Spanning 50 square miles (130 sq km), Sandow Lakes will be a large-scale integrated community. At full buildout, the site is anticipated to be home to as many as 200,000 residents, with 10,000 acres (4,050 ha) of open green space, 80 miles (130 km) of trails, and 3,000 acres (1,210 ha) of lakes. The master plan includes a lively downtown district, a campus dedicated to health and wellness, multiple residential villages, a 290-megawatt solar field, and a 1,200-megawatt power plant, in addition to the advanced manufacturing and logistics campus at The Switch.
Xebec/JLL
In the heart of the Texas Triangle, an ambitious new vision is taking shape: Sandow Lakes, a 33,000-acre (13,355 ha) master-planned community in Milam County. The project’s first phase, known as The Switch, is already underway. Spanning 3,300 acres (1,335 ha), The Switch is an advanced manufacturing and logistics campus under development by Xebec. This supersite is poised to play a vital role in strengthening domestic supply chains by supporting the reshoring of critical manufacturing operations.
Built in the early 1950s, Sandow Lakes Ranch was home to an Alcoa site that had, at one time, the largest aluminum smelter in the world , and more than 2,000 employees. When the site was shuttered in 2008, Milam County suffered significant economic losses. Today, a new era is dawning, and jobs are returning to the region. Due to its strategic location and forward-thinking design, Sandow Lakes can serve as the heart of the next great American manufacturing renaissance by returning ample economic activity to this Texas town.
Spanning 50 square miles (130 sq km), Sandow Lakes will be a large-scale integrated community. At full buildout, the site is anticipated to be home to as many as 200,000 residents, with 10,000 acres (4,050 ha) of open green space, 80 miles (130 km) of trails, and 3,000 acres (1,210 ha) of lakes. The master plan includes a lively downtown district, a campus dedicated to health and wellness, multiple residential villages, a 290-megawatt solar field, and a 1,200-megawatt power plant, in addition to the advanced manufacturing and logistics campus at The Switch.
The Switch offers 35,000,000 square feet (3,250,000 sq m) of best-in-class industrial capacity. In one location, users can access an onsite rail freight terminal, interstate connectivity, top-tier talent, a surplus of power infrastructure, and surface and groundwater rights up to 75,000 acre-feet (2,125 cubic m) per year. S ure to become a magnet for users in clean energy and socially conscious manufacturing space s, Sandow Lakes will practice what it preaches, with goals to be a sustainable, net zero carbon operation.
Central location
The Texas Triangle is the nexus of population growth and economic activity in Texas, which itself would rank as the eighth-largest economy in the world by GDP. Situated 43 miles (69 km) from Austin and within two and a half hours of Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and San Antonio, tenants will have regional and international access through commercial airports in Austin, Houston, and Dallas.
According to data from JLL, the region is poised to add an additional 3.5 percent in resident population by the end of the decade. By 2029, the Austin metro area’s population is anticipated to grow by 11 percent. Another report found that Texas accounted for nearly 20 percent of the jobs added in the United States since 2019, and industrial occupations accounted for 25 percent of the total in that examination.
As population expansion in Austin is concentrated in the north and northeast of the metro area, Sandow Lakes is well located to capitalize on a developing workforce. Rapid development in nearby Taylor, Texas—such as the Samsung facility, Gradiant Technology Park, The Steel Network’s planned factory, and Megatel housing development—will also bring an influx of jobs and homes to the area.
JLL’s research team conducted a study on past, present, and future laborer commutes in the area and found that more than 300,000 people, age s 20 to 24, living within 75 minutes of Sandow Lakes will be entering the labor force over the next five years. For manufacturers seeking quick access to an educated labor pool, Sandow Lakes is an indicator of what’s to come in the Texas Triangle.
Prioritizing sustainability
As carbon emission regulations evolve and population hubs undergo exponential growth, being both environmentally and socially conscious is the name of the game. Sandow Lakes strives to embrace new technologies for cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable lifestyles. Infrastructure throughout the entire project will be powered by renewable energy where possible, to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Plans to accomplish the net-zero goals will occur in phases as the master plan is executed. Among the tactics to be enacted are running heavy equipment with hydrogen fuel cells, deployment of microgrids at scale, and reforestation programs.
The ethos behind Sandow Lakes is to deliver on promised sustainability goals. The development team agreed that use of alternative energy sources—solar, for example—was non-negotiable, and the same thinking holds true for many environmentally conscious potential users.
According to the Texas Economic Development Corporation, Texas added approximately 9,700 megawatts of solar and 4,374 megawatts of battery storage in 2024. Since 2019, wind and solar have grown to account for 30 percent of the state’s electricity generation. JLL research found that global electricity demand is expected to increase by 25–30 percent by 2030. Microgrids, such as the ones planned for use at The Switch, will offer necessary solutions to integrate renewable energy sources and storage.
Energy and water
As AI gains traction, data center demand picks up steam, and the digital world continues to experience unprecedented growth, access to power is vital for advanced manufacturing occupiers. Sandow Lakes will have several sources of power: three Oncor switches totaling 3.9 gigawatts ; a 3,000-acre (13,355 ha), 290-megawatt solar field ; a 1,200-megawatt combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power station; and virtual power plants (VPP) deployed throughout the site, using microgrid technology.
Additionally, with 15,600 acre-feet (440 cubic m) per year of surface water rights and 60,000 acre-feet (1,700 cubic m) per year of ground water rights, water—another crucial component in realizing efficiencies in advanced manufacturing processes—will also be abundantly available.
With goals to meet the needs of any user, The Switch is to offer build-to-suit opportunities ideal for users ranging from distribution to manufacturing, including cold storage and light industrial. The first confirmed user at The Switch, T1 Energy, is a solar cell manufacturer. JLL is leading ongoing conversations with advanced manufacturing occupiers that could find their place at The Switch, including aerospace, defense, and cutting-edge robotic automation operations.
Post World War II, many of our American companies’ manufacturing bases and most advanced factories were built in other parts of the world. As economic forces incentivize manufacturers to reshore, The Switch offers the resources necessary today for industry partners focused on shaping the next American manufacturing renaissance.
