Presidio, a mixed-use development east of Parmer Lane, will bring new office buildings, shops, restaurants, a hotel and an apartment complex to Cedar Park.


The project’s first phase includes development of about 26 acres located south of Ranch Trails Court. In early January construction began on one of two planned office buildings that will open by fall. Work will begin by spring on about 22,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.


Developers plan a 100-room hotel and a 320-unit luxury apartment complex. A timetable of construction dates is not yet available, Austin-based developer Riverside Resources associate Win Smith said.


Presidio is zoned for a planned development, or PD, which includes specific architectural standards such as shared color tones and masonry. The PD standards require each project use to be connected by new parks and trails, and to have limited connections to Parmer in order to encourage people to park and walk to different locations.


Retail tenants have not yet been announced, said Phil Brewer, Cedar Park economic development director. However, residents can expect at least one sit-down restaurant with a bar, he said.


American Constructors plans to move its headquarters from Austin to Cedar Park and will occupy one half of an office building. The company’s lease allowed Riverside Resources to begin building earlier than originally planned, Place 5 City Council Member Jon Lux said.


Brewer said American Constructors will bring 75 new jobs to Cedar Park with an average salary of $80,000. The office buildings fulfill Cedar Park’s need of more space for employers, he said.


“One of our biggest challenges is having available office space,” Brewer said. “The fact that Riverside is coming in and building a 24,000-square-foot office building, and they already have half of it leased before they’ve even broken ground is an indicator of that kind of demand.”


Lux said city leaders want to add more office jobs to Cedar Park. Employees who work in a Cedar Park office are more likely to dine and shop in the city, adding sales tax revenue and promoting the local economy that helps Cedar Park grow, he said.


Smith said Presidio’s mixed use is unique in the city.


“The new urbanism concepts that we are trying to implement definitely create a buzz around them and add value,” Smith said.


At a Jan. 26 ground breaking ceremony, Mayor Matt Powell said developers reached out to residents in the nearby Ranch at Brushy Creek neighborhood.


“[Residents] went all the way from [saying], ‘I don’t know about that,’ to, ‘How soon can they get started?’” Powell said.


Smith said later development will include about 74 acres north of Ranch Trails.


“We want to continue the theme of walkability throughout the entire 100 acres,” Smith said. “A portion of that could be a corporate campus for a large office [complex], but then it will also include more restaurants and retail and mixed uses that maintain the walkable theme.”