Bee Cave is creating new subcommittees to advise City Council on development and historical preservation of the city.

The City of Bee Cave has created and appointed members to a new Hill Country Galleria subcommittee, which will review rezoning requests and other matters related to the Hill Country Galleria. Also established at council’s March 11 meeting was a historic preservation subcommittee, which will be tasked with documenting and preserving Bee Cave history.

The overview

On March 28 2023, City Council first appointed a subcommittee for Hill Country Galleria, City Manager Julie Oakley said. This committee was formed in order to provide direction to developers and property owners within the Galleria. Although it has already existed in some form for several years, a new resolution approved at council’s March 11 meeting will now formalize the subcommittee, and officially renew appointments of its existing members, Oakley said.

Currently, there is one vacancy on this committee, left by former council member Courtney Hohl. Following the resolution, council will appoint one new member to fill the vacancy and also assign the chair of Bee Cave’s Zoning and Planning Commission, or ZAPCO, to the committee, Oakley said. Currently, the chair of ZAPCO is Lori Wakefield, according to the city of Bee Cave’s website.

The details

Prior to the pandemic, Mayor Kara King, elected in April 2020, brought forward plans to create a historic committee dedicated to preserving and documenting Bee Cave history. The idea was deprioritized while the city responded to the pandemic, but was recently re-initiated, Mayor King said.

Currently, the history of Bee Cave lacks proper documentation and is primarily carried by residents and older generations, King said. The new subcommittee, which council member Andrea Willott suggested may contain two council members and three members of the public, would solidify this knowledge for future generations.

Willott suggested that the city could conduct interviews with various Bee Cave residents to obtain needed information.

Though plans are not fully solidified, a resolution will be brought to council’s next meeting to formalize the new committee.

What else?

Mayor Po Tem Andrew Clark stated that city hotel occupancy tax funds could be used for historical preservation efforts, and that the committee could provide guidance to council on usage of these funds.

Council member Blake Sbrocco added that the committee could assist the city in identifying potential historical landmarks in the city, such as the Old Bee Cave Schoolhouse, which HOT funds could apply to.

“Once you open that door, the school districts will be able to take field trips to some of our spots in town, it’s going to really just grow upon itself. ... I think it’s a fantastic idea,” Sbrocco said.