At a Jan. 10 meeting, Pflugerville City Council approved the appointment of Griffin Swinnerton/Catellus as the master developer on the project.
With a master developer selected, the city can begin working on final designs for the project based on public engagement and other findings from earlier parts of the process.
Assistant City Manager Emily Barron said design work will likely take the better part of the next year, during which time the city will continue collecting public input.
Griffin Swinnerton/Catellus is a pair of independent development firms, each of which will handle different parts of the project.
"[Griffin Swinnerton/Catellus] reflected better than anyone else an enthusiasm for this development in this current environment but a realism for how to move forward in this current environment," said Jay Brown, chair of the city's financial consulting firm, Hayat Brown.
Barron said the city hopes to break ground on Downtown East in mid-2024, with the city hall and recreation center portions of the project anticipated to open in early 2026.
