Potential projects
City officials have publicly discussed ideas during open meetings for additional improvements and amenities in addition to those underway, although no actions have been taken to approve any of them yet. They include:
OXFORD DRIVE ANDWILLOW STREET EXTENSIONS
PUBLIC PARKING GARAGE After conducting a parking study in 2019, the city identified a public parking garage as one potential solution to a lack of parking space downtown. The downtown action plan lists construction of additional parking as a long-term goal, but no specific planning for the project has taken place yet. City officials are wrapping up studies on the project before design can begin.
UTILITY UNDERGROUNDING
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The city’s Downtown Action Plan identifies extensions to Oxford Drive and Willow Street as mid- to long-term goals that will improve circulation downtown and open up land in southern downtown for development. City officials are working to complete parking and traffic studies before design and planning of the Oxford and Willow extensions can begin.
The city is considering an ambitious $30 million project to relocate overhead utilities such as power lines underground, significantly altering the appearance of downtown. However, the project has not yet been approved—the city is conducting several studies and analyses to determine the feasibility of the project and identify potential funding sources.
SOURCE: CITY OF PFLUGERVILLE/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
their thoughts and concerns on Downtown East. Fletcher said one advantage of Downtown East is that it will provide a place for businesses that might not be a good fit for the more historic areas of downtown Pflugerville, drawing business to the area without compro- mising the look and feel of historic downtown. “We want to create—we call it ‘the community’s living room,’” he said. West Pecan Coffee + Beer owner Mary Foss said she is optimistic that Downtown East will bring more people to visit businesses located throughout downtown Pflugerville, not just those in Downtown East. “My thoughts are just that rising tides raise all ships,” Foss said. “Hav- ing more people working downtown and … new things for people to check out is always encouraging.” To help facilitate travel between Downtown East and existing down- town areas, the city plans to extend Main Street eastward, running through Downtown East to connect with FM 685. The city will determine next steps on Downtown East once the recently approved professional services agreement bears information, and
stages of their own projects as well. In late spring or early summer, downtown Pflugerville will get a new locally owned brewpub in Prost Alehouse. Additionally, Adeline Bui, Hanovers Draught House owner and developer, owns the Old Gin prop- erty located just off West Pecan, directly next to El Rincon Mexican Restaurant. In early 2020, Bui had plans to use the property for a mixed-use develop- ment she planned to call the Old Gin Pforum, but the COVID-19 pandemic put that project on hold, and now Bui said she is reconsidering how to use the land. Bui said she would also like to find a way to work the adjacent food truck court, which she also owns, into the development. As projects both public and private move forward in the coming months and years, Bui said she is excited to see downtown grow. “Whatever the decision they make, I’m happy for it, because it just means downtown Pflugerville is one step closer to being fruitful,” Bui said.
project, the city is ironing out details and identify potential sources of funding before deciding whether to take up the project. Barron said should the city move forward with utility underground- ing for designated infrastructure, the project will likely have to be split up into several smaller phases to avoid widespread road closures. The city has also completed several studies since 2018, including a park- ing study that highlighted the need for parking downtown. The city has identified a public parking garage as one potential solu- tion, though no concrete plans for the project exist yet. Foss said parking is one of her high- est priorities when it comes to down- town improvements. “I think that having a parking garage and then kind of gearing downtown more toward walkability will not only look a little bit more aes- thetically pleasing, but I think it will also increase business downtown,” Foss said. Private development While the city gears up for future projects, there are some business owners and developers in various
movement on the Main Street exten- sion is pending completion of a street-
scape master plan. Future endeavors
Many of the short-term goals iden- tified in the downtown plan are infor- mation-gathering items that will help inform longer-term projects. Among the most immediate goals is the creation of a streetscape mas- ter plan, which will pave the way for the Main Street extension as well as a handful of other proposed streetscape improvements on Railroad Avenue and Pecan Street. “That will help us look at what our rights of way look like—not just the pavement, but also the street furni- ture, the landscaping, the connec- tions at intersections and things like that,” the city’s Planning Director Emily Barron said. Work on the streetscape master plan will begin soon and likely take the remainder of the year, Barron said. One particularly ambitious project waiting on the results of these analy- ses is a $30 million project to relocate overhead utilities such as power lines underground, significantly altering the appearance of downtown. Due to the scale of the proposed
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ROUND ROCK EDITION • MAY 2022
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