Cedar Park City Council approved a rezoning request for the future NFM development with a condition that adds a 30-foot landscape buffer and 10-foot fence along the northern boundary, minimizing the effect on the nearby neighborhood.
This decision came out of the Feb. 23 City Council meeting, where the request was discussed for the second time, then unanimously approved. The request was originally brought to council on Feb. 9.
The request was to rezone the future site from development reserve to planned development-general business, paving the way for commercial and retail purposes.
Located along East New Hope Drive between Avenue of the Stars and South Block House Drive, the 118-acre site will be a super-regional destination center that will include a convention center and hotel as well as an NFM retail store, according to city officials.
The planning and zoning commission previously recommended the rezoning under two conditions relating to the buffer along the northern property boundary. The two conditions include increasing the buffer from the proposed 30 feet to 40 feet and increasing the wall height from 8 feet to 10 feet.
NFM representatives, however, pushed to keep the buffer depth at 30 feet, which rattled residents in the nearby neighborhood. Residents voiced their concerns over noise, lighting and increased traffic at the Feb. 9 and Feb. 23 public hearings.
“What I want to make sure we do is take care of our residents, and we do it the right way,” Blockhouse resident Ursula Logan said at the Feb. 9 public hearing. “I was hoping for the 40-foot buffer. ... I hear the noise from 183A [Toll]. Nobody’s wanting to hear the beeping back and forth of trucks coming in, so really think about the impact that you’re having on residents there.”
At the Feb. 23 public hearing, Blockhouse resident David Shoemaker, who also spoke in support of the 40-foot buffer, expressed substantial concern over light pollution from large signs.
The 30-foot landscape buffer along with the 10-foot masonry fence received council’s final approval at the Feb. 23 meeting.
“I do want to thank the NFM team for continuing outreach to the neighborhood and working with them to find something that's really going to make all our lives much better,” Mayor Jim Penniman-Morin said at the meeting.
Construction on the NFM development is planned to begin in late 2023 or early 2024 with an opening in 2026.
