The roughly 35-acre multiuse development will be located between Bee Cave Parkway and Hwy. 71, just west of the city’s Central Park. In an effort to accommodate parking for the high-capacity venue and discourage driving under the influence, the city may permit concertgoers to utilize the park as a drop-off and pickup site.
During an Oct. 13 meeting, City Council members reviewed a presentation from developers The Backyard Partners LLC that outlined preliminary conceptual plans for the proposed reconfiguration of the park.
As outlined in the proposal, the developers would redesign Central Park’s existing two-way access to a one-way terraced loop. The continuous travel lane is required to be a minimum of 20 feet wide, per the Bee Cave Fire Department’s early review.
The park’s existing entrance and exit gates would need to be replaced with wider alternatives in order to accommodate the loop, according to Christi Van Rite, a representative of the development. The plan also included an increase of 15 parking spaces as well as the addition of vegetation within the park.
Van Rite clarified the park would be utilized primarily between 5-11 p.m. and only during the 35 to 45 nights out of the year that the venue is hosting shows. The venue’s operators would also employ security officers and traffic directors for event nights.
Modifications are slated to take between four to six months; as such, council members expressed concern regarding the potential disruption to public use of the park.
“There needs to be a real detailed plan about how the public is still going to be able to access the park while this is under construction,” Council Member Andrea Willott said.
The Backyard’s developers are working with contractors to establish a plan that would allow citizens to utilize one section of the park’s entrance or exit during the construction period. However, Van Rite said she cannot promise the park will be available throughout the entire process, which she called a “massive undertaking.”
Council did not approve a specific plan during the Oct. 13 meeting and will revisit the discussion when developers return with a more detailed plan.
