Austin/Bee Cave - Hill Country Galleria

[Mopacs]

Three major suburban shopping centers are opening this month in the metro area. Most notably, the Hill Country Galleria in the affluent suburb of Bee Cave. It is a large 'lifestyle' center anchored by a Dillards (now open), Barnes & Noble, Cinemark 14 theater, a proposed Dick's Sporting Goods, and Bee Cave's new city hall. Another large development is opening in Cedar Park called 1890 Ranch. The Target is already open.

Here's the article from this morning's Statesman...

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
Shopping spree in Central Texas: 3 major retail spots opening

Millions more square footage of retail coming to Central Texas in next few years.

Deborah Cannon
AMERICAN-STATESMAN

HILL COUNTRY GALLERIA, BEE CAVE: The 1.3 million-square-foot lifestyle center, with 650,000 square feet of retail, is expected to be the new town center for Bee Cave. It will have its grand opening Oct. 24.

Deborah Cannon
AMERICAN-STATESMAN

1890 RANCH, CEDAR PARK: Its grand opening is Sunday. When completed, the project will have up to 900,000 square feet of retail space.

Deborah Cannon
AMERICAN-STATESMAN

UNIVERSITY OAKS, ROUND ROCK: The first phase of the 625,000-square-foot development opened recently with Williamson County's first stand-alone J.C. Penney.

By M.B. Taboada
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, October 11, 2007

Austin's retail market is going full throttle, with three major openings this month.

Central Texas will be getting about 2 million square feet of new retail space with the debuts of the Hill Country Galleria in Bee Cave, 1890 Ranch in Cedar Park and University Oaks in Round Rock.

The openings are part of the largest retail surge ever in Central Texas, with more than 10 million square feet of new space in the past three years alone. Among the biggest projects have been Southpark Meadows, where construction began in 2005, and the Domain, which opened this year.
The retail boom has been fueled by the region's thriving job market, low unemployment and growing population.

Rest of article here...

http://www.statesman.com/business/co...011retail.html


Hill Country Galleria site plan/website

http://www.hillcountrygalleria.com/p..._customer.aspx

[Dragonfire]

When did the Target at 1890 Ranch open? We went by there last Saturday, and it was closed although the employees were there.

And I'm slightly annoyed that the JCPenney up here is open, since they're not even close to being done with expanding the roadways in that area. Traffic is going to be even more of a nightmare there than what it is now.

Anyone think it's kinda odd that Bee Cave's city hall is part of a retail development?

[Mopacs]

Hill Country Galleria directory/site plan, as referenced above...

[Mopacs]

Originally Posted by Dragonfire

When did the Target at 1890 Ranch open? We went by there last Saturday, and it was closed although the employees were there.

And I'm slightly annoyed that the JCPenney up here is open, since they're not even close to being done with expanding the roadways in that area. Traffic is going to be even more of a nightmare there than what it is now.

Anyone think it's kinda odd that Bee Cave's city hall is part of a retail development?

According to one of the casheirs, the store had its 'soft opening' on Tuesday. I saw several shoppers exiting the store yesterday, so I decided to take a look, and sure enough, its open. I believe the Petsmart is also open. Not that 1890 Ranch is exactly pedestrian freindly, but I'll be able to walk there from my house, as well as the new Town Center, whenever that opens.

I dont know why they're featuring the University Oaks center at this point... There are only two stores open... the JC Penney and the Ikea, which opened last fall. Also, a TGI Friday's is open. The city of Round Rock did make some major improvements to the 1431/I-35 interchange, adding lanes to the overpass, and a collector-distributor that allows frontage road traffic to bypass the light at 1431/University Blvd (merges with exiting traffic from NB 35)

[M1EK]

Originally Posted by Dragonfire

Anyone think it's kinda odd that Bee Cave's city hall is part of a retail development?

I'd find it odd if their city hall WASN'T part of a strip mall, personally.

[Mopacs]

Integrating city halls into Lifestyle/Town Center developments has become more commonplace these days. Sugarland Town Center is one example. However, its a more vertical, mixed-use setup than the HCG, including a 6-story office building, an 8-story Marriott/conference center, and 3-4 levels of apartments atop retail shops.

[Mopacs]

More 1890 Ranch Info...

http://digitaldreamteam.com/1890_ran...r_park_leander

Site Plan:
http://digitaldreamteam.com/images/1890ranchplan.pdf
(FYI... this is already outdated. Many of the restaurants listed are either no longer part of the project or have moved to a different location within the center).

Cedar Park's 1890 Ranch will open on time

By Jeff Spencer - Posted on October 8th, 2007

Cedar Park’s 1890 Ranch will open Sunday, Oct. 14 - on time.
The Ranch is slated to open with 91 percent occupancy. All the landscape will be complete and some places have been almost ready to open for a few weeks now. Wachovia Bank is now open.

The Ranch will not only have a Starbucks with drive-through service, but a Cinemark theater with 12 screens. Super Target, the anchor tenant of the project, has been interviewing potential employees for two months now and Fed Ex will also open.

In front of the theater, 40,000 square feet has been designated for restaurant space to create an entertainment district. The developer has turned down most national restaurant chains. They are trying to sign local businesses and be unique as possible. (I vote for an Opal Annies, or a Hill's Cafe North). As for fast food, Carl's Jr. and Chik-fil-A have already jumped aboard.

Phase II of the Ranch will start 60 days. Phase II includes Gold's Gym and Academy Sports and Outdoors. Academy is of more interest in our house than the theater and Startbucks.

The final phase of the project - the east track of land - will begin construction after Phase II and is slated to open sometime in 2009, and tenants have yet been identified for the last phase but they are expected to compliment the lifestyle retailers in the leading phases.

Town Center, by Ainbinder, is also trying to get off the ground and will have a healthy civic anchor if the voters in Cedar Park approve the new City Hall and Recreation Center in November. Another boost for the downtown district will come if the City Library is approved next year. There is already talk of medical and professional offices in Town Center, as well as a Conference Center with a flagship Hotel anchor.

It's going to be an exciting time in Cedar Park.

[Dragonfire]

Originally Posted by Mopacs

I dont know why they're featuring the University Oaks center at this point... There are only two stores open... the JC Penney and the Ikea, which opened last fall. Also, a TGI Friday's is open. The city of Round Rock did make some major improvements to the 1431/I-35 interchange, adding lanes to the overpass, and a collector-distributor that allows frontage road traffic to bypass the light at 1431/University Blvd (merges with exiting traffic from NB 35)

Wow, they're already done with adding lanes and the collector-distributor interchange? Jeez, I need to swing by there in the next week or so to take a look, I haven't been over there in a month or two (and I live 3 miles from it).

And I suppose I found it odd that the city hall is part of the galleria is because I'm thinking more of the galleria in Houston or Dallas than something that's more open (like the Cedar Park Town Center, which I like).

[sammyk]

Stone Hill Town Center in Pflugerville is another 1 million sq. ft. center coming up in the area. I saw that they had earmarked a spot for a Pflugerville City Hall in it as well.

http://www.newquestproperties.com/pr...an/pfu5-07.pdf

[JDSII]

With those stores, I don't think it has the right to be named a "galleria"

Originally Posted by Mopacs

Hill Country Galleria directory/site plan, as referenced above...

[ATXboom]

I would agree... but it is big for the "hill country", even though its suburban Austin. This development lost out on all the premier folks to the Domain.... they were in a race with each other and the Galleria lost out.

[Dragonfire]

I agree, that's more like a cross between a regular mall and the Arboretum.

And while looking at that list, I noticed that there's a Mimi's in the Galleria. That's awesome, since the one near MoPac and 360 is doing so well (probably due to all the California transplants).

[RobDSM]

I never understood having the Galleria so far out southwest, as opposed to somewhere centrally located like the Domain. I realize there are a lot of wealthier households out that way, but it just seems like such a poor location, with very poor access. The Domain is in the middle of an area that is ready for future dense development nearby and can handle the additional traffic. Clearly a lot of the high-end retailers must have weighed the alternatives, and the Domain was the clear winner for becoming the high-end hub for the metro area. The Galleria will just be more of a local shopping mall from what I can tell.

[ATXboom]

Galleria was intened to be a "desitination" experience... not unlike Fredricksburg or any "quaint" hill country location/experience. Hence its name "Hill Country Galleria".

...however you need the "destination" retailers to make it a destination. Their timing in relation to Domain couldn't have been worse... however Bee Cave really slowed things up for them.

You are right it is now just a suburban mall.

[DrewDizzle]

Hill Country Redneckeria

[Mopacs]

On another note...the Statesman has an interactive siteplan for the huge 1.6 million sq ft Southpark Meadows shopping center (Site of old Southpark Meadows concert facility at Slaughter and I-35 S)

http://www.statesman.com/business/co...rkmeadows.html