Still in the early stages, developers NAI/Rohde, Ottmers and Siegel are talking to retailers and developers of single-family and multifamily housing to build on the site. They plan to devote 48 acres to retail, 50 acres to commercial and 50 to residential.

The development, to be called Pecan Crossing for the pecan grove now on the property, is nestled in an already busy retail area at the intersection of Texas 71 and 304. On one side is a Wal-Mart Supercenter and on the other, a 283-acre Sabine Investments development that includes a Home Depot store. An H-E-B grocery store is situated right across Texas 71.

The developers are counting on the continued growth of Bastrop, which will depend on development between Bastrop and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, about 20 miles to the west. Tom Rohde says Bastrop County has 58,000 residents and is growing fast. While the city of Bastrop, the county seat, grew from 4,044 residents in 1990 to 5,440 in 2000, the county jumped from 38,263 residents in 1990 to 57,733 in 2000. The Bastrop Chamber of Commerce says there are more than 31,000 vehicles per day on Texas 71 and projects an increase of at least 22,000 vehicles by 2010.