- A developer pitched the Lockhart City Council on a 535-acre district with a 500-key hotel and conference center, sports venues, a golf course, an amphitheater, maker space and industrial space.
- The site sits outside city limits next to Hillwood Communities’ planned apartment subdivision, so annexation and entitlements come first, with a first phase targeted for 2029.
- Suburban mixed-use districts are spreading around Austin as population growth pushes developers to build places where residents can shop and dine without commuting downtown.
A developer wants to build a hotel, sports and maker-space 535-acre district near Lockhart, though it still needs annexation and entitlements, according to Bisnow.
The team hopes to secure both by next year and open a first phase in 2029, Bisnow reported, citing the Austin Business Journal.
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What’s in the Plan
The plan, branded the Lockhart Commercial District, calls for a 500-room hotel with conference space, sports arenas and fields, a golf course with nine holes and an amphitheater for 5,000, according to Bisnow.
Maker space, industrial buildings, food and beverage and 15 acres of housing round out the mix.
It would sit near Highway 183 and Silent Valley Road, next to Hillwood Communities’ planned apartment subdivision.
Council Has Questions
The Lockhart City Council heard the pitch this week and had plenty of questions, according to Bisnow’s account of the ABJ’s reporting. The land is outside city limits, and several approvals are still needed.
A land closing could follow next year if approvals go the developer’s way.
Why a Manufacturer Is Building This
Lacey Wickline, who speaks for Lockhart Commercial Development LLC, told the council the idea came from struggling to find a site large enough for her own manufacturing company, per the ABJ.
She pictures one place to make things, live, work, learn and play and bring in tax revenue.
Austin’s Suburban Push
Bisnow said population growth is pushing officials and developers toward mixed-use districts near the suburbs so residents don’t have to commute downtown. It cited River Park, a $4B, 109-acre project planned for 10M SF in East Riverside, and Verde Square, a North Austin project that is delayed while developers wait for better market conditions.
CRE Daily’s look at Austin’s development pipeline also ranked River Park among the area’s biggest projects.
Why It Matters
Hillwood is the neighbor to watch. It was marketing Austin industrial land while shifting toward master-planned residential, including a 1,000-acre Lockhart community.
A hospitality-and-industrial district beside that housing would give the area jobs and amenities that the subdivision lacks on its own.
What’s Next
Annexation and entitlements are the gating items. Watch whether the council’s questions turn into conditions before the developer’s targeted land closing next year.
