The city of Cedar Park is moving closer to its vision of creating a destination district on Bell Boulevard.

Cedar Park City Council selected an engineer to design the redevelopment of Bell during a meeting July 14. The project includes realigning the existing Bell from Buttercup Creek Boulevard northward to Cedar Park Drive. The road is planned to move eastward to follow the alignment of Old Hwy. 183.

Cedar Park Director of Engineering Darwin Marchell told council members that three companies submitted statements of qualification to the city for the project, and City Council voted to enter into contract negotiations with Binkley and Barfield Consulting Engineers of Austin.

“In addition to their extensive knowledge of the project from prior work on the project on the Bell Boulevard corridor development plan, Binkley and Barfield assembled a project development team of consultants and sub-consultants that had very impressive and unique expertise in areas such as public involvement, corridor planning, right of way acquisition and utility relocation,” he said.

Marchell said the engineer’s expertise in those areas will be involved with the design of the arterial roadway, along with drainage improvements, signalization and environmental clearance. Since it is a state roadway, he also said the city will coordinate extensively with the Texas Department of Transportation on the project.

Once the contract is negotiated with Binkley and Barfield, Marchell said it will be brought back before City Council for approval. He told council members this would be the largest engineering and design contract the city has ever written up, and he estimated the process would take four to six weeks.

“It’s good to get this kicked off,” Council Member Cobby Caputo said.

The realignment of the roadway is one of the first phases of the Bell Boulevard Redevelopment Project, Assistant City Manager Katherine Caffrey said. The movement of the four-lane highway would open up a 40- to 52-acre space for what city leaders hope will become a “destination district” with a mix of uses, including residences, offices, restaurants, shops and access to nearby parks, she said.

The redevelopment project was included in a bond election in November, when voters approved $96.7 million in bond funds. About $63 million of the funds were listed in a proposition for streets and roads, and approximately $20 million of that amount was set aside for Phase 1 funding for the Bell project, according to the city.

Caffrey said the city plans to break the development of Bell down into phases, and the design phase of the realigned roadway could take about 18 months. She said residents probably will not see any construction for about two years.

In the meantime, Caffrey said one of the city’s next steps is the master planning of Bell Boulevard Park. She said the city plans to seek extensive community involvement in the planning, such as public meetings and workshops, and that business owners and the general public can expect to see a renewed outreach from the city in the fall to encourage residents to be involved.

“We see [the planning of the park] being a great process to involve the public, for the community to help us create the vision for what will be the park in the development,” she said.

Caffrey said funding for the planning of Bell Boulevard Park will be up for consideration to be added to the fiscal year 2016-17 budget. The next fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

For more information on the project, visit www.destinationbellblvd.com.