City considers new Arts District

From the Austin-American Statesman:

“[City Manager Steve Jones] and I believe that if we can make arts a part of it, the commercial that follows will be organic businesses that support the arts instead of chains and name brands.”

– Deputy City Manager Chessie Zimmerman

The City of Lakeway is taking steps to create an arts district on 130 acres of land between Lohmans Crossing and Rolling Green Drive, near RM 620.

The idea behind the arts district stemmed from the notion of putting a theater hall on a portion of the land, which consultants have told the city council would be a lucrative idea. The district would ideally be surrounded by some small retail, some residential and approximately 30 acres of park land, Zimmerman said.

Jones also spoke in favor of taking a proactive approach to development rather than having a developer make an offer to put high-density residential or retail on the property in the future. Council members had questions about the timeline and practicalities such as parking, but were largely supportive of the concept.

“I think it’s a fabulous idea. Having participated in the (Lakeway Visitors Commission), I think it gives us a central focus of something that really could be special for us, and I really love the idea of it. But the devil’s in the details. I would really love to see us pull together some leaders in the arts community to help us really understand the need.”

– Councilwoman Sandy Cox

Mayor Dave DeOme encouraged city staff to go forward with looking into creating the arts district.

Read the full article on the Austin-American Statesman website.