Waterpark to slide into Pflugerville, could bring 300,000 guests yearly

Waterpark to slide into Pflugerville, could bring 300,000 guests yearly

By Amy Stansbury Friday, 04 September 2009

Pflugerville could soon be home to a major entertainment destination for Central Texans. A large waterpark called Blu Bambu is proposed for the southwest corner of Pecan Street and Toll 130. It could open as soon as summer 2010 and is expected to attract more than 300,000 visitors annually.

Much larger than Volente Beach Waterpark but smaller than Schlitterbahn, Blu Bambu waterpark will feature a large wave pool, a stage for after-hours and off-season concerts, an action river, a longer lazy river, eight to 10 large water slides, activity areas for young children, sand volleyball courts and covered pavilions.

Texas-based entrepreneurs Jim Brisco and Steve Hanvey plan to begin construction on the $16 million project in November and hope to open the waterpark in May 2010. The project timeline is still being finalized.

In the late 1990s, Brisco founded a nonprofit organization and helped secure state grants to fund the construction of Splashway Waterpark in Sheridan, Texas. It opened in June 1998, but after operating the waterpark for three years, Brisco and his wife, Carolyn, left to focus on growing their Kyle, Texas-based business, Boulder Pools. Brisco and Hanvey met when Brisco built Hanvey’s backyard pool and soon began discussing plans to build a waterpark together.

Land

Pflugerville Economic Development Director Charles Simon has been in touch with Brisco since early August when Simon first learned that Brisco was looking to build a waterpark in Central Texas. The Pflugerville Community Development Corporation owns 160 acres near Northeast Metro Park, and Brisco and Hanvey are planning to buy 50 acres of that land near the Toll 130 frontage road.

“The concept has been approved by the [PCDC] board,” Simon said. “[Travis] County wanted to make sure that whatever we did there was compatible to the park, and they have indicated that the waterpark is a compatible use. Negotiating the price of the land is the most significant thing we have left to settle on.”

The 50 acres will provide enough room to build the 14-acre waterpark and a 12-acre parking lot and still have plenty of acreage for expansion.

“We wanted to buy some land to be able to grow in the future,” Brisco said. “This project is going to be very high end. We want to do elaborate, Asian-type theming.”

Location

Brisco and Hanvey were initially considering a location near Decker Lake in Austin, but began looking seriously at Pflugerville when Simon approached him.

“This is a great location,” Brisco said. “It has great access to the toll roads.”

Conceptual site plans for Blu Bambu were presented to the PCDC board Aug. 19. The city council must approve the sale of the PCDC’s land before the contract can be finalized, and they were presented details of the project during executive session Aug. 25. The council is expected to vote in September whether to allow the sale of the land to Brisco and Hanvey for the waterpark.

“The city council and economic development folks seem very aggressive about bringing in something like this that would not only provide 200 to 300 jobs for teens, but also about a dozen full-time professional jobs,” Brisco said.

According to the results of a feasibility study, the business could bring in $6.3 million in revenue in the first year of operation, generating $393,750 in sales tax revenue. The City of Pflugerville would receive $63,000 of that sales tax revenue. The PCDC would receive $31,500, and Travis County ESD No. 2 would receive another $31,500.

This additional revenue is something the mayor, city council and economic development corporation have been seeking.

“No. 1, it will add to our tax base because we’ll not only get sales tax, but we’ll also get ad valorem tax,” Pflugerville Mayor Jeff Coleman said. “I think even greater than that is it creates for the first time in Pflugerville’s history a destination for people outside of Pflugerville to come here. The third reason we’re excited is because it will create a synergy for an entertainment corridor, which we’ve been planning for.”

Ad valorem tax is based on the value of a property. The land Brisco and Hanvey intend to purchase from PCDC is appraised as agricultural land. But with the development of the waterpark, the land will likely increase in value, which would result in more ad valorem tax revenue for the city.

“The nice thing about a waterpark is the people come in, they spend their money and they go home,” Brisco said. “You don’t have to run more water lines, build more roads or build more schools. They will stop at convenience stores before they go to the waterpark, and they’ll stop and eat at a restaurant on the way out.”

Simon said the waterpark could also aid in recruiting other businesses to the area.

“There will be other similar entertainment-type uses that would be complementary, such as hospitality or restaurants,” Simon said.