HCEDC hears development report: proposed cell-phone refurbisher may bring '600 to 700' jobs, questions remain on tax point of sale
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Summary
At its Dec. 17 meeting, the Haslet Community and Economic Development Corporation heard a development update from Mr. Swanky about multiple industrial and office projects, including a site plan amendment at 405 Westport Parkway proposing a CO2 cleaning tank for a cell-phone refurbishment facility the presenter estimated could employ about 600–700 people in three shifts. The board discussed parking, landscaping, and potential sales-tax implications.
Mr. Swanky, HCEDC's economic development presenter, briefed the board on a slate of local construction projects and site-plan changes that are nearing completion.
During a slide presentation he highlighted work at multiple addresses along Haslet Parkway and Westport Parkway, including cleanup and median work at an office shell building and the revised site plan at 405 Westport Parkway. Swanky said the company presenting at the Planning and Zoning Commission is proposing a carbon-dioxide (CO2) tank to support a dry-ice cleaning process used in refurbishing cell phones. "There's probably gonna be 600 to 700 employees here in 3 shifts," Swanky said the presenters told the commission.
Board members pressed staff about secondary effects from the facility. On sales tax, Swanky told the board that the point of sale for refurbished phones may be at a different location than the Westport Parkway site and that staff and the company were still clarifying whether local sales tax would be captured. "At this point, we don't know," he said, and added the city would pursue the question if the project moves forward.
The presentation also covered on-site improvements the developer plans to make, including additional employee parking, new landscaping islands required by city ordinance, a screened pad for a generator, and road-widening and sidewalk work in adjacent areas. Swanky reported drainage improvements at Community Park are substantially complete and that the fire station project is progressing, with members noting a hoped-for completion timeframe in early 2026.
The board did not take action on any permits or incentives at the meeting; some items from the presentation, including the parking-lot surfacing material, were flagged for City Council consideration on an upcoming agenda.