BY ANNA MANESS
Downtown Georgetown overlay district market value, 2019 24
Breaking it down
As departments in the Williamson County Jail, county tax o ce and justice center relocate next year, Georgetown Downtown & Tourism Director Kim McAuli e said o cials identi ed the proper- ties as sites to potentially repurpose in the future. “It would be transformative to downtown to see those redevelop into a di erent type of use,” McAuli e said. “We, of course, have valued the government center being here and having a lot of the employees and folks visiting the county for various services come into downtown. I think it gives us a lot of new opportunities.” McAuli e said properties on the square are con- sistently in the highest demand. “When we receive
interest requests to come into downtown, most of the time...they are talking about the square,” McAuli e said. From 2019-24, the combined market value of properties in the downtown overlay district grew by $135.3 million, according to an email from the Williamson Central Appraisal District. In 2024, Williamson County’s total market value reached $171.77 billion according to previ- ous Community Impact reporting. Market value is based on sales in the area and is re ective of what buyers would purchase the properties for each year as of Jan. 1, an o cial with the Williamson Central Appraisal District said.
$250M
+102.82%
$200M
$150M
$100M
$50M
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 $0
SOURCE: WILLIAMSON CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT COMMUNITY IMPACT
Who it a ects
The takeaway
In December, county commissioners agreed to vacate the Williamson County Courthouse once the WCAB opens. “We outgrew the historic courthouse years ago,” Covey said. “Yet, I want that building to remain a county asset. I do believe it is the jewel of the county.” Commissioners are considering relocating The Williamson Museum or the Georgetown Visitors Center—which are already located on the down- town square—into the historic courthouse, she said. As neither of the organizations are in taxable space, their relocations—which could happen as early as 2026—would allow the buildings to be put back on the county tax roll, Covey said. “There are certainly some potential advantages of having the visitors center located in the court- house along with the museum,” McAuli e said. Covey said she’s working alongside the city and museum to bring proposals to Commissioners Court in the near future, as relocating the two oper- ations to the courthouse requires an o cial vote. “It’s a wonderful building. It’s got a lot of stories to tell,” Covey said. As the county begins relocating, downtown Georgetown could initially look “quite a bit di er- ent,” McAuli e said. The tax o ce regularly gets customers on weekdays, and Tuesday Commis- sioners Court meetings attract a large number of people to the square, she said. “They may have stopped by ThunderCloud to pick up a sub or stopped and got some co ee while they were down here, and they won’t be doing that
Covey said the county is hiring a program manager to help coordinate the county’s interim facilities plan and manage relocations. The county is considering eventually opening its rst Medical Examiner’s o ce at the Lake Creek Annex, Clemons said. The WCAB will be the 10th county department located on a roughly 2-mile strip of the SE Inner Loop. Sta has a plan for food trucks to be at the new administration building, and Covey said she expects the market will lead to more restaurants coming to the area. “As more moves there, I think you're going to see more development in that area,” Covey said.
The Williamson County Courthouse was built in 1911 and named as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1988. ANNA MANESS COMMUNITY IMPACT anymore,” McAuli e said. “But just because those things aren’t happening, it doesn’t mean that I think the demand won’t come back.” If the county does decide to vacate from down- town entirely, McAuli e said it would be a trade-o . While the county’s exit could cause a temporary dip in downtown activity, the city and county could work together to attract a user that would bring an employee base back to the area, she said. Duncan Isenhower, retail manager at Six Strings Guitar & Lounge on the square, said by talking to regulars and out-of-town visitors visiting the shop, he doesn’t anticipate the county relocations a ecting business. “I have found, from standing behind this register for the past two years, how destination it is down here for people, regardless of work,” Isenhower said.
WilCo departments o SE Inner Loop
• Juvenile Detention Center • Emergency Services Operations Center • Regional Animal Shelter
• Georgetown Annex • Facilities department
• Road & Bridge department • Emergency Medical Services • Wireless Communications • Fleet Services
25
GEORGETOWN EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook