Round Rock Edition | April 2024

Downtown Round Rock revitalization eorts in full swing From the cover

Two-minute impact

Projects

Completed Planned

Early signs of revitalization in downtown are visible in Nagle’s work. Today, several projects are underway to further expand the downtown footprint and bring new opportunities for growth and redevelopment. “To be authentic doesn’t mean that you’re just going to be one thing forever,” Assistant City Manager Brooks Bennett said. “And as the community changes, we want the downtown to be a reection of the past, as well as where we are today.” The city has and continues to contribute to the eort initiated by Nagle and others—nearly 30 years ago—in creating a bustling downtown. In January, the city relocated the historic Palm House—built in 1873—from downtown back to its original location o Hwy. 79, making way for a paseo, or walkway, connecting the Round Rock Public Library to Main Street. Within the scope of the same project, the Grith Building—formerly home to the library—is undergoing renovations to house the Round Rock Chamber headquarters, a visitors center and a city art gallery. Both Heritage Trail West and Lake Creek Trail are expected to be complete by the end of this summer, providing connections under I-35 from west Round Rock into the downtown area. Recent voter-approved bond funding in 2023 also set into motion several additional projects for green spaces in the downtown area. Meanwhile, rezoning initiatives over the years have furthered the city’s goal of establishing at least 1,000 residential units within a quarter-mile radius of Main Street, Assistant City Manager Brad Wiseman said.

VETERANS PARK

620

CENTENNIAL PLAZA

WATER TOWER

ROUND ROCK WEST LAKE

ROUND ROCK WEST PARK

1 Heritage Trail West A segment of the Brushy Creek Regional Trail 2 Spiral ADA ramp Part of the Heritage Trail system near North Lee Street at the ball eld 3 The Lawn at Brushy Creek 20-plus acre park to connect Heritage Trail West to Veterans Park 4 Monarch on Main townhomes Community featuring 66 living units 5 Lake Creek Trail A pedestrian crossing under I-35 from Round Rock West Park to Centennial Plaza 6 Town Green Project Park improvements for the green space around the downtown water tower

7 New mixed-use project Ground oor commercial spaces with second oor living units 8 The Depot Townhomes Development featuring 82 dwelling units 9 Removal of Palm House Historic Palm House removed to make way for a walkway connecting the library to Main Street 10 Round Rock Public Library Three-story, modern library that opened in 2023 11 Grith Building Previous library building under remodel to house city art gallery and visitors center

SOURCE: CITY OF ROUND ROCKCOMMUNITY IMPACT

How we got here

“The city had the vision— they put the incentive out there. I’m the one that accepted the challenge.” NELSON NAGLE, ROUND ROCK LEASING

visitors a comfortable and intimate feeling. Nagle took advantage of an incentive from the city to improve the old neighborhood. He explained that preserving the history of the area remained important throughout his eorts. “When I sit here on this corner, I can feel the history,” Nagle said while sitting in Urban Eat. Drink, a restaurant still owned by his family today. “This is really a prototype of what can be built upon and expanded [in Downtown Round Rock].” While he no longer pursues residential-to- commercial renovations, Nagle champions others interested in revitalization eorts in the down- town area.

What started as a business venture later became a hobby. Nagle rst renovated a house at 400 W. Main St. into a commercial property for his private counseling practice. He soon found himself faced with many of the surrounding homeowners asking him to buy and repurpose their properties. Nagle recalled times when neighbors would interrupt a meeting with a client, knocking on the door to ask, “Will you buy my house?” The real estate entrepreneur said he took an area, known as the Southwest Downtown Historic District, and brought the old to meet the new. Similar to the way Rainey Street in Austin used to look, Nagle imagined an area that gave clients and

Nagle’s work predates the establishment of many of the newer businesses on Main Street during the 2010s, which are familiar today. Several current business owners and city sta members attended high school with Nagle’s children, reminiscing about the work he undertook long before their involvement in the present downtown operations.

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