Austin May Buy Vacant Tech Campus

The City of Austin is considering a $90 million purchase of the Tokyo Electron 107-acre campus.

The Austin Business Journal reports two existing buildings on the campus would be used for a second Combined Technology and Emergency Communications Center, plus office space for future city needs. One section of the property is 46.8 acres and houses Tokyo Electron’s two-building, 189,795-square-foot campus, while the other is 60.3 acres of undeveloped land with plenty of development opportunities. The site is not far from the Oracle Corp. headquarters and next to a former semiconductor factory owned by the University of Texas.

The Austin City Council is expected to consider the purchase in the coming weeks. The $90 million figure is an estimate until an appraisal is completed.

Tokyo Electron, which has been in Austin for three decades, moved its headquarters to the RiverSouth location to position it strategically for the next 30 years and to provide its employees with a more modern place to work.

Locally, Tokyo Electron has about 450 employees.