(Credit: Kalahari Resorts and Conventions)
Williamson County has seen no shortage of new developments in recent years, some already under construction and others nearing their groundbreaking. In Round Rock, construction of the new Kalahari Resort is moving along as expected, and the Round Rock City Council has now paved the way for shovels to hit the dirt on a brand new 200,000 square foot convention center, which will be the largest in Texas.
Both the city council and the Round Rock Transportation and Economic Development Department have signed off on the sale of $21.3-million in sales tax revenue bonds to build the convention center. It’s a debt the city says will be paid back through sales tax revenue that is generated by Kalahari itself. While the City of Round Rock will maintain ownership of the convention center, Kalahari will be tasked with its maintenance and operations.
The convention center will not only have thousands of square feet of meeting space, but it will also have a ballroom, the city says.
The $21.3-million sale of the sales tax revenue bonds is the first of two that are planned. The second will come in April 2020.
Currently, developers say the resort and convention center are on pace for a November 2020 opening, as is a 223,000 square foot water park and a new hotel with 100 rooms. When up and running, Kalahari is expected to become of of Round Rock’s largest employers, with some 700 new employees slated to join the ranks.
Kalahari is one of several major developments coming to Williamson County.
In Cedar Park, council approved an economic incentive package with UK-based manufacturing company Additive Manufacturing Technologies, which specializes in 3D printing. From that deal alone, the city projects more than $1.8-million in sales tax revenue to be generated. Phase 1 of Cedar Park’s upcoming Indigo Ridge mixed-use development is getting underway, and once the entire development is up and running, it will be anchored by the United States Tennis Association, which is projected to generate close to $140-million in revenue. And back in May, ground was broken on iSports Cedar Park, a 206,000 square foot facility complete with indoor and outdoor ball fields, two ice hockey rinks that are NHL regulation-sized, and other amenities that include retail, restaurants, family friendly events, and even an area dedicated to sports medicine.
Cedar Park also recently signed an economic agreement with Texas-based James Avery.
Leander’s Northline development is also in the works. Spanning 115-acres, it will include a variety of shops, restaurants, housing, and office space and may be worth as much as $800-million. That development may not come fruition, however, for another 10-15 years.
The City of Hutto also has high hopes for the upcoming Hutto Co-Op District, a $200-million mixed-use development anchored by yet another massive sports and event center. Baseball scouting organization Perfect Game will move its headquarters to Hutto, complete with two-dozen ball fields. Perfect Game agreed to a 30-year lease with the potential to generate more than $5-million a year in property taxes, as well as $800-million in private investments.
And, of course, one of the largest announcements came last year when Apple went public with its plan to build a new three million square foot facility in North Austin, more than doubling its current presence in the city. Apple’s new campus could expand to up to 15,000 employees over time.
