By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News
A subsidiary of SB Energy purchased the former 3M site on River Place Boulevard in March, and the first phase of major construction is expected to be finished by spring of 2027 for a new tenant.
Ultimately the site could have hundreds of operational workers, according to an SB Energy spokesperson. Additionally, she shared in a Q&A with Four Points News that the campus will be closed to the public, and will not allow Leander ISD buses through the campus as things stand now.
On March 20, SE COSMOS LLC purchased Highpoint 2222 property at 6801 River Place Blvd. from Karlin Real Estate. It will remain a research and development site, according to filings and the spokesperson.
The campus has 1.2 million-square-feet that 3M used as office and laboratory space. It sits on 156-acres and has been empty since 2019.
In April the spokesperson said she could share the tenant in a couple of months but by July 29, she had not shared which company would be taking the space.
The SB Energy spokesperson answered several questions about what is going on at the site:
1) What construction is happening on-site and with the location where the parking garage once stood?
The former parking garage is planned as an equipment yard. Out of an abundance of caution and with the surrounding community in mind, we are installing a sound-dampening screen around that area.
2) What will neighbors expect to see going on at the site over the next several months?
We are continuing to do construction work inside of the facility. Phase one is scheduled to be completed in spring 2027.
3) What upgrades are being done?
The current project upgrades cover a portion of the existing building and include upgrades to the local substation and mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.
4) How many people are projected to work there initially and ultimately?
There is an expected peak of 700 construction workers on site.
The campus could support hundreds of operations jobs.
5) Is the company working with the Leander Independent School District to allow buses through the campus during peak times?
Our team is still looking at potential options. Given our tenant’s requirements, we need to secure the facility from non-project-related traffic and are not able at this time to accommodate bus traffic through the site. That said, our community team is eager to work with the school district to facilitate conversations on how we can be good partners in other ways.
6) Are there any amenities in the works that the community would be invited to use or will it be closed campus?
Given our tenant’s requirements, the facility will not be open to the public.
7) Any other updates to share?
We will keep you updated as we schedule community outreach.