The Burnet Economic Development Commission (EDC) board wasted no time Tuesday, Aug. 17, in rejecting a bid for the Highway 281 South property that City Manager David Vaughn described as “insulting.”
The $400,000 bid from a Plano developer wouldn’t have covered the EDC’s costs of developing the 13.51 acres at U.S. 281 and Houston Clinton Drive.
But Vaughn also told the board he’s not qualified to set a price on the commercial property and asked for — and got — permission to hire an appraiser to evaluate it.
An appraiser is needed instead of using the prop erty value set by the Burnet Central Appraisal District because central appraisal districts seldom set realistic values on commercial properties, Vaughn told the Burnet Bulletin.
The board also is looking at developing a parking lot at Pierce and Jackson streets on the southeast corner of the square in Burnet. That lot would relieve restricted parking for some businesses on the square, and if the board also decides to build a pubic restroom there, it could provide relief of other types.
Businesses on the square have said they don’t have the facilities to provide restrooms for riders on the Austin Steam Train’s popular Burnet excursion trains. The train depot, near the Burnet post office, directs visitors toward downtown businesses. However, several of the restored vintage passenger cars have no restrooms, the board was told.
“Many businesses simply don’t have the plumbing to provide public restrooms,” Vaughn said.
While there’s a public restroom at the depot, many riders don’t notice it, he said.
Vaughn said an estimate for developing the parking lot has been made at $235,000, but he said he’d ask the company working on the U.S. 281 development if it also could extend to building the parking lot.
Because it’s not a governmental entity, the EDC isn’t required to ask for bids on such projects.
