Cedar Park Creates Portal With Bell Boulevard Project Updates

CEDAR PARK, TX — City officials have created a comprehensive portal designed to apprise members of the public on the ongoing progress of the Bell Boulevard Redevelopment Project.

The website offers all things Bell Boulevard, including news and updates on the project, maps and renderings, answers to questions and, for good measure, information on similar development projects.

"Regardless of what you’re looking for, we’re glad you’re here," city officials wrote on the site. "Go ahead, browse around!"

Those availing themselves of the invitation will learn much about Bell Boulevard, also known as US Highway 183, and long hailed the “backbone” of Cedar Park. "As our community has grown and evolved through the decades, so has Bell Boulevard," officials noted. "It remains the primary north-south corridor for our city."

Throughout the years, community members have expressed a desire to see the artery revitalized as a thriving commercial corridor with a unique identify and special charm, city officials noted. This wish was most recently expressed in the city's “Imagine Cedar Park” comprehensive land use plan process, officials added.

"We envision Bell Boulevard as a family-friendly destination with a vibrant mix of existing establishments, eclectic, local and new businesses," officials said. To that end, each of the three public workshops had an attendance rate of more than 200 community members in 2015, they added.

Redevelopment study and master plan

In fall 2014, the City began the Bell Boulevard Redevelopment Study to create a plan for the successful revitalization of this key area. After numerous opportunities for public input into the vision and plan, a final concept was developed and the Master Plan was formally adopted by the City Council in August 2015. (Read the full Master Plan here. Don’t have time? Check out Bell in a Nutshell.)

2015 Bond Election

In November 2015, a solid majority of voters approved $96.7 million in General Obligation Bonds for Streets and Roads, Public Safety, Public Library and Parks and Recreation.Proposition One: Streets and Roads for $63 million was approved by 74.6 percent of voters, and funding for Phase 1 of the streets and roads elements of the Bell Boulevard plan was included in this bond item. Streets and Roads elements of Phase 1 include the realignment of Bell Boulevard between Park Street and Buttercup Creek, a redesigned intersection at Bell, Brushy Creek and Buttercup Creek, and the beginning of the internal street network for the development.

Check it out by clicking here.

>>> Image: In 2015, each of the three public workshops had an attendance rate of more than 200 community members. Photo courtesy of City of Cedar Park.