Construction of Bee Cave’s new public safety building, which was originally slated to break ground in February, could now face an additional 6 months of delays following procedural requirements imposed by the passing of Proposition G in November.

At a Dec. 10 meeting, Bee Cave City Council discussed the city’s Capital Improvements Plan, which includes plans for a new public safety building and library. Members of the CIP subcommittee, which includes Mayor King and council members Andrea Willott and Kevin Hight, shared information on updated construction costs and timelines following the passing of Proposition G, which states that voter approval is required for any sale, purchase or lease of city property.

Proposition G passed in November, with 2,200 Bee Cave residents voting for the proposed amendment and 1,532 voting against.

The overview

At a previous meeting on Oct. 8, council voted on a budget of $18 million for the public safety building. Since then, staff and construction firm Turner & Townsend Heery have been working to bring that cost down, Mayor King said. Currently, costs are estimated at $17.3, which reflects the cost of work combined with ‘soft costs’.

This price reduction was achieved through reducing square footage as well as removing some furniture, fixture and equipment costs, King said. A considerable amount of covered parking was also removed and, in total, 1,000 square-feet were cut out of the building.

The details

Despite progress being made on price reductions, the passing of Proposition G in November has complicated plans for the building, Mayor King said.

Mayor King explained that, despite the city being ready to turn dirt in February, they may now—pending legal consultation—need to put the decision on a ballot for voter approval before making any more progress.

“If we need voters’ approval to get the bond, we are now looking at August of 2025—so this is a significant delay of six months in construction costs, financing, the architects—all of the people that are now going to sit on hold for 6 months,” King said. The delay could cost the city upwards of $200,000–$300,000, depending on market volatility and changes to construction costs, City Manager Julie Oakley said.

What else?

Plans for the new library building have continued to move forward, with council members agreeing that the city-owned Skaggs property, located between The Backyard and Bee Cave Central Park, appears to be the best location.

The location would allow for a 20,000 square-foot library, which council agreed upon as a suitable size. Additionally, the property allows extra room for further development of city-owned buildings or projects in the future, Mayor King said.

Previously, the city considered building the library on a piece of property called the Revival Tract. Construction on this property would have cost the city $31 million dollars, council member Andrea Willott said. Deciding that this cost would likely be unpalatable to residents, the city chose to look for other options.

The city evaluated a number of criteria in choosing the new library’s location, including land topography, property size, potential for parking and traffic impacts. The Skaggs property was chosen as it appeared to be satisfactory in all of these areas, Mayor King said.

The Skaggs tract had previously been considered as a location for workforce housing, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.

Mayor King said that the city is currently evaluating whether or not additional workforce housing is actually needed, as apartments in Bee Cave are already running at 80% of area median income, or AMI, which is the same percentage required to qualify for workforce housing. If the city wants to move forward with adding additional workforce housing, there is a selection of other city-owned properties to choose from, King said.

What’s next?

A legal analysis of Proposition G will provide further direction to council on how best to proceed with the public safety building, City Attorney Ryan Henry said. Depending on the results of that analysis, ground will likely be broken on the public safety building either in February, or six months later in August.