Housing bubble speculative option purchase. If you can sell for a profit after holding for a decade, you win. Meanwhile you get at least some minmal return on investment via "research fees". Its not a really a neighbor of Hobbs NM, its an extreme ex-urb of Odessa/Midlands TX or an extreme ex-urb of Lubbock TX.
Its an interesting funding model for ultra extreme real estate speculation. This fits in well with real estate investors tending toward the ultra optimistic, it might not make financial sense, but the mantra of "housing only goes up" "they're not making any more land" will take care of that.
The article alludes to resource-rich environment, so possibly a distant branch of the same company is planning on opening a "xyz" mine or chemical plant or something in five years and they're trying to implement a company town policy and coincidentally there happens to be a town ready for purchase a couple miles from the anticipated mine. Also related to, you move in 35 kiloemployees, and that might help with public support against environmental regulation.
Its an interesting funding model for ultra extreme real estate speculation. This fits in well with real estate investors tending toward the ultra optimistic, it might not make financial sense, but the mantra of "housing only goes up" "they're not making any more land" will take care of that.
The article alludes to resource-rich environment, so possibly a distant branch of the same company is planning on opening a "xyz" mine or chemical plant or something in five years and they're trying to implement a company town policy and coincidentally there happens to be a town ready for purchase a couple miles from the anticipated mine. Also related to, you move in 35 kiloemployees, and that might help with public support against environmental regulation.