A project to build a city-owned art collective with a 500-seat theater, gallery, gathering spaces and more is moving into the design phase after Cedar Park City Council members approved a $4.8 million architecture contract Sept. 24.
Some context
Cedar Park officials plan to build the art center on a plot of land at the corner of Bell Boulevard and Buttercup Creek Boulevard, situated along the south edge of the Bell District across Cluck Creek from the park and public library. When finished, a pedestrian bridge would connect the building to the Bell District, Assistant City manager Beau Falgout said.
Resident feedback helped shape the city's decision to use the property for that purpose after acquiring the land in 2022, he said.
“It’s all about having a place for the community to be able to experience the arts,” Falgout told Community Impact earlier this year.
What’s new
City leaders selected a proposed partnership between architecture firms Hoefer Welker and Bora to design the facility. Hoefer Welker and Bora’s joint proposal was selected from among more than two dozen submissions that the city received from architects, city documents state.
A representative from Bora cited Hoefer Welker’s experience in the area, including designing the Cedar Park Public Safety Training Facility, and Bora’s experience designing similar arts and cultural centers across the country, including the Robinson Fine Arts Center in Plano and the Boschini Music Center at Texas Christian University.
Funding the project
The design of the project is being funded by the Cedar Park Community Development Type B Board, a government body that allocates funding from local sales tax revenue.
Also of note
City Council members approved two other contracts related to the art collective project at the same meeting.
One was a construction management contract with Linbeck Group under which the city will pay the construction firm $75,000 plus a fee of 3.3% of the cost of construction.
The other contract was with arts consultant Emily Wanserski for $60,000. Wanserski will advise city staff on “theatrical venue operations, arts programming, staffing models, activation strategies [and] long‑term planning for community cultural amenities,” city documents state.
“I've worked with a ton of cities of different scales and sizes and shapes [in different] parts of the country and [to see this city], especially right now, being able to spend this kind of money on the arts, it makes me emotional because … it happens once in a generation,” Wanserski said.
What’s next
The design process is expected to take 18 months, city staff said. After design is complete, the city will request proposals from construction companies and bring a proposed contract to city council for approval.
