Railyard shopping center

Railyard shopping center

Friday, 07 December 2007

An overview of the Railyard

History

The Railyard shopping center occupies what was once pasture land in a section of Cedar Park that was largely untouched until recently. While the original plan in 1997 called for a more traditional shopping center with a large retail anchor and pad sites, the shopping center that exists today has a much different feel.

Built in phases from 1999 to 2006, the Railyard was designed to be pedestrian-oriented and have the capability to host festivals.

Consisting of approximately 68,000 sq. ft. of space, the majority of the tenants are first-time business owners. According to developer and Cypress Properties owner David Johnson, the Railyard is a “retail incubator” where aspiring business owners have an opportunity to chase their dreams.

Steam train

The Austin Steam Train operates routes out of Cedar Park as far west as Burnet. Train excursions began in 1991 on the Austin and Northwestern tracks chartered in 1881, which were the first tracks into Austin. In 1885, the line was extended to Granite Mountain to bring pink granite to Austin for the construction of the state Capitol building. Chunks of pink granite can still be seen along the tracks where they fell off the train. There was no way to retrieve them for transport.

As of October, the Austin Steam Train is using the platform at the Depot for boarding. For more information, check out www.austinsteamtrain.org.