WACO, Texas (KWTX) – A “first of its kind” housing development is in the works for Waco as part of the Floyd Casey Stadium site development.

“Good things take time,” said Kent George, director of economic development for the city of Waco.

Next month will mark six years since the demolition of Floyd Casey.

The former home of Baylor football was used for 64 seasons before being replaced by McLane Stadium in 2014.

The old stadium site off Valley Mills Dr. has been empty since 2016, but it won’t stay that way for long.

The site should be transformed into parks, commercial spaces and 240 homes.

“It’s not every day that you get the opportunity to develop so many properties in the heart of your city,” George said.

He says excitement is building within the walls of Waco City Hall over the multimillion-dollar project to be completed by Turner Behringer Real Estate.

“It’s 75 acres that Turner Behringer has the opportunity to turn into something that’s well-connected, well-used, well-thought-out, well-planned and can really be an asset to our town,” George said.

In addition to TBRE, George says the team includes the city’s planning department and McCann Adams Studio.

“It’s a collaborative team that is really interested and really committed to this project, everyone involved in this project, it’s not the first time they’ve done it, we have the advantage of the experience,” George said. “The secret sauce here is McCann Adams, it’s a design company, they’ve done a lot of great neighborhoods in the Austin area and all over Texas.”

George says the plans offer an “all-inclusive” housing model that’s new to Waco.

“It’s a mixed income development, there are seven types of housing that we need to go into,” George said. “This development will offer something for all abilities, so everyone from a young single professional to a young family just starting out, to someone retired who might want to be propelled into the parks and open spaces. “

The development is designed to connect to existing neighborhoods and downtown through pathways, landscaping, architecture and open space.

“It will be totally revamped into something that appeals to you, with the green spaces, the trees, the sidewalks, the trails, the different types of housing,” George said. “So what’s here today is just kind of a canvas for what will eventually be.”

They want to paint a picture of community for all levels and backgrounds, he says, that Waco can be proud of.

“It’s so centralized in Waco, so we have a great opportunity to really build something that’s very sustainable, a very generational neighborhood that’s an attribute or an asset to the community that we can really show a glimpse of what it’s like good future development, how to work all of these types of housing together, how to integrate these mixed-income people into a neighborhood, how to plan and design something that really goes beyond the average cookie-cutter neighborhood,” said said George.

Currently, city staff are in the process of finalizing the Master Development Agreement (MDA) which, according to George, “will outline all terms, incentives and expectations.

City workers hope to present a final contract to council for a vote in late May.

“There are pieces that we need to polish,” George said.

George says he expects the project to be completed in early 2024.

“I would like to see Q-1 of 2024, but I don’t want to create undue pressure,” George said. “That’s why I do what I do, I want to do things that all of us in the community can be proud of.”

Copyright 2022 KWTX. All rights reserved.