From the cover
Making space
The conditions
The current situation
Austin-area rental rates
Higher rental rates drive business owners to seek alternative options for office and retail space, Robinson said. Coworking spaces help multiple business own- ers shoulder the costs of being in a high-quality space, she said. “If they only need a conference room once a week or a few times a month to host clients, they’re not bearing that burden all on their own,” Robinson said. Alternative retail spaces, such as the storefronts available at Affordable Storage in Hutto, which combines retail and storage spaces, can help lower the cost of entry into a community, Postar said. Postar owns over 20 such facilities in Texas. He opened his Hutto facility in 2022, driven in part by local growth and the community feel. “People still open doors for you [in Hutto],” Postar said. “People are still saying hello. People still shake hands.” The retail portion of the facility is now home to a variety of locally owned small businesses, including breweries, beauty shops, gyms, art
New facilities, storefronts and resources for small businesses and startups are on the way in Round Rock, Pflugerville and Hutto. Round Rock Chamber President Jordan Robinson said coworking spaces were identified this year as part of the chamber’s strategic plan for economic development. This comes as area facility owners are working to expand spaces, and new facilities are planned to support local entrepreneurs. For small-business owners looking for a storefront, a new facility in Hutto presents an affordable option. Michael Postar, owner of Michael Postar’s Affordable Storage, has blended storage and retail to bring more options for those in need of a storefront in Hutto. Postar’s creative venue for storefronts launched as rental rates for retail and office have grown in recent years by about $5 per square foot—usually around $30, Postar said. Additionally, support for new business concepts in their earliest stages is coming in the form of a new startup accelerator in Round Rock and a co-warehousing project in Pflugerville.
Austin office rental rate
Austin retail rental rate
Round Rock office rental rate
Round Rock retail rental rate
$50
$40
$30
$20
$0
SOURCE: PARTNERS REAL ESTATE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
studios, consignment stores, auto shops and more. Providing an affordable entry into owning a small business is part of his mission, Postar said.
Office, retail alternatives
Who it’s for
Office Evolution Round Rock 551 S. I-35, Ste. 300, Round Rock
Spaces such as Office Evolution in Round Rock and the future WorkHub in Pflugerville provide business owners with flexible uses and schedules. Both fill a regional need for flexible space, Robinson said, to support local startups in scaling their businesses. The Round Rock location was the first in the Aus- tin area to open in June 2021. Since then, the Lin- tons expanded the facility by adding 3,000 square feet of private office space. They also opened a second location in Georgetown in January. Office Evolution provides conference rooms and coworking spaces for rent by the hour or longer. Similarly, the recently approved WorkHub will pro- vide a co-warehousing opportunity in Pflugerville. Joel Desmond, land acquisition analyst at WorkHub, presented the concept design for the facility at a June Pflugerville City Council meeting, where a rezoning request was approved. “We just don’t build four walls and a roof; we build an innovative space for businesses that [are] growing and we give them the tools to grow,” Desmond said. WorkHub has monthly meetings with tenants, whom Desmond calls members, and helps with
Rental rates Office Evolution and WorkHub both offer dedicated space at prices below what a business owner might pay to rent an office space.
Round Rock
E. MCNEIL RD.
35
N
$40 per hour is the rate to rent a meeting room at Office Evolution
Office Evolution Georgetown 501 S. Austin Ave., Ste. 1220, Georgetown
$599 per month is the starting point for dedicated office spaces at Office Evolution
Georgetown
35
29
$990 per month is the rate for a 1,500-square-foot space at WorkHub
N
Michael Postar's Affordable Storage 3333 CR 119, Hutto
SOURCE: OFFICE EVOLUTION, WORKHUB/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Hutto
marketing and obtaining investors. Jerry Jones, executive director of the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation, said the facility will allow small business owners to “come out of their garage or off their kitchen table.” The facility will allow tenants to share resources that could otherwise be a cost burden. “I cannot stress to you how important it is that a company wouldn’t have to buy or lease a forklift for their product,” Jones said.
130 TOLL
ED SCHMIDT BLVD.
N
WorkHub 19241 Wilke Lane, Pflugerville
Pflugerville
N. HEATHERWILDE BLVD.
130 TOLL
45 TOLL
N
20
COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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