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number of businesses closed # 2018 2019 2020 2021
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2022
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BUSINESS CLOSURES OVER THE YEARS Over the last ve years, at least 61 businesses have had to close due to bankruptcy, sta ng issues and the pandemic. This map shows the areas in Lake-Travis and Westlake that had the most business closures.
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SOURCE: COMMUNITY IMPACT
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areas, such as Lakeway, Bee Cave and Spicewood. Some cities, such as Bee Cave, are taking the initiative in looking for solutions to the transportation dilemma. Beginning last fall, Bee Cave partnered with the Lake Tra- vis Chamber of Commerce to help workers who commute more than 15 miles each way pay for gas through the hol- iday season, according to a press release from the city. Other areas in the Lake Travis-Westlake market deal with similar, but also very dif- ferent, obstacles in operating their businesses. Lauren Frost, co-owner of Corrective Muscle Solu- tions, a physical itness cen- ter in Spicewood, said the Lake Travis area has a “won- derful focus on health,” but that it also leads to a crowded marketplace. “It can be di cult to stand out and di erentiate the ser- vices [we] o er,” she said.
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you aren’t necessarily going to make that salary working at a sandwich shop,” King said. Gabriel Chaparro is the co-owner and chef for Morn- inGlory, a new eatery that is set to open in Lakeway in the spring. One of his primary concerns is nding enough sta to open on time in March or April. “I have heard about the hiring issues,” he said. “It’s just a nightmare in general everywhere, and I am kind of concerned about [hiring] being so far into Lakeway. I’m sure it’d be easier to sta closer to downtown.” Along with sta ng, the lack of transit continues to a ect the market. Capital Metro, the bus and rail system that services much of Austin, does not have any transit options available along the sections of Hwy. 71 and RM 620 that go into Hill Country
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Je f f Got te , co-owner of Practical Fitness in West
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expeditor who has helped multiple businesses in Aus- tin as well as Travis and Hays counties with their permitting processes. He said it can be di cult and time consuming for business owners, archi- tects and designers to under- stand how to submit projects and permits with their city. This can be especially true for businesses in smaller municipalities, such as Lake- way or Spicewood, he said. Before the COVID-19 pan- demic, the permitting process in Austin and surrounding cities was di erent, and busi- ness owners could meet with multiple departments at one
time, making the process quicker, he said. When local cities moved their permitting process online in 2020 and changed how they received proposed projects, it was a “major learn- ing curve,” Gatlin said. In Austin, when an owner or builder submits a project with energy, water, re and all other required permits, it is done through one depart- ment, or all permits are sub- mitted through one online portal, he said. However, in Lakeway, for example, the place to submit a re permit and a plumbing permit are in two di erent parts of town,
Lake Hills, said his company’s biggest challenge is increasing awareness of their studio and personal training services. Barriers in the process Additionally, several business owners, such as Haydostian, said they were having trouble understand- ing how to le permits with their municipality. “The rules and regulations for starting a business [in Lakeway] are just di erent from surrounding areas,” Hay- dostian said. “The permitting process is very confusing.” James Gatlin is a permit
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