The project broke ground in early 2020 with horizontal construction on the site between US 183 and 183A Toll. Northline developer Alex Tynberg said it will be exciting to hopefully open some doors and streets in late 2022 after some projects are completed.
“2021 was really about preparing us to go vertical by expanding the horizontal infrastructure within key areas of Northline,” Tynberg said. “2022 is really about getting everything up and out of the ground, and hopefully some projects are completed by the tail end of the year.”
Construction starts
Five construction types will be underway in 2022 with townhomes, multifamily, office, civic and retail spaces. Other product types include a hotel, medical offices and possible city buildings.
A multifamily development will start construction in January with the first 343 units expected to be ready in late 2022. This is the first vertical construction at the development, which will be followed by townhomes, public space and commercial construction in 2022.
Construction on for-sale townhomes will also start in January, Tynberg said. Georgetown-based Novak Brothers will build 69 townhomes that will sell starting in the $700,000s. The first townhomes are expected to be ready in early 2023.
Other construction in 2022 will include construction on The Hub entertainment venue, an office building with ground-floor retail space and site-work on other commercial buildings.
Additional commercial announcements, including food and beverage vendors, are expected to be made in late 2022, Tynberg said. The Hub, Northline’s first announced tenant, will open in the second quarter of 2023.
Future Northline phases will be built based on demand, including large areas saved for office developments. The city of Leander has also discussed relocating city hall and other city buildings to Northline, though no decisions have been made. Tynberg said he hopes Northline will be substantially built out over the next 10 years.
“We’re going to continue to build as the demand is there, keeping in mind that a majority of this project is going to be focused on a commercial component," Tynberg said. "We have saved the big parcels along the tollway for commercial, and we believe that there will be a significant office component to that.”
Public areas
Northline’s first phase will also include two public spaces: Town Square and Northline Circle. Designs for these spaces were presented to Leander City Council on Dec. 2.
Town Square is about an acre in size in the center of the development. It will be surrounded by ground-floor retail and mixed-use space. This is the heart of Northline, said Claire Hempel, a principal at Design Workshop.
Construction of Town Square will be phased. The first phase of the Town Square will have a lawn area, pavilion, seating and restrooms. The pavilion could be used for performances or for everyday uses such as eating lunch, Hempel said. About 150 to 200 people could fit onto the lawn area for events.
A second phase area will be covered in gravel for flexible uses such as events or food trucks until the area is ready for development. A potential restaurant, garden, and activity area and water feature may be added in the second phase depending on how the space is used.
Northline Circle will be the center of the residential area. This is a smaller park area that will allow “breathing space” for the urban buildings surrounding it, Hempel said. The park will be in the center of a four-way stop.
This area will be a gateway into the Northline development with an art sculpture to be added in the center. Townhomes, a multifamily development and a mixed-use building will surround Northline Circle.
The opening of Northline Circle and Town Square will align with the completion of the surrounding buildings, Tynberg said.
This article is part of the 2022 Annual Community Guide for Community Impact Newspaper's Cedar Park-Leander edition.
