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Company to occupy 405 Westport Parkway; city staff warn of traffic impacts, CO2 tank and hundreds of jobs
Summary
City development staff told the Haslet Economic Development Corporation that a firm will occupy the vacant 405 Westport Parkway building (about 400,000 sq ft) to refurbish phones, likely bringing roughly 400–500 employees and raising traffic and site-safety questions including a planned exterior CO2 tank.
City development staff told the Haslet Economic Development Corporation on the record that a firm plans to move into the long-vacant 405 Westport Parkway building, a structure the presenter described as roughly 400,000 square feet and under interior renovation.
The staff presentation said the company refurbishes phones and "receive[s] approximately every day 20,000 phones that they'll refurbish," and that the firm will likely relocate its entire facility to Haslet. Staff said earlier traffic assumptions for the site were prepared for roughly 50 vehicle trips per day but that estimates tied to the new operator had changed. "They've changed their number — it's probably gonna be between 4 and 500 employees to start off with," the presenter said, and that the operation will run two shifts, with about 200–250 people per shift.
Why it matters: the shift from a low-trip expectation to hundreds of employees could require roadwork and traffic mitigation, and staff said elements of the site plan — including the company's plan to install an exterior CO2 tank — are under review. The presentation flagged potential turn lanes on Westport Parkway and other measures to manage worker commute traffic and site access.
City staff described related local impacts: the company is remodeling interior space for employee break rooms and workstations; because the building already exists and much of the parking and lots are in place, staff said there is limited scope for the city to negotiate local-hire quotas. One board member suggested "we could reserve 10% of the employees for people of Haslet," but staff responded that, for this existing building with no proposed exterior changes, such negotiation opportunities are limited.
Staff also noted secondary local benefits and constraints: fewer semi-truck (18-wheeler) deliveries are expected at the site compared with other uses, and the city expects ad valorem property tax from the building as a certain revenue source; other potential retail sales from new employees were described as hopeful but not quantified.
The presentation covered other nearby development activity — QuickTrip under construction at Harmon Road and Haslet Parkway, work at the Freeman Toyota site, and Pass Road expansion near Carraway subdivision — and identified necessary follow-ups. Staff said they are "working with [the company] on a regular basis, to make sure we get all the things that the city needs to mitigate any kind of traffic situations and also, help them get their employees in and out." The board did not take a formal vote on the project during the meeting.
Next steps: staff will continue site-plan review and coordinate necessary traffic mitigation with the developer and public-works staff.
