LIBERTY HILL, KXAN (KXAN) — The Liberty Hill Economic Development Corporation recently purchased land in the heart of the city. Agency leaders said the purchase is an effort to attract outside developers to turn the area into a destination for the growing community.

The 1.51-acre plot is near the intersection of Main Street and Myrtle Avenue just behind Veteran’s Memorial Park.

The LHEDC Board President Tiffany Stillwell said the purchase aims to control and lead development in the city’s downtown.

“The City of Liberty Hill Council and staff, the LHEDC and the City’s Downtown Revitalization Committee believe that to have control of this parcel to develop ourselves, or to use as an incentive to entice outside developers is the stake in the ground we need to further jumpstart downtown development,” Stillwell said.

Liberty Hill city leadership said the land purchase is a step toward its ideal vision of a bustling downtown with retail, dining, and entertainment.

“This project will entail a public/private partnership that allows the City to control and shape the destiny of downtown as a vibrant core that will become a destination for everyone,” Liberty Hill City Manager Paul Brandenburg said.

The LHEDC said it could not say how much the land was purchased for as it is still in the closing stages of the sale. The agency expects the sale to be finalized this September.