Lubbock's Strategic Growth Model Positions City as Texas' Next Major Hub

The latest episode of The Building Texas Show features a conversation with Lubbock Mayor Mark McBrayer that reveals how the city is positioning itself as one of Texas' most important growth centers through deliberate long-term planning. Mayor McBrayer describes Lubbock as balanced on three strong pillars: education led by Texas Tech University and other institutions creating one of Texas' youngest major cities; agriculture that continues as the historical backbone feeding both Texas and the nation; and healthcare serving as a major medical hub between Dallas-Fort Worth and Phoenix with institutions like University Medical Center and Covenant Health as critical care providers and major employers.

One significant development highlighted in the conversation is Leprino Foods' nearly $1 billion investment in a Lubbock facility expected to employ around 1,000 people when fully operational. The company chose Lubbock due to alignment with its needs for dairy farm proximity, reliable workforce, affordable land, and municipal understanding of infrastructure and long-term planning. The facility also contributes to the city's water strategy by treating and returning water to the municipal system, demonstrating how industrial development can create civic partnership.

Water management represents a crucial aspect of Lubbock's forward-thinking approach, with Mayor McBrayer outlining the city's 100-year water plan that includes multiple surface water sources, regional partnerships through organizations like the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority, and a transformative new lake project inside city limits designed to supply up to one-third of Lubbock's water needs. This proactive planning distinguishes Lubbock as Texas continues expanding westward and addresses water as a present responsibility rather than a future problem.

Cultural and downtown development complements the economic growth, with investments like the 2,200-seat Buddy Holly Hall performance venue that touring productions have recognized as world-class. With new statutory authority to reinvest hotel occupancy tax dollars locally, Lubbock is advancing long-planned civic center expansions to attract conventions and trade shows, shifting from planning phases to active building. For those interested in exploring business opportunities, Mayor McBrayer points toward resources like the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance, Texas Tech's Innovation Hub, and the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce.

The conversation consistently returns to quality of life as a driving factor in Lubbock's appeal, emphasizing low cost of living, short commutes, stable governance, available land, collaborative political culture, and city staff that functions as a service organization rather than bureaucracy. This combination of strategic infrastructure planning, economic diversification, and maintained livability positions Lubbock not as a stepping-stone city but as a destination for entrepreneurs, builders, and families looking westward. The episode provides insight into how mid-sized cities can implement growth strategies that balance economic development with sustainability and community identity.