It's definitely an opportunity for a businesses, and the city's coffers too.

And because opportunity doesn't knock often, we encourage Austin City Council members to keep moving forward to find out how best to develop the Cook Farm site on the city's northwest side.

It's a plot of land that belongs to the city and is ripe for development, particularly for a business. And if the city can get a business to build, it's that much more in tax dollars for the city's coffers.

The problem, though, is deciding what to do. Some say we need to spend the money to install gas, water and sewer lines, to name a few. Others say a business needs to commit first, before the city should sink its money into a costly investment.

We understand some council members are skittish about putting money into a project without knowing what kind of return (if any) the city will receive.

The problem is that the city has been in this wait-and-see mode. But what kind of results have we seen from this approach?

Exactly.

Council members, however, are taking the right step in seeing how much it would cost to get infrastructure into the site.

We encourage them to keep moving forward and make progress to develop this site that is potentially a tremendous asset for Austin.