The Round Rock Planning and Zoning Commission recommended March 7 approving zoning changes necessary for the development of Kalahari Resorts and Convention Center.

The zoning changes will apply to more than 337 acres of land at the southeast corner of East Palm Valley and South Kenney Fort boulevards to be known as the Kalahari Planned Unit Development, or PUD. The PUD will outline specific requirements for the development of the land.

A public hearing and final vote on the zoning recommendations from the planning and zoning commission will take place at a future City Council meeting.

Permitted land uses for the Kalahari PUD include a resort hotel, convention center, indoor/outdoor water park, indoor/outdoor family entertainment center, wedding venue, spa, pet resort, retail sales and services, restaurants, bars, food trucks, dormitory-style employee housing, aquarium, campgrounds, cinema and other uses. Although the elements are permitted, that does not necessarily mean they will ultimately be developed.

The Kalahari PUD restricts the maximum height of buildings on the land to 180 feet for buildings more than 750 feet away from the southern property line. It also applies certain restrictions to noise and light elements on the property as well as the signs that will be installed on the property.

Representatives from HKS Architects, the Dallas-based architectural group designing the Kalahari project, attended the meeting and outlined some of their plans for the resort and convention center. Draft renderings showed potential design plans for landscape enhancements, sculpture installations, water features and the overall planned aesthetic of the structures and buildings on the property.

The Kalahari Primary Plat, which covers 351.74 acres located east and west of South Kenney Fort Boulevard, and the Kalahari Final Plat—the first phase of the development covering 200.98 acres at the southeast corner of East Palm Valley and South Kenney Fort boulevards—were both unanimously approved by the commission with several conditions attached.

For more information on the Kalahari development, click here.

*Note: The following design renderings are just a draft and do not reflect permanent plans for the development.

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