Cedar Park officials approve $5.6M for transportation, community projects

The Cedar Park Community Development Type B Board approved a total of just over $5.6 million in funding for several transportation and community projects at its July 14 meeting.

A closer look

The Community Development Type B Board, which allocates sales tax funds to community development projects, approved six projects for inclusion in the board’s budget.

• The Bell Boulevard corridor study will assess ways to improve safety, drainage, pedestrian amenities—such as benches and trash cans—and landscaping and beautification elements as the city prepares to take over Bell Boulevard from the Texas Department of Transportation once the 183A Toll frontage roads are complete. Potential improvements could look similar to those already in place along the stretch of Bell Boulevard adjacent to the Bell District, said Randall Lueders, director of engineering and capital projects for the city.
• Additional funding set aside for 183A Frontage Road at Scottsdale Drive improvements will cover costs for the construction of a dedicated U-turn at the intersection that are greater than initially anticipated, Lueders said.
• The park playground and amenity replacement project will replace playgrounds at several parks, including Veterans Memorial Park, Peggy Garner Park, Wild Rose Park and potentially more, as well as replace aging amenities like water fountains, benches and tables, city documents state. The bulk of the funding will go toward construction of a new playground at Veterans Memorial Park that will facilitate adaptive play for children of all abilities.
• The bike pump track feasibility study will look into the possibility of building a bike pump track at Brushy Creek Sports Park.
• RE|CREATE enhancements include purchasing additional interactive equipment for the children’s area and common areas.
• The additional funding for the Veterans Pool expansion project will be used to add features, including a wave pool, a lifeguard training room and rentable indoor space, and a replacement of the existing water play structure, city documents state.

What else?

The Type B Board also approved its budget for fiscal year 2026-27.

The city expects the Type B board to receive about $13.2 million in sales tax revenue for FY 2026-27, up from a projected $12.6 million in FY 2025-26, Director of Finance Erica Solis said at the July 14 meeting.

That projected sales tax increase is driven largely by the CedarView development, which includes NFM and Scheels, Solis said. Scheels is set to open in late August, and NFM is expected to open in 2027.

The board’s budgeted expenses for the coming fiscal year total about $7.3 million, Solis said. The majority of that is money spent on mobility and community enhancement projects, while 14% is allocated for debt service and 9% for board and staff support.

“We are conservative because we just never know what the market is going to do in this climate,” Solis said.

What’s next

The Type B board budget is a part of the larger city of Cedar Park budget, which requires final approval from the City Council.

City Council members are set to hold a public hearing on the overall budget Sept. 3 and take a final vote Sept. 10, Solis said.