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Pflugerville Parkway, roadway to retail

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Written by Amy Stansbury Thursday, 03 April 2008

Road will not connect to Greenlawn Boulevard if previously approved federal funding falls through

With the new 400,000 sq. ft. Pfluger Crossing shopping center at the corner of Pflugerville Parkway and FM 685, and construction underway nearby on Stone Hill Town Center, another million sq. ft. development, Pflugerville Parkway could become a major thoroughfare between Pflugerville and Round Rock.

There are plans to expand Pflugerville Parkway to four lanes with a median and connect the road to Greenlawn Boulevard in Round Rock. Right now, the two roads do not meet. Once completed, Pflugerville Parkway could allow more traffic to flow into Pflugerville for people to shop and work.

The City of Pflugerville has plans to extend Pflugerville Parkway to Greenlawn Boulevard as illustrated here. The name of the road was changed from Pflugerville Loop to Pflugerville Parkway approximately two years ago when phase one of the project was completed, which was an extension of the road from Great Basin Avenue to FM 685. This portion of Pflugerville Parkway is four lanes with a raised median, and was built after an agreement was finalized to build Wal-Mart and Pfluger Crossing shopping center at FM 685, between Pflugerville Parkway and Pfennig Lane.

Approved federal funding possibly unavailable

Because of the Texas Department of Transportation’s recent budget crisis, Pflugerville City Engineer Joe Carpenter said he was notified that the federal portion of the project funding might no longer be available.

TxDOT approved the federal funding several years ago to cover approximately one-third of the $15 million Pflugerville Parkway project. The city is issuing bonds to pay for the remainder.

“We’re trying to see if the money is still there,” Carpenter said. “If TxDOT tells us we’ve lost funding, we’ll still go to bid [to expand Pflugerville Parkway from two to four lanes with a median from] Great Basin to A.W. Grimes.”

This means the road would not be extended to connect to Greenlawn Boulevard, which would hurt stores at Pfluger Crossing shopping center, Carpenter said.

“Pfluger Crossing would be impacted for sure because just having that connection to Greenlawn would increase traffic and impact their business,” Carpenter said.

The city re-submitted construction and design plans to TxDOT for approval in March. Carpenter said he expects to get an answer from them by May on whether the funding is still available for the project.

TxDOT requests project delay

Meanwhile, TxDOT is also asking every city and county in the area to delay Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization funded projects until the start of TxDOT’s new fiscal year in September, Carpenter said. But the city council decided March 11 not to postpone the Pflugerville Parkway project any longer.

“I recommend that we tell TxDOT no, and we proceed and go to bid,” Carpenter responded when asked for his recommendation at the March 11 city council meeting. “By agreeing to additional delays, we could be told we lost our federal money.”

Location, location, location

Pflugerville Community Development Corporation Director Charles Simon anticipates the FM 685 corridor will soon evolve into a center of commercial activity for the city. He said retailers select store locations based on traffic, and prime retail locations are based on the number of vehicles passing by.

Several retailers have committed to Stone Hill Town Center, including Home Depot, SuperTarget, Best Buy, Office Depot, Bealls and Dick’s Sporting Goods, 24-Hour Fitness and Chili’s, all of which are scheduled to open in March 2009. Ross Dress for Less and JC Penney have also committed to the shopping center and will open in fall 2009 or spring 2010.

Construction is still underway on Pfluger Crossing, but several stores and restaurants have already opened, including Wal-Mart, Chase, Bank of America, Game Stop, Great Clips, Baskin Robbins, Yaghi’s Pizza, Sprint, Angel’s Day Spa, Subway and Taco Bell. More will open later this year and in 2009, including Jack in the Box, Starbuck’s and Radio Shack.

Some retailers, including Wal-Mart and Starbucks, were aware of the Pflugerville Parkway project when they selected their locations, Carpenter said.

“Mobility is an absolute requirement for economic development, whether we’re talking retail or manufacturing,” Simon said. “If you have a manufacturing plant, you have to be able to move somebody or something from one place to another. For example, if something is manufactured here in Pflugerville, it’s got to get out. And it’s the same thing with [the company’s] people. They’re going to have to hire people, and those people have to be able to get to and from work.”

If the project moves forward with the extension of Pflugerville Parkway to Greenlawn Boulevard, there will be a new route between Pflugerville and Round Rock — and one that is not tolled.

Round Rock Chamber of Commerce Business Retention and Expansion Senior Vice President Charley Ayres said the Pflugerville Parkway project impacts Round Rock, too.

“It is critical not only to Pflugerville, but also to Round Rock,” he said. “It is extremely significant that we view ourselves as a region and look beyond city lines to understand what is going on, like in Pflugerville and in Georgetown. It’s similar to 1460/A.W. Grimes. People will use [Pflugerville Parkway], whether for employment, enjoyment or retail.”

Schultz Lane rerouted

In a separate project, but part of the effort to improve Pflugerville Parkway, the City of Pflugerville also plans to reroute Schultz Lane, which currently connects to Pflugerville Parkway less than 200 feet from the intersection at A.W. Grimes/Grand Avenue Parkway.

The Schultz Lane connection to Pflugerville Parkway is so close to the A.W. Grimes intersection that it creates traffic and safety issues, said Carpenter. The construction will curve Shultz Lane west and connect it to A.W. Grimes instead.

The City of Pflugerville is funding the $700,000 Schultz Lane project. Construction on the Pflugerville Parkway expansion and possibly the extension to Greenlawn Boulevard, as well as the work to reroute Schultz Lane, is expected to begin this summer and be completed by summer 2010.

"It is extremely significant that we view ourselves as a region and look beyond city lines to understand what is going on, like in Pflugerville and Georgetown." — Charley Ayres, Round Rock Chamber of Commerce

Target and Round Rock Crossing:

Ambica Foods
Anna’s Linens
Best Buy
Castle Dental
Catherine’s Plus Sizes
Comerica Bank
Concentra Medical
Discount Tire
Dots
Edwin Watts Golf
eSold
Famous Footwear
Firehouse Subs
Great Clips
Hannah D’s
Jason’s Deli
Keith Chiropractic
LensCrafters
Massage Envy
Michael’s
Play N Trade
Quick Weight Loss
Sally Beauty Supply
Salsarita’s
Sportsman’s Warehouse
Sprint
Stein Mart
The Vitamin Shoppe
Vino 100

"Mobility is an absolute requirement for economic development, whether we're talking retail or manufacturing." — Charles Simon, Pflugerville Community Development Corporation Map of Pflugerville Parkway area