Georgetown city leaders are pressing ahead with plans to add roughly 16,000 square feet of ground‑floor retail space to the city’s second downtown parking garage. The move was discussed at a City Council workshop on Sept. 22, where council members and Downtown and Tourism Director Kim McAuliffe outlined the partnership options.
Project overview
The garage will replace the current Red Poppy surface lot at East Ninth and South Main streets. In addition to about 11,500 square feet of retail fronting Ninth Street, an extra 4,500 square feet will line Main Street, according to early conceptual drawings. The city will not act as a landlord or manage the leases itself; instead, it seeks a private development partner to operate the businesses.
How the partnership could work
Council staff presented two structures for the partnership:
- Lease the ground‑floor space to a developer under a long‑term agreement.
- Create a separate commercial condominium unit within the garage that a developer could purchase or manage.
City Council voted to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) or Request for Qualifications (RFQ), inviting both local and regional developers to submit creative ideas and business terms.
Why speed matters
City Manager David Morgan emphasized the importance of moving quickly. “That’s why us getting this out the door and working through the process right now quickly so that we have someone onboarding this part of the design process with the Risk Pool is important,” he said. Selecting a partner early will allow the developer to weigh in on the garage’s design alongside the city and the Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool before construction begins.
Recent history and future outlook
The first downtown garage opened at Austin Avenue and Sixth Street in November 2025, adding 315 parking spaces to support the growing downtown core. That facility was part of Georgetown’s 2024 downtown master plan, which also called for a second garage to meet rising pedestrian and parking demand.
In October 2025, the Texas Municipal League moved its headquarters to the former Wesleyan building at 205 E. University Ave., Georgetown. The organization plans to renovate the site into the Texas Municipal Center, providing flexible office space and technology upgrades.
Next steps
Developers interested in the opportunity should watch for the forthcoming RFP/RFQ documents, which will detail submission requirements, timelines, and evaluation criteria. The city expects to review proposals soon after release, with the goal of selecting a partner before the garage’s construction phase begins later this year.
Georgetown residents can look forward to a modern parking structure that not only eases downtown traffic but also brings new retail options to the heart of the city, reinforcing the community’s commitment to vibrant, family‑friendly development.
Original reporting: Community Impact — Austin — read the source article.
