“The recreation center will be incredible—like nothing we’ve had and not like a lot of cities have,” Assistant City Manager Emily Barron said.
The project will provide amenities the community would expect from the city, Barron said, such as public gathering spaces and fitness programming, especially as the Pflugerville population grows.
Two-minute impact
The Pfluger Tract—a 29-acre site northwest of the Pecan Street and FM 685 intersection—will house the Downtown East development. The city of Pflugerville intends for the project to be a community hub, with public amenities that cater to residents.
Phase 1 of the project will include a multigenerational recreation center, designed to serve people of all ages and abilities, as well as a new city hall, a central green area and a plaza. Developer Griffin Swinerton is the master developer for the project, as well as the private partner to the city.
“City leadership—working with City Council—thought maybe we could maximize the colocation of the facilities together, and leverage private-partnership dollars and potentially other funding sources,” Parks and Recreation Director Shane Mize said.
The Pflugerville Community Development Corporation also dedicated $50 million to the total project, to be paid out over the next 30 years.
“[The collaboration] is going to allow this really, very complex and ambitious project to be delivered successfully and really provides just a great experience for everybody,” PCDC Board of Directors President Jeff Thompson said.
Zooming in
The idea for the multigenerational recreation center was conceived after the city conducted a feasibility study to determine how to better serve the community, Mize said. The study showed that the city needs 1 square foot of a recreation facility per person. The current Pflugerville Recreation Center is about 23,000 square feet, while the 2023 population was 65,162, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“Twenty years ago, when we had about 20,000 or 30,000 people, that was the right size for that community,” Mize said. “We have obviously outgrown it.”
Daniel Sheppard, a Pflugerville resident, said he has also noticed a lack of activities at the current facility for his elderly mother, who moved to the city two years ago.
“She tried to explore the community center, but it didn’t really have anything for her,” Shepard said.
At right under 140,000 square feet, the new recreation center will provide activities and programming specifically for children, teens and older adults, including a kids zone, esports lounge and pickleball court.
“It’ll allow this community to grow into it, and we think it’s going to be an incredible quality-of-life spot,” Mize said.
Residents in and outside of the city limits will have access to the facility. There will be a fee for entry, which Mize said will not be a barrier to access and is comparative to surrounding areas.
Recreation center snapshot
Features of the $82.5 million recreation center include:
- First floor: child care center, indoor turf, eight courts, pool, retail space
- Second floor: open fitness area with free weights and aerobic machines, track
- Third floor: community space, 300-person multiuse space, smaller classrooms for cooking or art classes, an outdoor patio
The civic plaza will include outdoor gathering spaces, a stage for performances, a promenade and access to future retail and dining. With a lawn, garden and nature play, the 1-acre plaza will allow for outdoor programming from the recreation center.
City plans show costs for the plaza include infrastructure and parking structures for Downtown East, and total $53 million-$56 million. Certificate of obligation bonds and November 2020 voter-approved bonds support this portion of the project. The PCDC also allocated $600,000 to the civic plaza out of its community and quality-of-life project budget.
Kelsey Black, a Pflugerville resident and owner of the Book Burrow, feels like the current city infrastructure doesn’t meet the needs of the community. She looks forward to Downtown East as more than just the recreation center and city hall.
“I’m excited about all of the projects that Downtown East is intended for,” Black said “There will be a space for festivals, pedestrian walks and basically everything that a good downtown needs, and I cannot wait to be a part of this history.”
Also of note
Pflugerville City Council currently meets in a small courtroom at the city’s Justice Center, with limited space for seating and parking.
The new four-story building to serve as city hall will house city staff and City Council meetings, and will also have a cafe. Design plans also show indoor- and outdoor-gathering spaces along with four- and five-story terrace options.
The new city hall, at a cost of $86.5 million, offers both a unique and functional space for public meetings, according to Barron.
“[The] city hall is different from what you would expect—just in the engagement and openness of it,” Barron said.
Residents shared mixed views about the project with Community Impact. Black said she’s excited to see the new downtown realized.
“It’s going to increase foot traffic [and] it’s going to increase tax revenue coming through Pflugerville, which means Pflugerville can start prioritizing things that matter to their citizens,” she said.
Sheppard has four kids who travel out of town for sports. He feels that building a community center rather than better utilizing the current one is a misuse of resources.
“We go out [of town] to practice, and that means we’re eating dinner out of town,” he said. “I’m just taking all my dollars out of the city because my city doesn’t support any of the things that we find interesting.”
Going forward
Preconstruction work for the downtown project began last summer, and according to the developer’s civil works schedule, construction is set to begin in February.
City officials expect the Phase 1 build-out to wrap up by 2026.
The city hasn’t confirmed Phase 2 plans, but maps of Downtown East show six more parcels of land available for development.
