Residents got another glimpse Thursday into how the planned Samsung manufacturing plant is prompting changes to Taylor’s plans to handle future growth.
The multinational chip maker’s intent to build a $17 billion, 6 million square-foot fabrication plant operational by 2024 led city staff to determine needed alterations to the Envision Taylor comprehensive plan.
“This is what we’re calling a ‘surgical-strike-amendment’ to the comprehensive plan to deal with the impacts of Samsung,” said Tom Yantis, city development services director.
Concerns about infrastructure, transportation and land use top the list.
On March 10, the City Council heard a presentation from Yantis on a possible amendment to the Envision Taylor plan to keep pace with Samsung’s development and impact on the area.
The comprehensive plan was adopted Nov. 18, 2021, and a Samsung Austin Semiconductor facility in Taylor was announced five days later.
The Comprehensive Plan is the primary policy document for the city to guide development, transportation, utilities and other capital improvements. Like a blueprint, it guides the municipality with a vision, goals, objectives and actions deemed necessary to direct the city’s long-range growth and development.
Since Samsung’s initial announcement, there have been public meetings and workshops with the council and the Taylor Economic Development Corp. to discuss what effect the plant will have on the city and how to blend that into the plan.
Aside from keeping an eye on population projections, the biggest impact likely will be on Envision Taylor’s infrastructure layout, and plans for transportation and land use.
“As we heard from the Economic Development Corp. (the previous week), there are areas of town that do not yet have the infrastructure needed to support industrial and large-employment users,” said Yantis, “and so that’s something that I think we need to continue to focus on with the EDC, to identify places that we can help get prepared to accommodate those types of land uses.”
Taylor’s comprehensive plan will also need to reflect Williamson County’s transportationrelated improvements in the Samsung area.
A draft of the amendments will be prepared later this month with public hearings scheduled for April.
To see a nearly hourlong discussion between the council and EDC March 10 about amending the comprehensive plan, visit https://taylortx.swagit.com/ play/03022022-858/3.
For more from Thursday’s discussion, visit https:// taylortx.swagit.com/ play/03112022-605/7.
