Round Rock adding 20+ acres of parkland to downtown area
ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) -- The Round Rock city council approved the creation of a master plan for about 22 acres of more parkland north of the downtown area.
The land, which will be known as the Lawn at Brushy Creek, runs along the banks of the creek between Mays and Georgetown Streets, and will also create more trail connectivity.
What will the park look like?
It is unknown what the park will look like at this time, but the city approved a $277,834 contract with Design Workshop to create the master plan. The firm has helped design parks around Texas in the past.
Round Rock mayor Craig Morgan said he envisions the park to have "passive activities" running along a trail that will pass through the entirety of the land.
Trail connectivity in the park
A main feature of the newest park land will be the connection of the Heritage Trail West project, which was approved in October of 2020 but paused after the original construction company contracted to do the job went bankrupt.
City council approved a $19.5 million contract for a new builder, Patin Construction, to finish the trail. It is estimated construction on the one-mile trail will begin in the spring and finish in about 18 months.
Revitalizing downtown
Mayor Morgan hopes the connectivity of the trail will allow people to walk and bike to downtown.
"You bring people together. When you bring people together, they talk to each other, they enjoy each other. I just think that's what creates that sense of place and that sense of community," Morgan said.
The mayor explained the project is part of the movement to make downtown more authentic. In the past 10 years, the city has invested $186 million into downtown capital improvement projects.
One of those projects is the new public library that opened its doors in January.