Big plans in store for Highland Mall

Looking toward the future, Austin Community College officials have big plans in store after purchasing the final tract of land at Highland Mall on Aug. 4 for an estimated $15.9 million. This purchase, along with previous purchases of land and buildings at Highland Mall totals more than $40 million.

ACC now owns 100 percent of the land at Highland Mall, which consists of more than 80 acres and over 642,000 square feet of space in the form of three of the four stand-alone anchor buildings.

The purchase of the mall is a key component in preparing for future growth by providing more space and better quality of space per student. The space at Highland Mall will be used for administrative offices and additional classrooms as renovations take place at campuses in need of work. Ample parking space is a major advantage of this location.

The acquisition of the Highland Mall property also helps the college fulfill the sustainability requirements laid out in the 2007 Facilities Master Plan which calls for ACC to implement environmentally friendly practices and create positive environmental and community impact.

"ACC is committed to reducing energy use, waste, pollution, water consumption and waste water," said Bill Mullane, executive director of facilities and construction. "This includes recycling more and using more recycled products."

Preliminary plans call for a central heating, cooling and power plant near the mall to increase energy efficiency. Mullane points out that these additions are part of a long term plan and not in the immediate future.

More immediate plans include consolidating the college's administrative offices which are located at both the Service Center on Highway 290 and the Highland Business Center across the street from Highland Mall.

The additional space provided by the mall will also allow ACC to begin much needed expansion and renovations at existing campuses, by providing swing space so that classes can be temporarily relocated to the mall while construction takes place at the campuses.

The space at Highland Mall will allow these rotations for expansion over the next 12 to 15 years, according to Mullane. The time line included in the 2012 -2014 Master Plan shows that Rio Grande is the first campus scheduled to receive renovations.

"The biggest challenge with campuses is they are always in use and don't have summers off to allow completion of the work," Mullane said. Work has already begun on preparing the administrative offices and additional classrooms with a projected move in date of 2014.

Other than use as swing space, the mall facilities are not slated to become a full fledged campus and ACC's plans will not interrupt ongoing mall operations. Areas currently being used as retail space are under lease until 2070 and will continue to operate as such.

Mall operations will provide ACC with $750,000 annually which is a 5.25 percent return on the investment, according to Neil Vickers, associate vice president of finance and budget. ACC is not responsible for the operation of the retail space however.

Vickers explained that the mall purchase puts ACC on track to have positive environmental impact based on the fact that the mall is conveniently located near public transportation and pointed out that transportation is a major contributing factor to a community's carbon footprint.

The development of the mall may also lead to more green improvements.

Future plans for the area may include a mix of retail and living space which would be pursued by Redleaf Properties, LLC, the corporation that partnered with ACC in securing Highland Mall's land and retains options to repurchase parts of the land from ACC. Representatives of Redleaf did not return our calls immediately.

Plans for the mall also include a Continuing Education center, convocation center, space for nonprofit affiliates, conference center, and a professional development center.

Both Mullane and Vickers reiterated that these plans are preliminary.

"The board of trustees will update the Master Plan each year as events unfold, and the time line will evolve with the Master Plan, in response to changing circumstances in the District," said Mullane.