4B development board looks at 'retweaking' corridor enhancement program

For more than five years it has been one of the City of Cedar Park's goals to update the US 183 corridor—the non-tolled portion of US 183, also called Bell Boulevard within city limits—both for safety and aesthetics. Bell Boulevard is the historic gateway to Cedar Park, and the 4B Community Development Corporation has used city sales tax revenues to reimburse property owners for safety and aesthetic improvements through Cedar Park's 183 Corridor Enhancement

Program.

Both city staff and 4B board members said they are disappointed with the low participation in the program. The program has funded 11 projects worth nearly $628,775 over five years, but City Council, city staff and the 4B board agree there is much work still to be done.

"Programs like that, you would hope that the businesses come to you," said Phil Brewer, Cedar Park Economic Development Director. "We've done our part, I think. We've tried to market it, but it's kind of a two-way street."

Scope of the project

The original focus of the project was safety. When the project was being created, more than half of the most dangerous intersections in Cedar Park were along the 183 corridor.

The 4B board will reimburse property owners 75 percent of what it costs for them to make approved improvements to driveways, sidewalks, lighting, signage, landscaping and parking lots along the 183 corridor. The program encourages pedestrian-friendly enhancements, safety improvements to ingress and egress, xeriscaping to conserve water in landscaping and monument-style signage.

Buttercup Creek Veterinary Clinic is in the middle of its enhancement project. Dr. Mary-Alice Corcoran said the improvements to her driveway are done, her new flower beds are dug and ready for landscaping, and she is waiting for a permit to replace her sign. Corcoran said she has enjoyed working with the city on this $40,529 project (of which the 4B Board is reimbursing $30,397).

"We're a part of this corridor. I wanted to do something to make 183 more attractive," she said.

Rethinking goals

City Council emphasized the importance it places on doing away with pole signs at a joint meeting with the 4A and 4B community development boards.

"Their direction was that the pole signs are a big issue on 183, so one of the big focuses now is we're looking at retweaking the 183 corridor project to be able to give better and more incentives to get more businesses to participate," said 4B board member Mo Jahadi.

Increasing the city's reimbursement rate, weighting sign improvements more and even funding them fully are all on the table, as well as opening the program up to other areas. Jahadi said the subcommittee that is taking on the program's revisioning plans to bring suggestions to the board in about two months.

One of the properties Jahadi wants most to participate is the 251 Bell Street Center at 251 N. Bell Blvd. Laney Vo owns Hunan Chef, a business in that shopping center, and she said she would like to see the improvements made.

"If the parking and the sidewalk got fixed, that would be great. It would help a lot for the small businesses around here because the driveway in and out over here is really deep," Vo said.

Community Impact Newspaper was unable to reach the 251 Bell Street Center property owner.

Jahadi points to the success of the business park with the blue sign located at 205 S. Bell Blvd., across the street from Ace Hardware.

"That shopping center had a lot of vacancies prior to the beautification project. Now it's full," he said.

Program participation

Of the 11 projects that have been approved, almost all of them are either locally owned or owner-occupied properties.

"Many of the other properties that could use the improvements—it's absentee landlords that own them—so they don't have the same pride in their town, and they're just not as connected to the community," 4B board member Maria Talamo said at the Aug. 8 joint meeting between the 4A and 4B boards with the council.

Nelson Puett Jr., of Nelson Puett Real Estate, said he has seen improvement since the company purchased the shopping center that houses the Jardin Corona Mexican food restaurant at 600 S. Bell Blvd. in the early 1990s.

"A great example would be Buttercup (shopping center). In the late '80s, that thing was a ghost town," Puett said. "But now it's vibrant, and people are shopping there."

With the chain and big-box development taking place along RM 1431 in Cedar Park, Puett said he sees a home for independent businesses on Bell Boulevard.

"I think you're going to see similar businesses to what you would see on South Congress ultimately in the future for the Bell Boulevard corridor and maybe some unique concept restaurants and service-type providers that are not your typical chains and stuff," Brewer said.