Copyright by John Paul Stanley 2011 The Professional Report Committee for John Paul Stanley Certifies that this is the approved version of the following Professional Report: From Vision to Reality: A Case Study Evaluating the Private-Public Development Process APPROVED BY SUPERVISING COMMITTEE: Supervisor: Terry Kahn Kent Butler From Vision to Reality: A Case Study Evaluating the Private-Public Development Process by John Paul Stanley, B.A. Professional Report Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning The University of Texas at Austin May 2011 Acknowledgements Special thanks to the following individuals who provided invaluable information to aid in the creation of this report. Those listed below participated in interviews via face-to-face interviews, by phone or both. While information they provided is used in this report, it will not be directly attributed to their names specifically in order to maintain confidentiality. Sean Compton Kate McDonald Annick Beauday Terry Mitchell Lucy Galbraith Sam Roberts Matt Green Molly Scarborough David Hutton Henry Stewart Richard Maier Chris Yanez Jane McAdams iv Abstract From Vision to Reality: A Case Study Evaluating the Private-Public Development Process John Paul Stanley, MSCRP The University of Texas at Austin, 2011 Supervisor: Terry Kahn Understanding the nature of private-public interaction within a development process provides crucial insight into the workings of a new development from the initial vision all the way to post-construction property management. The private and public sectors must work together as partners in the development process, understanding the goals of one another while remaining flexible in their own decision making in order to create a development that best meets the vision of both parties. By studying Cedar Park Town Center and Midtown Commons, located in Cedar Park, Texas and Austin, Texas, respectively, we can grow a greater understanding of how the private-public interaction involved in these cases affected two pioneering mixed-use projects in Central Texas. Utilizing personal interviews as well as documentation from both public and private sources, detailed information was gathered regarding the process and interaction used by private and public parties in both developments. v Table of Contents List of Tables ...........................................................................................................x List of Figures ........................................................................................................ xi Chapter 1: Report Introduction and Overview.........................................................1 Purpose ............................................................................................................2 Viewpoint ........................................................................................................3 Previous Research ...........................................................................................3 Envision Central Texas Prior Research .................................................4 Robert Folzenlogen Case Study – Cedar Park Town Center .................5 Urban Land Institute Case Studies .........................................................6 Methodology .................................................................................................11 Interviews .............................................................................................12 Documents ...........................................................................................12 Confidentiality .....................................................................................13 Chapter 2: Background Information ......................................................................14 Central Texas ................................................................................................14 Cedar Park .....................................................................................................17 City of Cedar Park Comprehensive Plan .............................................19 Regulatory Plan ....................................................................................20 Cedar Park Town Center Site .......................................................................21 Windsor Crossing Tract .......................................................................23 Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority ...................................24 Toll Road 183-A ..................................................................................25 Austin ............................................................................................................26 2005 TOD Overlay ..............................................................................28 Capital Metro Rail Plan .......................................................................28 Subchapter E ........................................................................................29 vi Midtown Commons Site ...............................................................................30 Huntsman Petrochemical Research Facility ........................................32 Chapter 3: Getting Involved (Inception of an Idea) ...............................................34 Miles’s First Stage of Development .............................................................34 Adaptation of First Stage .....................................................................36 Cedar Park Town Center ...............................................................................36 The City ...............................................................................................36 The Developers ....................................................................................39 Midtown Commons ......................................................................................42 The Huntsman Vision ..........................................................................42 Trammell Crow and Stratus Properties ................................................43 Capital Metro’s Red Line .....................................................................46 Chapter 4: Initial Design and Group Involvement (Refinement of the Idea) ........48 Miles’s Second Stage of Development .........................................................48 Adaptation of Second Stage .................................................................49 Cedar Park Town Center ...............................................................................50 Initial Design ........................................................................................54 Project Opportunity Summary .............................................................58 Midtown Commons ......................................................................................58 The Vision ............................................................................................59 Initial Plan ............................................................................................63 Chapter 5: Site Analysis and Private-Public Interaction (Feasibility) ...................70 Miles’s Third Stage of Development ............................................................70 Adaptation of Third Stage ....................................................................72 Cedar Park Town Center ...............................................................................73 Feasibility and Market Analysis ..........................................................73 Adaptations to the Regulatory Plan – Cedar Park Events Center ........74 Adaptations to the Regulatory Plan – Ainbinder .................................78 Adaptations to the Regulatory Plan – Re-zoning the 42 Acres ...........81 vii Adaptations to the Regulatory Plan – TIRZ Realignment ...................81 Midtown Commons ......................................................................................82 Feasibility and Market Analysis ..........................................................83 The Creation of a Site Plan ..................................................................86 Subchapter E ........................................................................................87 Crestview Neighborhood Backlash......................................................87 Stratus Re-design .................................................................................89 Chapter 6: Getting the Go-Ahead and Moving Forward (Contract Negotiation) ..91 Miles’s Fourth Stage of Development ..........................................................91 Adaptation of Fourth Stage ..................................................................93 Cedar Park Town Center ...............................................................................93 Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) .........................................94 Site Preparation ....................................................................................95 Tenant Vision .......................................................................................95 Moving Forward ..................................................................................96 Midtown Commons ......................................................................................96 Environmental Remediation ................................................................97