A new mixed-use development could come to downtown Georgetown after city officials approved a waiver allowing a proposed 3.5-story building to exceed downtown height restrictions.

“This is a real exciting corridor [where] we’re seeing a lot of redevelopment,” Georgetown Planning Director Sofia Nelson said at a Dec. 10 City Council meeting.

What happened

Georgetown City Council and the city’s Historic and Architectural Review Commission approved a development’s courthouse view protection waiver on Dec. 10 and Dec. 12, respectively.

The HARC reviews new buildings, alterations, signage and demolitions in Georgetown’s historic overlay districts to ensure projects comply with the city’s design guidelines and other criteria, according to its website.


The waiver was necessary for the building’s planning process, as the applicant and property owner Brian Birdwell is proposing an architectural feature atop the building called a cupola, which would reach 71 feet at its highest point, Nelson said.
A rendering shows the mixed-use building's covered rooftop area and cupola, which was inspired by the city's design guidelines. (Rendering courtesy Overland Partners)
A rendering shows the mixed-use building's covered rooftop area and cupola, which was inspired by the city's design guidelines. (Rendering courtesy Overland Partners)


Sorting out details

The city’s unified development code suggests a maximum vertical height of 50 feet in the zone of the proposed building—off South Austin Avenue and Sixth Street—to allow for the Williamson County Courthouse’s dome to be viewable throughout different parts of Georgetown, Nelson said.

However, in the 2024 downtown master plan, city officials suggested adjusting the UDC to allow for different types of developments to be built downtown, Nelson said.


Nelson said city officials agreed the UDC’s Austin Avenue view corridor was “limiting the amount of building height that would be permitted in that area, which would limit the ability to actually bring the vision for a mixed-use development area into fruition.”

Officials will look to remove the Austin Avenue view corridor restriction and adjust downtown Georgetown’s maximum allowed height for buildings, Nelson said.

“The full UDC update is expected this spring,” Assistant to the City Manager Jessica Clarke said at a Jan. 14 meeting.

The inspiration


According to city documents, the building’s preliminary designs include a covered restaurant, rooftop bar, office space and a courtyard bar. The cupola feature was picked up from the city’s design guidelines, which references architectural features present on the historic square, Nelson said.
The building’s preliminary designs show a covered rooftop bar and restaurant area. (Rendering courtesy Overland Partners)
The building’s preliminary designs show a covered rooftop bar and restaurant area with a cupola in the background. (Rendering courtesy Overland Partners)


“We’re trying to really make a statement feature as you enter into the historic district in Georgetown,” Birdwell said at the Dec. 10 meeting.

The proposed building site is home to a former office building which will be torn down, a city official said in an email to Community Impact.

“This is a great proposal,” District 2 council member Shawn Hood said on Dec. 10.


What’s next

A site plan and permitting process is required before the building moves forward, a city official said.