Music venue, restaurant and apartments all possibilities proposed for site by developers

City leaders are contemplating three proposed developments to go in the former Builders Gypsum Supply downtown property, a tract some are calling the key to Round Rock's downtown revitalization.

"I think it's probably one of the most important decisions we face when it comes to downtown," Councilman Craig Morgan said.

The city owns 3.68 acres of land on Bagdad Avenue formerly occupied by Gypsum, a distributor of construction material. As part of the downtown revitalization effort approved in August 2013 the city purchased the property and helped the business relocate within Round Rock. Now, calling the project Rock Anchor, city leaders are mulling different, distinct options for the direction they want to take the property.

Brad Wiseman, director of Round Rock's Planning and Development Services Department, introduced three plans discussed in meetings with developers at a Round Rock City Council Packet meeting Sept. 23.

The plans are tentative and could change later, and there is no set date for council to decide on which of the projects it will move forward with.

City leaders have said they are moving forward slowly with the proposals because of the property's vital role in downtown redevelopment.

Restaurant, music venue, brewery

Plans from Live Oak Gottesman, an Austin commercial real estate development and services company, indicate the property could host a craft brewery, restaurant and possible music venue.

Mike Joyce, Live Oak Gottesman chief operating officer, said he could not divulge specific businesses interested in the area. However, he said the music venue and restaurant are well-known names, with the music venue looking to permanently relocate. He said the brewery was a startup.

Joyce said he supported Round Rock City Council's plan to move the plant and add something "more additive" to the area.

"If we can be involved and bring a couple of users that make sense for the property and the plan to bear, that's in everyone's interest," Joyce said.

Wiseman said at the packet meeting if a music venue were to go in the spot, the issue of noise emanating from it would have to be addressed.

Morgan said the music venue might not be compatible with the downtown area because of the sound.

"Of course [the noise issue] has to be looked at a lot more, but that's my immediate concern about that," he said.

Residential/ mixed use

Dallas-based development company Duke Inc. proposed a multifamily housing unit on the site with approximately 200 to 300 apartment homes. Duke Inc. Principal Rob Stone said there is a possibility for bottom-floor commercial spaces as well.

A preliminary sketch Wiseman showed to City Council regarding Duke's idea for the property showed a row of brownstones two and three stories high as part of the development, as well as a parking garage that could hold approximately 117 spots, though Stone said it is too early to talk about amenities.

Stone said putting in the residential units would require some reconfiguration of the streets in downtown, something that would have to be worked on with the city.

"Traffic flow, I know to them, is very important," Stone said. "The last thing I want to do is jeopardize what they have currently."

Stone said residential units would bring more people downtown, which would help existing retail.

"We want to support Main Street," Stone said.

Duke specializes in high-end multifamily developments and has built the Ten Oaks, Oak Park and Shadowbrook developments in Austin as well as others in Dallas and Houston.

Build as you go

B3 Commercial Investments, a development company based out of Austin, is proposing redeveloping the site in phases, Wiseman said. He said B3's approach involved more adaptive reuse of existing structures rather than entirely redeveloping the site.

Trac Bledsoe, a partner at B3, said the firm took an approach similar to how other projects he has been involved with developed.

"Very rarely do you just need to add water," Bledsoe said.

Wiseman said B3's plan is to host some markets or special events in the space to get people used to going to the site. Then, as events at the site grow and there is more interest in the area, the next phase could be to redevelop, Wiseman said.

He said under B3's plan there would be minimal improvements at first with more extensive developments to come later.

Property's history

City Council approved a $1 million economic incentive agreement to acquire the site on East Bagdad Avenue in August 2013.

Wiseman said the city incentivized Gypsum to move to another location within Round Rock because the business could have operated out of the Bagdad Avenue facility indefinitely.

"While obviously a great business and a great business to have in Round Rock, their use didn't fit the uses and development the city wanted in the downtown area," he said. "There needed to be some intervention to get them on a site somewhere else in the city so we didn't lose them out of Round Rock."

Wiseman said the plant not only no longer fit in with the downtown core, but the space was also limiting Gypsum as well. He said moving the plant also decreased the truck traffic related to the plant's use.

In April the city put out a request for quotation, which invited developers to come forward with their ideas for the space. In the city's request officials outlined a desire to redevelop the property as a "thriving mixed-use development that is an entertainment destination downtown." The request also stated the project should maximize the financial impact on Round Rock while meeting the council's goal of creating an "authentic downtown." It also states the project should create a high-quality, pedestrian-oriented environment that links the site to the rest of downtown.

Over the summer the city received four proposals from developers. The first proposal came from Trio Developments, which was interested in developing commercial properties in the space. However, Trio Development President Gary Newman said the firm is no longer interested in the space after seeing the site's proximity to the railroad tracks and nearby Main Street. The city is currently working to make the site a railroad quiet zone, so train operators will not need to sound their horns when passing by downtown.