“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in the growth and expansion of the city while also offering a new destination spot for both locals and visitors,” said Julie Ward, senior vice president of development for Partners Development Co., the project’s developer.
City Council gave initial approval to rezone the former McCoy Elementary School site to a planned unit development with general commercial and high-density uses during an Aug. 23 meeting.
“The McCoy PUD is a big win from an economic development standpoint because it places commercial space in a prime location along Williams Drive,” Assistant City Manager Nick Woolery said. “It will also bring new life and energy to this gateway area in the spirit of what was envisioned for the Williams Drive corridor.”
Causing cascading change
Nelson and Ward said the 14.7-acre lot is vital to the Williams Drive Gateway Plan, which encompasses 558 acres between San Gabriel Park and Lakeway Drive. The city has set specific guidelines for how it hopes to see this area develop.
“This development is large enough to have a positive impact on the community and begin to transition into the vision that the city has established for the gateway into Georgetown,” Ward said.
The city is rezoning the McCoy site to a planned development unit, a classification that comes with negotiated land uses and development standards approved by City Council for a specific property.
Ward said the PUD helped developers determine what elements to include that would otherwise not be required or allowed by the existing code.
Situated between the intersections of Park Lane and Rivery Boulevard on Williams Drive, the proposed development will be split in half with commercial spaces running along Williams and Rivery, and apartments and a parking garage along Park.
Ward said the project will have approximately 300 apartments, 60,000 square feet of commercial space, between 650-700 parking spaces and a plaza-style green space. She said the development hopes to bring a mix of local and national tenants.
Ward said the developers are hoping to set an example for future, surrounding developments and connect the city to quality businesses.
“Considering the size of this project and community growth, the redevelopment of nearby properties is very likely to occur,” Ward said.
McCoy’s history
Partners Development Co. bought the McCoy site for $4.5 million in December 2021. Prior to the sale, the property was the original Raye McCoy Elementary School from 1964-2012.
Melinda Brasher, GISD executive director for communications and community engagement, said the property served many students and educational purposes before being demolished in 2019.
“As Georgetown grew in the 2000s, the district outgrew the aging facility,” Brasher said. “With funds from the 2010 bond, a new McCoy Elementary was built [at 401 Bellaire Drive] and opened in the fall of 2012.”
Commission concerns
Due to its history and proximity to existing homes, Nelson said the Planning and Zoning Commission voted against the proposed plan Aug. 2.
She said the commission found the multifamily portion did not have a buffer between it and existing residential properties.
The commission was also concerned about preserving heritage trees on the site, Nelson said.
To that end, Ward said the developers hired arborists to determine how many heritage trees there are and what their condition is. Of the 74 trees onsite, 19 were identified as heritage trees.
“Quality landscape features are a big priority for this development,” Ward said. “We plan to preserve a significant number of heritage trees.”
Site plans will need to be approved by City Council at a mandatory second reading. As of press time, a date for this has not been established.
However, council members expressed excitement over the redevelopment plan.
“When I read this proposal, I was very enthused with what [the developers] were doing,” Council Member Mike Triggs said at the Aug. 23 meeting. “I was kind of surprised at the end when I read that it was actually turned down [by the commission.] I don’t know what you could put in there that would be better.”
Community input
Ward said the conjunction of existing businesses and new development will help establish the commercial and economic makeup of the area.
“A well-designed and thoughtful development can benefit the existing businesses and greater community through a natural attraction process and synergies,” Ward said.
Faith Thomas, owner of Frozen Flamingo—a business that serves frozen custard, frozen daiquiris and shaved ice—expressed anticipation for the possibility of new customers gained from the adjacent property.
“I am very excited about the development of the McCoy site,” Thomas said. “I think a residential shopping center would do wonders to increase foot traffic and bring more people to my business.”
Thomas, along with Jennifer Brown, owner of One Love Tattoos—which is located across the street from the property—expressed concern about increased traffic. Thomas said Williams is already overcrowded, and Brown said the nearby diverging diamond interchange construction has caused additional transportation issues.
“They have already removed the left-turn lane onto Cedar Drive and made us get rid of the entrance from Williams in 2020, which would have helped us, so that’s difficult already,” Brown said. “Hopefully they make it easier for the businesses and apartments coming and going from Cedar Drive.”
A Georgetown communications representative said the city hopes to conduct a traffic study that will propose removing and repositioning driveways along Williams.
“Traffic is just a minor setback,” Georgetown resident Lauren Guy said. “I trust that our leaders will make the right decisions as more people are calling Georgetown home for their family and businesses.”
