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TXDMV plans two new RSCs, recommends leasing and identifies Laredo as potential new site
Summary
TXDMV briefed the committee on new regional service center openings in Duncanville and Stafford, relocation projects in Pharr and Odessa, and a long-range facilities plan that found leasing more cost-effective than buying or building and identified Laredo as a possible new RSC location.
Roland Minhala, deputy executive director at the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, presented the department's regional service center (RSC) expansion, renovation and long-range facilities plan.
Minhala said the department received appropriations for two additional RSCs, one in Dallas (Duncanville area near I-30 and Wheatland Road) and one in the Houston area (Stafford/Meadows Place near I-59 South). The Dallas South site was in final build-out and expected to be operational in late May, subject to contractor schedules. The Houston South site required a retrofit of a sprinkler system by the building owner and city permitting; once the sprinkler work is complete, interior build-out will proceed.
The department described other recent projects: the Odessa RSC co-located with TxDOT is complete and serving large IRP transaction volumes; the Pharr office will relocate to a nearby property the state was offered, with construction anticipated to complete next year using modular buildings provided by TxDOT.
Minhala summarized the long-range facilities plan, which used transaction-level data by ZIP code to model customer demand and staffing configurations. The study found leasing to be more cost-effective than buying or building: leasing was roughly 47% less costly than buying and about 59% less costly than building (market-study figures provided by the Texas Facilities Commission and JLL). The plan identified Laredo as a candidate for an additional RSC; with an estimated 600,000–800,000 customers who could be served by a Laredo location, the department said an office there could shift travel choices for residents of Webb, Dimmit and Duval counties.
Minhala noted the long-range plan excluded offices with ongoing projects (Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Odessa and Pharr) and emphasized that future decisions would involve executive- and board-level discussion.
Committee members asked logistical and timing questions; Minhala said office openings depend on contractors finishing build-outs and on finalizing network, furniture and security installations.
