Development
BY KAMERYN GRIESSER
Mere days after community members raised concerns about a new distribution center rising o of Hwy. 71 and Serene Hills Drive, the city of Bee Cave led a lawsuit against the developers to halt construction. The 269,959-square-foot logistics center, called West Austin Business Park, began construction last December. Bee Cave and Lakeway city o cials said current leaders were not noti ed of the industrial nature of the facility and believe it is inappropriate for its location near the Sweetwater neighborhood. On Aug. 14, Bee Cave led a lawsuit against the developers, and on Aug. 19, Lakeway announced they would support the litigation. How we got here Per city documents, the site was rst added into the city of Bee Cave’s extrajudicial territory in 2015 as a part of a development agreement with WS COS development partners, also referred to as Wheelock. The agreement includes a master development plan, which sets the land parcel for “commercial and o ce” use. For this reason, the city said the nature of the current project violates the 2015 agreement and “several regulations,” citing the possible noise, light and tra c concerns of the project. Due to its location within the ETJ, permitting authority fell on Travis County, but according to a statement from Judge Andy Brown, the county has limited authority to enforce land use restrictions Bee Cave sues distribution center developers
West Austin Business Park 1 Building 1: 77,760 sq. ft. 2 Building 2: 91,800 sq. ft 3 Building 3: 95,040 sq. ft P Parking spaces: 298 Truck docking locations: 82 total West Austin Business Park O ce spaces
The 270,000-square-foot warehouse facility is next to the Sweetwater neighborhood o of Hwy. 71.
KAMERYN GRIESSER COMMUNITY IMPACT
What developers are saying In response to the lawsuit, Velocis issued a statement saying the company “has proposed that both parties participate in a collaborative mediation as the preferred path forward.” Additionally, Velocis said the company “strongly believes it will prevail if forced to litigate the [city of Bee Cave’s] claims.” As evidence, Velocis led an exhibit of a Nov. 29 post-closing agreement which was emailed to former City Manager Clint Garza and former Director of Planning & Development Megan Will following Velocis’ purchase of the land. The agreement states within 36 months after the closing, “the purchaser shall construct a distribu- tion center, ful llment center, or light-industrial warehouse facility.” Additionally, Velocis claims the city’s current zoning regulations would allow the warehouse to be classi ed as “commercial.” The city of Bee Cave declined to comment about these claims due to ongoing litigation. What’s next Construction on the facility is permitted to con- tinue after a judge rejected Bee Cave’s temporary restraining order request in August. As of press time Sept. 13, an injunction hearing is postponed to allow more parties to join the litigation e orts, according to a statement from Bee Cave Mayor Kara King. In the meantime, Grant Ames, a builder for the neighboring subdivision and president of Ames Design Build, told Community Impact that “a ected neighborhoods know there’s much more to the story than the response that was given by Velocis.”
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due to current state laws. What residents are saying
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Dozens of residents packed into Lakeway and Bee Cave city hall to express support for the ongoing litigation at August and September public meetings. “[Hwy. 71] is already so dangerous, and my son, he’s a teenage driver. He drives through that area to get to school every day, so that’s one of my concerns. We don’t need more semi-trucks on the roads,” West Cypress Hills resident Elise McCorkle said. Sweetwater resident Nagesh Kollu echoed the tra c concerns, adding that he was not made aware of plans for the business park when he purchased his home in March 2020. Now, he said he fears property values in the area could su er.
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“The recent proposal at [Hwy.] 71 and Serene Hills Drive is an a ront to Western Travis County’s values and goals. ... Not one commissioner reached out to the city of Lakeway or the city of Bee Cave before moving forward with this project. Why is that? Where is the transparency?” GRETCHEN VANCE, LAKEWAY MAYOR PRO TEM
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