The city of Georgetown held a ribbon cutting-ceremony Dec. 12 for its new Light & Waterworks District Plaza.

The $2.25 million project adds a performance stage, an event lawn, a designated food truck area and outdoor seating to downtown.

A closer look

Located between and behind the Georgetown Public Library and the historic Light & Waterworks building for which it's named, the district aims to be an additional downtown gathering place, Mayor Josh Schroeder said.

"We love our downtown square, but we want to see all that vibrant activity spread out throughout our entire downtown. This is going to be one of those magnets that's going to pull people all throughout our downtown area," Schroeder said.Construction on the district began Jan. 17, according to previous Community Impact reporting. However, planning for the space dates back to the 2014 Downtown Master Plan and a public input process that began in 2018, according to a city news release.

The plaza was designed by Covey Landscape Architects and KPA Engineers. Synergy Commercial Construction was the project's contractor.

Looking ahead

The plaza is one piece of Georgetown's City Center project, which endeavors to blend civic buildings in this part of town, including the library, historic Light & Waterworks building, the Council & Courts building and City Hall, into a cohesive area, according to the release.

The plaza's namesake building has housed the utility, the police department and the planning department, Schroeder said. City officials are exploring how to open that building up to the public as a food hall or market, he said.