Endeavor set to be Pointer on Development if “Dog’s Head” is Annexed into Austin.

A sprawling 2,614-acre parcel on the southeast side of Austin known as the “Dog’s Head” could soon be annexed into the city limits, paving the way for future development.

The site, aptly named for a dog head-shaped bend in the Colorado River that runs through the property, could bring $3.5 billion in new property tax revenue to the city over three decades, according to the Austin Business Journal. The Austin City Council is set to take a vote Thursday to approve a development agreement with Endeavor Real Estate Group which is poised to spearhead its build out.

The massive swath of land sits directly east of Highway 183 and north of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, a short drive from Downtown Austin, according to the publication.

Despite its proximity, the site is technically outside Austin city limits in an unincorporated extraterritorial jurisdiction. It’s also around twice the size of Austin’s downtown area. Due to being nestled in Austin’s ETJ, the area provides the city with no property tax revenue. The annexation gets Austin proper back in the economic development game.

Over the course of 45 years, the land is expected to be developed into part-residential, part-commercial industrial sites. Per the city agreement, portions of the development will be affordable housing, and a commitment to building a public trail along the river would be ratified. Specific plans for the land remain unclear.

Austin-based Endeavor acquired the lion’s share of the Dog’s Head region over the past few years.

In the past, Endeavor ran point on developing The Domain, north Austin’s “second downtown” mixed-use development full of offices for tech workers, luxury shops and luxury apartments. The firm’s other projects in the city include the Southpark Meadows retail center and the IBC Bank Plaza.

Over decades, the state capitol of Texas has ballooned in size, particularly south along the I-35 corridor and north in a glut of suburbs that extends to Hutto, Liberty Hill and Georgetown. Development in those areas, which are sometimes not in Austin’s tax base, have been supercharged in recent years. Annexing the land could have an effect on economic growth of the city itself, according to the publication, should the land be developed into a concentrated district.

— Hunter Cooke