Mixed-use senior living development planned next to Bell District in Cedar Park

A mixed-use senior living development will bring independent living units to the north end of the future Bell District.

The 6.9-acre project called Hayden Grove of Cedar Park will be a four-story, vertical mixed-use building with 148 independent senior living units. The project will also have 18,720 square feet of nonresidential area on the ground floor for retail spaces, such as a membership-style gym, an amenity center, a bistro, an event center and two other retail spaces, according to city documents. Robert Wall, a representative from Periscope Capital Investments, said the ground-level businesses will be open to the public.

Cedar Park City Council approved a development agreement and zoning request for the development March 10. This zoning at 400 W. Park St. changed from neighborhood business zoning to planned development with a mixed-use base zoning district.

The approved development agreement more closely aligns the project with the Bell District’s design, said Andreina Dávila-Quintero, city development services assistant director. It specifically extends Parkwest Drive from Park Street through the Bell District development and also requires the district to use materials consistent with Bell District. The agreement also requires a commitment to the Bell District property owners association.

After the first zoning reading on Feb. 10 and discussion with council members, the applicant made several changes to the request, including reducing the number of units; prohibiting assisted living use; increasing the building’s western setback to 50 feet; adding a 10-foot landscaping buffer; adding street tree requirements along West Park Street; and requiring a wet pond as an amenity, Dávila-Quintero said.

Several residents spoke during the Feb. 10, Feb. 24 and March 10 meetings with a combination of perspectives both in favor of and against the development. Some residents raised concerns about traffic and high-density development adjacent to residential homes. Other comments were in support of the project next to the Bell District.

Some of the development changes were responsive to resident feedback and concerns. Council Member Eric Boyce said conversations among the developer and residents mulled some of the “vehement opposition” about the project.

“I appreciate the developer taking the time and the effort to listen to the citizens [and] the citizens for voicing their opinion and finding that reconciliation point,” Boyce said.