Bee Cave Entertainment District Supported by New Incentive

The Bee Cave City Council on April 25 approved $3.25 million in incentives that will help build a road to service a growing entertainment corridor in the city that includes the revamped Backyard in Bee Cave project — on track to open next year.

The extension of Willie Way will help service both the 35-acre Backyard in Bee Cave site at 13801 Bee Cave Pkwy. and a nearby 28-acre site north of SH 71 and immediately west of Bee Cave Central Park that officials said is set to become a mixed-use site with housing and dining options. 

During the last month, City Council has worked to clear the way for developers of a 28-acre site north of State Highway 71 and immediately west of Bee Cave Central Park to start work on what they say will be a mixed-use project that includes housing and dining options. That includes the extension of a road, Willie Way, that will also service a 35 acre site at 13801 Bee cave Pkwy, that will house the long-anticipated revamp of the music venue-centered mixed-use backyard in Bee Cave.

"We are pleased to collaborate with the City and other landowners to continue moving this entertainment district forward to serve the community for a very long time," Backyard Partners LLC, the development team, said in a statement. "The connection between HWY 71 and Bee Cave Parkway is so important for the traffic network in Bee Cave."

The council's actions included approving a consent agreement and Chapter 380 agreement with Kent Sports Holdings LP and TCHMALL Sports LLC - companies tied to former Major League Baseball All-Star Jeff Kent and Langle Design and Construction Management LLC, the developers of the nearby multi-million dollar Hill Country Indoor Sports training facility.

Since 2020, the developers had been working to obtain a consent agreement for the property, which was approved on April 11, and notes that the project will provide a "mixture of residential, commercial and retail uses," including both for sale and for rent homes, office, medical office, hotel, retail and other services. The April 25 agreement provides $3.25 million in incentives to be paid out in installments after hitting certain benchmarks.

Langle Design & Construction Management owner Jude Langle said May 3 that they have been working on the project for years and are still in early stages of design - that work was put on hold while working through the agreements - but it will include some housing as well as food and beverage options.

He labeled this mixed-use project as personally important to him. He was born and raised in Bee Cave, a city of about 9,000 that is located about 17 miles west of Downtown Austin. He called it a tight knit community and said that they're hoping to keep that intact.

"I've seen everything in this area and we love it." Langle said. "We take a lot of pride in the buildings and structures... We're not looking for a lot of outside vendors. We're trying to keep everything as local as possible."

This article originally appeared in the Austin Business Journal. To read the full article, click here.