Where once stood playground equipment for Joanne Land Playground—a hub of playscapes in Old Settlers Park—there is now an active construction zone.
“It’s good to have those places to really get out,” Rizzo said. “I think they do a wonderful job getting the parks updated.”
The playground will come back, city staff said, as progress on bond-funded improvements to the park continues.
Work happening on the park and Heritage Trail West is part of a citywide push totaling roughly $183 million to update parks and trails, said Rick Atkins, director of parks and recreation.
The big picture
As parts of Old Settlers Park are leveled to make way for new sports and recreational facilities, city crews are also getting their hands dirty near the city’s downtown on new parks and trails projects.
A common thread among these projects, Atkins said, is the goal of improving pedestrian safety, quality of life and resident wellness.
“We are working very hard to keep pedestrians and vehicular traffic away from each other,” Atkins said. “We know there’s some avenues where you have to do bike lanes and keep them in the same space, and we’re OK with that. But our preference would be to keep our residents on a trail system if we can and make sure that they’ve got that safe passage.”
This comes as residents have expressed some concern about the development of open green space amid fast growth and increased construction of retail and residential property.
In the city’s 2024 Citizen Survey, a majority of resident responses emphasized the importance of maintaining green space, whether as part of private development or city projects.
Rizzo, like several residents who responded to the city’s survey, highlighted the value of having parks like Old Settlers in her community.
“It’s amazing at Old Settlers Park,” Rizzo said. “I just enjoy a lot of activities over there. What they have available, it just speaks to how much it’s people-centric.”
Resident priorities
In the city of Round Rock’s 2024 Citizen Survey, a majority of residents said they wanted to see the development of parks projects prioritized. In the survey, 86% said parks and plazas should take priority for development; and 58% said they want to see more public parks included in high-density developments.
Old Settlers Park
City crews began work in September on $147 million in voter-approved bond projects.
Included among these projects is a $60 million expansion to the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex, which will increase the number of multisport fields from 17 to 27. Chad McKenzie, director of sports management and tourism for the city of Round Rock, said this expansion will not only allow the city to host more—and larger—regional and national sporting events, but will also make these facilities more accessible to residents.
“We’re excited about that—that flexibility of scheduling that allows your very large national or regional event to come in, and then a local soccer club or soccer team to rent out a field so they can still have their game at the multipurpose complex at the same time,” McKenzie said.
The Multipurpose Complex is set to be the final phase of this project completed in Old Settlers Park and will break ground in about a year. It is expected to be completed by April 2027, McKenzie said.
Another priority for city officials in Old Settlers Park is pedestrian safety improvements along Harrell Parkway, which winds through the park and has access to both Old Settlers Boulevard and Hwy. 79.
In his Dec. 10 State of the City address, Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan highlighted the importance of these improvements, which include a bridge at the low-water crossing near McNutt Creek, as well as elevated walkways.
“We’ve been fortunate that we haven’t had injuries to people that walk across Harrell Parkway,” Morgan said.
The Lawn
Just across the creek from the newly completed Heritage Trail West sits recently acquired city property that will one day be a park.
Known as The Lawn, the park project will be connected to the existing Veterans Park on Brushy Creek’s south shore, Atkins said. City officials said this project will extend the perceived boundaries of the city’s downtown just a bit farther north, as previously reported by Community Impact.
Proposals for The Lawn include a canoe launch providing creek access to residents, as well as a boardwalk and extended sidewalk for potential crafts fairs and farmers markets.
City plans for the park also include about 6 acres of green space along Pecan Street and Georgetown Street, of the total 20 acres allocated for the park.
This park is currently in the design phase, Atkins said. The cost of this project’s design comes in at $277,834 and was funded by the city’s self-financed construction budget. However, funding for construction will come from bond funds.
In connection with the Heritage Trail West project and a future Heritage Trail East, the bridge connecting north and south shores will provide a complete east-west connection across the city, he said.
Heritage Trail West
Heritage Trail West connects the city’s west and east side via walking paths, Atkins said.
Connecting to downtown via Mays Street, the trail was completed this fall. It also ties into the 7.75-mile Brushy Creek Regional Trail connecting Round Rock to Cedar Park.
The 1-mile section of the 10-foot-wide trail winds through multiple parks along Brushy Creek: Bathing Beach Park, Chisholm Trail Crossing Park and Memorial Park. The north and south shores of the creek are also connected by a pedestrian bridge with an overlook to Brushy Creek.
The trail also features statues created by local artist Antonio Munoz. At a 1.15 scale, the sculptures are arranged in a timeline showing the history of the area from the 1800s to early 1900s.
The 10 bronze statues, which include a horse and rider, Tonkawa Native and a grazing longhorn steer, are finished in a dark brown-blue patina.
What they’re saying
In Round Rock, facilities at Old Settlers Park
are frequently used for national and regional sports events.
One benefit of the city’s sports tourism, McKenzie said, is that parents who live here can save on travel and accommodations, especially if they have particularly athletic children.
“They could stay at home, sleep in their own beds and be able to play in world-class facilities right here in their backyard,” he said.
The city’s trail system is one of several factors that drew her to the area, Rizzo said, as their previous home in northern California had few walkable trails.
“It really didn’t offer a whole lot of activity,” Rizzo said. “There weren’t a whole lot of extra trails.”
What’s next
McKenzie said his vision for the future of Round Rock includes a third expansion to the Round Rock Sports Center.
By expanding the facility, McKenzie said Round Rock can support more local youth sports camps and training.
“There’s a lot of different things that we try to focus on that side of [sports operations] to keep kids playing,” he said. “The value that sports plays in a lot of people’s lives is huge, and the longer you can keep those kids playing, the better.”
On the parks side, Atkins said he foresees a potential expansion to the Play for All Abilities Park, an accessible park designed for children of all abilities that has won national awards.
“The Play For All [Abilities] Park has been just a win for the city of Round Rock,” Atkins said.
He said he also foresees a future of acquisitions to expand the city’s network of trails, connecting more of the area in a pedestrian-friendly way.
Quote of note
“One of the things that you’ll see in the new facilities that we’re building is our philosophy: We want to keep residents moving from 8 weeks to 80 [years old],” said Rick Atkins, city of Round Rock’s director of parks and recreation.
