Exclusive: McAllen plans new 47-acre industrial park near international bridges

The city of McAllen is proposing a new 47-acre industrial park between the Anzalduas and Pharr International bridges and may receive millions in federal grants to invest in public infrastructure to make it happen, according to records obtained by the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal. 

The new industrial park is expected to be located along Farm-to-Market Road 1016, also known as West Military Highway, at the northwest corner of South 10th Street in McAllen. Construction could begin as early as September and end by February 2027. 

In recent months, McAllen submitted a grant to the U.S. Economic Development Administration seeking $6.3 million to pay for public infrastructure projects valued at $7.8 million. The city expects to pay $1.5 million from its own coffers towards the project. 

Infrastructure improvements include water, sewer, drainage and roadways — that also means extending the city’s water lines more than 2,600 feet to service the future industrial park. 

There are at least four companies interested in the industrial park, with promises to add 490 new jobs and invest $34.5 million in combined private capital, according to the city’s grant application. 

Fortia Investments LLC, Pharr Bridge Investment Company LP, Talgaos LLC, and Unity Realty and Development Group are expected to invest $6.5 million, $10 million, $8 million, and $10 million, respectively, records show. Pharr Bridge Investment Company LP anticipates the most jobs, totaling 180 positions. Each company is described as a cold storage warehouse operation. 

Fortia Investments, incorporated in 2021, is led by McAllen-based business owner Martha Ethel Villarreal, records show. Pharr Bridge Investment Company, created in 2013, is led by Carlos Canales in Pharr. Talgaos LLC was created in 2016 by Mission-based owner Alicia Garza. Unity Realty and Development Group is a group venture among Pharr-based executives Hugo Martinez and Carlos Canales, in addition to McAllen-based Luis Cantu Ochoa, records show. Canales already operates some logistics companies in Pharr as well. 

“The industrial facility will facilitate the expansion of logistics, manufacturing and light industrial sectors which can provide livable wage employment opportunities,” according to the city. 

It was not immediately clear how long the EDA might take to decide whether to grant the city any funding. 

McAllen has a track record of receiving EDA grant funding. In 2022, it was awarded $1.5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act for a different industrial park that supported 665 jobs and attracted $85 million of private capital. 

The city previously declined to comment on this news story; the Journal obtained the records through a Texas Public Information Act request.