection. We live in the regions first completely designed city, and our hard work is paying off. For instance, while most cities in our region are reporting a significant drop in sales tax, your Leander is reporting right at an 8% increase.
We have raised the bar and we are showing the region the way things ought to be. We have built a broad base to stand on; believe it or not, the anchor of your community is our library! Eleven thousand people a month visit our library, that’s 1/3 of our population! Capital Metro is another big part of our success. With the arrival of rail, I see more one-car-families moving to Leander and utilizing public transportation. We have taken a different road than most cities, one that is much less traveled, but the foundation here in Leander has been laid and is so complete and so thorough that there is nowhere to go now but up.
We had prepared for a slowdown in 2008, but for entirely different reasons than the national economic slowdown we are experiencing today. We had been growing at a sustained rate of twenty two percent (22%) from January 2007 until mid 2008, and then….the economy. We were prepared for a slowdown, and because we planned ahead, we are now growing at a healthy rate of 8%, which is normal. We are not hurting, but other cities in our region are. We share our expertise with other cities. We do so to help create a more sustainable region.
Capital Metro’s much anticipated rail project was a big step for Leander and the region. In 2012, you will then begin to hear announcements of development around the rail station, both public and private. The Reagan/Parmer corridor has received a shot in the arm with underground utilities and major developments have been announced. Lakeline Blvd. will continue from Crystal Falls to 2243 and will begin construction around September of this year. With that will come additional retail, anchored by a Randall’s at Crystal Falls and Lakeline Blvd. Cap Rock Development around the front nine of our Crystal Falls golf course is ahead of schedule with sales.
The year 2012 will be a good year for Leander, not a great one compared to previous years. Most cities right now would die for a “Leander good year”. The foundation we have laid though will sustain us through good time as well as bad. We will still be promoting quality of life which is the first ingredient to our success; new roads, new parks, new bike lanes, more green space, and hopefully ball fields for our youth.
In closing, our Leander is right at thirty-two thousand people on our way to being a quarter-million. Well planned and well managed makes your city the “Rising Star of Central Texas.”