TEXAS CONSTRUCTION HUB The Texas Pour#007 / WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2026 Tracking what Texas is building—and who’s building it. |
EDITION 07 | 6-MINUTE READ Hello, Texas! Thank you to everyone reading and sharing The Texas Pour, and a warm welcome to our newest subscribers. Power, water and manufacturing lead this edition. Pacifico’s Cedar Creek proposal brings a major gas-generation plan alongside a new data-center building, while The District’s retail phase adds momentum to a $1 billion mixed-use development in the Austin region. We’re also looking inside Meta’s operating Temple campus, following Amazon’s newly detailed robotics factory and tracking the road and water infrastructure behind Texas growth. Add three acquisitions and a busy regulatory agenda, and there is plenty to catch up on. A perk from our advertising partner: readers get 15% off their first order at Angelino’s Coffee. Click the Angelino’s Coffee link at the top of this article to claim your discount. |
Today’s Brief.This edition spans the infrastructure enabling Texas growth and the projects putting it to work—from dedicated power for data centers to new manufacturing space, elevated highways and water-treatment capacity. - ⚡ Pacifico Energy’s Cedar Creek Plans: Project Longhorn pairs a proposed 48-turbine, 1.3GW gas-generation facility with a separately filed $366 million first data-center building. The wider development carries a reported $2.2 billion estimate, with permitting and delivery milestones still to follow.
- 🏙️ Austin-Area Mixed-Use Momentum: The District in Round Rock is advancing a 41,521-SF retail and restaurant plaza across six buildings. It is the next construction chapter within the approximately $1 billion master plan, with individual tenant openings still to be announced.
- 🚧 San Antonio’s Highway Transformation: the $3.5 billion I-35 NEX program spans approximately 20 miles. Its $1.5 billion Central project has reached a reported beam-placement milestone on part of the southbound elevated lanes, adding progress to a much larger phased buildout.
- 💧 Denton’s Water Infrastructure: a $628 million estimate supports a planned 20-million-gallon-per-day expansion at Ray Roberts Water Treatment Plant. Early works are targeted for the second quarter of 2027, with completion targeted for 2032.
- 🔎 Our Newest Project Deep Dive: Meta’s Temple campus is now serving traffic. Explore the 760,000-plus-SF development, its more than $1.2 billion investment and the transition from construction to operations in Project Insights.
- 🏭 Manufacturing Projects To Watch: SpaceX and Tesla are targeting 2028 volume production at Terafab, while acknowledging substantial uncertainty. Amazon’s Austin robotics factory has a $100 million civil-and-shell filing covering 1.2 million SF, and Hertha’s Conroe iron plant targets initial operations in late 2027.
- ✈️ Airport And Data-Center Delivery: Austin airport has broken ground on campus-wide utilities, with an October 22 vote pending on a $224 million contract-ceiling increase. Compass’ three Red Oak interior packages total $300 million and 755,445 SF, with filed completion targets extending into 2028.
- 🤝 Three Acquisitions To Follow: CBRE’s proposed Onnec purchase could reach approximately $1 billion, including contingent payments. Alamo has added six DFW concrete plants, while Consor’s acquisition of Beyond Engineering & Testing expands its Texas technical-services capabilities.
- ⚖️ Data-Center Permits Under Scrutiny: advocates report at least 16 applications advancing or permits being issued after the state directive; officials dispute noncompliance. We unpack the distinction between application processing and final authorization, alongside Amazon’s proposed 1.2GW Comanche Peak power arrangement.
- 🔌 Grid Funding And Energy Decisions: approximately $50 million in federal grid-resilience support has been announced for Texas. Silver Basin reports a power-approval milestone for its 180MW proposal, while Red Barn Solar’s reported tax agreement moves the $264.5 million development into its next planning stage.
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Project Spotlight Pacifico Plans 1.3GW Power Facility for Cedar Creek Data Center Publisher-supplied illustration; not a verified site photograph or approved layout. Project Longhorn puts dedicated power at the center of a major Bastrop County development. Pacifico CCK Energy 1 LLC’s air application describes 48 natural-gas turbines with 1,326MW of maximum nominal generating capacity, associated with the Pacifico Energy and BlackChamber data-center campus. A community fact-sheet summary places the wider development at a reported $2.2 billion. The more specific Building One registration sets out $366 million and 498,165 square feet, with a filed construction window of November 30, 2026–January 31, 2028. The turbine capacity describes generation, not contracted computing load. Final air authorization and a confirmed construction start remain milestones to follow as the building and power programs develop. |
Project Spotlight Austin-Area $1 Billion District Adds Six Retail Buildings The District rendering: Mark IV Capital, via Chron. Mark IV Capital’s The District in Round Rock is moving ahead with a reported 41,521-square-foot retail and restaurant plaza. Six buildings will add places to shop and eat within the mixed-use development near Dell’s campus. The approximately $1 billion figure covers the wider master plan. This retail phase is a defined step within that longer buildout, alongside the development’s residential and future commercial components. Individual tenant opening dates have not yet been confirmed. |
Infrastructure Watch $3.5 Billion Highway Expansion Transforming San Antonio I-35 NEX corridor map: TxDOT. Shows the wider phased program. The $3.5 billion I-35 Northeast Expansion program is reshaping approximately 20 miles of the San Antonio corridor, from North Walters Street to FM 1103. Elevated lanes, interchange reconstruction and supporting drainage and utility work form part of a phased program spanning Central, North and South projects. At its heart, the $1.5 billion NEX Central project covers 9.5 miles from I-410 North to FM 3009. It adds three elevated lanes in each direction—two mainlanes and one HOV lane—with connections to I-410 North and Loop 1604 West. The latest reported milestone is final-beam placement on a portion of the southbound elevated lanes. It marks structural progress, with further work still required before opening. Explore the full program, delivery teams and phase-by-phase timelines in our Project Insight. |
Infrastructure Watch Denton Plans $628 Million Water Infrastructure Expansion Site-plan image adapted from City of Denton’s presentation; slide panel and captions removed. Denton’s Ray Roberts Water Treatment Plant expansion carries a $628 million construction estimate and would add 20 million gallons per day of capacity using low-pressure membranes. The project is in preconstruction, with early works targeted for the second quarter of 2027 and completion targeted for the second quarter of 2032. It is a major long-term capacity investment, with the estimate still separate from a construction award. |
Project Deep Dive Inside Meta’s Temple Data Center: Now Serving Traffic Our newest project added to Project Insights. Temple has moved from a major construction site to an operating part of Meta’s infrastructure. The campus is now serving traffic, with more than $1.2 billion invested and a reported 760,000-plus square feet. It is Meta’s first AI-optimized data center to come online. The transition is the focus of our Project Insight: how the campus moved through construction, the teams involved in delivery, and the power and cooling infrastructure supporting operations. For readers following the Texas data-center market, Temple provides an operating-campus perspective alongside this edition’s new proposals and filings. |
Five Texas Projects To Watch1. SpaceX And Tesla: Terafab Targets 2028Musk’s October 20 remarks put volume production in the second half of 2028, while acknowledging substantial uncertainty. The announced first-phase investment exceeds $16.8 billion. A separate Austin research milestone targets a working test chip in May–June 2027. 2. Austin Airport: Utilities Break GroundThe October 19 groundbreaking advances campus-wide utilities supporting terminal expansion. Work is expected through 2029. An October 22 council item seeks to increase the contract ceiling by $224 million, from $120 million to $344 million; that decision remains pending. 3. Amazon: $100 Million Austin Factory FilingProject Toaster’s registration describes 1.2 million square feet of factory, casting, office and utility-plant space at 475 Patton Avenue. The estimate covers civil works and core and shell, with a filed November 16, 2026–July 13, 2027 window. It is separate from Amazon’s wider manufacturing investment. 4. Compass: $300 Million In Red Oak Fit-OutsBuildings 8, 9 and 10 each carry a $100 million, 251,815-SF interior-work registration. Combined, that is 755,445 square feet, with filed completion targets from October 2027 to August 2028. These are packages on an existing campus. 5. Hertha: Conroe’s Chalyx Iron PlantFollowing the October 8 groundbreaking, the approximately $100 million plant targets initial operations in late 2027 and 10,000 tonnes of annual high-purity iron output. The company’s $133.65 million financing round supports development and is separate from the plant estimate. |
Acquisitions Concrete, Data Centers And Engineering Drive The DealsCBRE Agrees Potential $1 Billion Onnec DealThe agreement comprises approximately $610 million upfront and up to $400 million linked to growth. Onnec expands CBRE’s technical data-center infrastructure capability in Europe and Asia Pacific. Closing is expected around year-end, subject to approvals. Alamo Adds Six DFW Concrete PlantsAlamo completed its purchase of Big Town Concrete assets, entering the DFW ready-mix market with six plants. Existing management will continue day-to-day operations; financial terms were not disclosed. Consor Acquires Beyond Engineering & TestingThe October 20 announcement adds Texas-based civil and geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing and inspection expertise. Beyond brings more than 180 engineers, technicians and inspectors, according to the transaction announcement. The purchase price was not disclosed. |
Legal & Regulatory Watch Power Decisions, Permitting And Public FundingTexas Data-Center Permits Advance As State Disputes Watchdog FindingsPublic Citizen and local advocates say at least 16 applications advanced or permits were issued after the governor’s September 21 directive. State officials dispute claims of noncompliance, and TCEQ says it is complying. The October 20 reporting distinguishes issued water-quality permits from air applications still under review; it does not establish a blanket restart of approvals. Amazon’s Proposed 1.2GW Load Advances Through ReviewA reported ERCOT recommendation moves the Comanche Peak power arrangement forward, with final PUCT action still pending. The proposed demand ramp runs from 100MW in late 2027 to 1,200MW in late 2031; it is not a confirmed campus construction schedule. Texas Receives $50 Million Grid-Funding AnnouncementFederal resilience support announced October 20 could advance electricity-network improvements. Individual Texas sites, construction packages and contractor awards have not yet been established in the published announcement. Silver Basin Reports 180MW Power ApprovalThe reported October 15 decision concerns a behind-the-meter arrangement with the existing Taygete II solar facility in Pecos County. The proposed data center’s construction milestones remain separate from this power approval. Red Barn Solar Secures Reported Tax DealFollowing the proposal covered in #005, local reporting identifies a ten-year county abatement for the approximately $264.5 million Bowie County solar-and-storage development. Construction is targeted for 2027. |
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What We’re Watching NextThese are the decisions and delivery milestones we’ll be following beyond this edition, from the next airport vote to the infrastructure needed to bring major industrial projects into operation. - Pacifico And Project Longhorn: the documented air-permit outcome, confirmation of Building One’s filed November start and announcements identifying the construction team. We’re also watching how the generation and data-center schedules align.
- The District In Round Rock: progress on the six-building retail plaza, tenant announcements and opening plans as the mixed-use development takes shape in phases.
- I-35 NEX: the next elevated-roadway and interchange milestones, traffic changes and confirmed opening dates. Progress on Central will be tracked separately from the North and South phases.
- Denton Water Expansion: design progress, early-work scope and procurement leading toward the second-quarter 2027 target. The city’s next updates should help clarify how the $628 million estimate translates into delivery packages.
- Austin Airport: the October 22 council decision on the proposed utilities contract increase, followed by package releases and progress on the infrastructure serving the terminal expansion.
- Amazon’s Austin Factory: confirmation of the registered November construction start, delivery-team appointments and any further fit-out filings beyond the $100 million civil and shell package.
- Terafab, Compass And Hertha: the Austin test-chip milestone and Grimes County production timetable, progress against Red Oak’s building-specific fit-out dates, and commissioning updates from Hertha’s Conroe plant.
- Data-Center Permitting: further clarification from TCEQ and the status of individual water and air applications. We’ll distinguish final authorizations from applications moving through notice and review.
- Power And Public Funding: final PUCT action on the Comanche Peak arrangement, construction updates for Silver Basin and Red Barn Solar, and named projects emerging from the $50 million grid-resilience allocation.
- Acquisitions: CBRE’s expected year-end Onnec closing and subsequent integration updates from Consor and Alamo as their expanded businesses support the construction market.
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Before You GoThank you for being part of the Texas Construction Hub community. Share this edition with a colleague, and send us your project milestones and construction updates. We’ll be back on Sunday, October 25.
The Texas Construction Hub Team |
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