800-plus jobs coming to Kyle as city finalizes deal with Access Dental Lab

On Tuesday a special-called meeting of the Kyle City Council finalized the economic development deal bringing Access Dental Lab to town.

KYLE, Texas - A massive building near Kyle Crossing & I-35 is the new home for Access Dental Lab. On Tuesday a special-called meeting of the Kyle City Council finalized the economic development deal bringing the company to town.

“It’s not overstating it, that I think to say that this is, if not the biggest, one of the largest jobs announcements in the history of our city, with upwards of 850 jobs, with median, average wage of close to $40,000,” Mayor Travis Mitchell said.

The company, part of the Nashville-based Smiles Direct Club, will use most of the 222,000-square-foot building to make and distribute its dental products. Economic Development Director Diana Torres said Kyle was able to beat out Atlanta for the company.

“It was a hard sell because it was a national search, and it came down to, Kyle was really a perfect fit,” said Torres.

The economic incentive package includes a $2.2 million dollar grant for the Texas Enterprise Fund. The company is also getting a 50 percent rebate on property taxes for eight years.

The break from the city totals about $659,000 with the city still netting about $5 million. The break from the county totals almost $475,000 with Hays County netting $1.7 million during the time period. The school district is expected to receive $1.4 million as part of the deal.

In the old town district of Kyle, getting a slice of that tax break pie is a topic of discussion. Texas Pie Company owner Julie Albertson plans to bring it up to city leaders.

“I’m hoping that even though they do want all these new businesses out near the highway that they don’t forget about us in downtown, which I don’t think they will, we are the beating heart for them,” said Albertson.

There is a downside to this new growth. It’s the continued growing pains Kyle and communities surrounding it have experienced for the past several years. New infrastructure plans have been completed for roads, water, and sewer, but breaking ground cost money.

“We are riding the wave at this point,” said Kyle City Manager Scott Sellers

The challenge, according to Sellers, is trying to minimize the tax hit for residents by luring in good-paying jobs.

“There will come a time when we may have to raise our fees a little bit more, however, what we are hoping is that the rapid amount of growth will keep pace with the amount of infrastructure that were paying,” said Sellers.

The plan is to have Access Dental Lab up and running by February. Jobs will be phased in at 439 positions in year one, then 643, and 850 by the third year.