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Austin’s long-planned mixed-use growth is moving from master plans into visible delivery. Mueller is the established benchmark; Colony Park now has a signed development agreement and a defined infrastructure-and-housing program; Cedar Park’s Bell District has opened its library, park and market while preparing its first mixed-use buildings; and Bolm Riverfront is a reported East Austin proposal approaching its first phase.
At a glance: where each project stands
| Project | Current stage | Published scale or program | Key timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colony Park Sustainable Community | Signed development agreement; infrastructure and housing program defined | 208 acres; approximately 2,000–3,000 homes; planned retail, office, civic space, parks and greenways | Agreement signed August 16, 2024; streets and utilities were expected to break ground in 2026 |
| Mueller Redevelopment | Established mixed-use, mixed-income community with continuing master-agreement obligations | Just over 700 acres; homes, offices, retail, parks and civic uses | Mixed-use vision emerged in 1984; reuse plan adopted in 2000; agreement termination date extended to December 31, 2027 |
| The Bell District | Civic anchors open; first mixed-use buildings being prepared | Roughly 50 acres in a $750 million project; residences, shops, restaurants, offices, library, park and trails | Market moved in May 2024; library opened November 2024; Bell Park opened December 2024; first-building preparation continued in 2026 |
| Bolm Riverfront District | Reported proposal nearing first-phase construction | Music venue, civic center, hotel, restaurants, retail, apartments and offices comparable to roughly five Frost Bank Towers | Program and timing reported February 27, 2025; later delivery details require verification |
Planned homes and square footage in this table are program targets, not completed inventory. Construction sequencing, financing, tenants and final unit counts can change.
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Colony Park: from a decade of planning to a buildable program
Colony Park is a 208-acre vacant, city-owned site in northeast Austin that the City of Austin is positioning as a mixed-use, mixed-income complete neighborhood. A HUD-funded planning effort began in 2012. The major change in status came on August 16, 2024, when the City and the Catellus/Banbury team signed the Colony Park Development Agreement.
What is planned
The City describes a neighborhood combining housing with mixed-use retail, office and civic or institutional space, safe streets, parks, greenways and community gathering areas. The City’s broad housing expectation is approximately 2,000–3,000 single-family and multifamily homes.
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Urbanize Austin reported a more detailed planning program:
- 1,072 single-family homes
- 831 apartments
- 230,000 square feet of mixed-use office and institutional space
- 130,000 square feet of mixed-use retail
- 53 acres of parks, trails and open space
Those figures explain why Colony Park matters beyond a conventional subdivision: the plan pairs a large housing component with employment, shopping, civic functions and a substantial open-space network. They remain planning quantities rather than a count of homes or businesses already delivered.
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Why the infrastructure date matters
Urbanize Austin reported that the City expected a 2026 groundbreaking for streets and public-utility infrastructure. For a city-led project on vacant land, that work is the practical gateway to vertical construction. Until streets, utilities and drainage are in place, the neighborhood’s homes and mixed-use buildings remain a plan rather than an operating district.
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The project also has a community-equity context. Colony Park Neighborhood Association president Barbara Scott said, “As a community of color, we began working with the city of Austin to improve the many socioeconomic disparities in the Colony Park and Lakeside neighborhoods.” That history makes the delivery of affordable and attainable housing, safe connections and community spaces as important as the eventual building count.
Mueller: Austin’s operating model for a planned urban district
Mueller is the reference point for the newer projects because it demonstrates what a large mixed-use district looks like after decades of implementation. It redevelops the former Robert Mueller Municipal Airport on just over 700 acres. The compact, pedestrian-oriented mixed-use vision emerged in 1984 and was formally adopted in the 2000 reuse plan.
The City of Austin and Catellus public-private partnership has produced residential neighborhoods, parks, retail and offices, alongside sustainability, affordability and economic-development goals. Mueller is therefore an established community rather than a conceptual proposal: people live there, businesses operate there and public spaces are in use.
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That does not mean every obligation is complete. In May 2024, the Austin City Council amended the master development agreement to extend its termination date to December 31, 2027. The extension signals continuing contractual work while the district matures. Mueller’s value as a comparison is its evidence of long-term build-out, not a promise that every newer project will follow the same schedule.
The Bell District: public places are open before the first mixed-use buildings
The Bell District in Cedar Park is taking a different path to visibility. Its public-facing anchors arrived before the first residential and retail buildings. The project is organized around a public library, park, trails, community events and a walkable mix of retail, residences and offices.
What is already operating
- The Texas Farmers Market moved to the district in May 2024.
- The Cedar Park Public Library opened in November 2024.
- Bell Park opened in December 2024.
- The Backyard public programming began in January 2025.
The official Bell District timeline says preparation continued in 2026 for construction of the first mixed-use residential and retail buildings. In other words, the district is open as a civic and public-space destination, but its signature high-density buildings are not yet a delivered neighborhood.
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Scale and mobility goals
Axios described the larger Bell District as a roughly 50-acre, $750 million project. Phase one includes two high-density residential buildings with shops and restaurants on the ground floor and was expected to conclude within five to seven years. Cedar Park city manager Brenda Eivens said the project was “really born out of this community input on wanting a place,” adding that the former road environment was difficult to travel and that “Mobility was tough.”
Those comments point to the district’s central test: whether the library, park, trails, market and eventual ground-floor businesses become a connected daily destination rather than a set of isolated attractions. The five-to-seven-year estimate is a reported expectation, not a guaranteed completion date.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Bolm Riverfront: an East Austin proposal to watch carefully
The proposed Bolm Riverfront District is near U.S. 183 and the Colorado River. Austin Business Journal reported on February 27, 2025 that the project was nearing first-phase construction. Its reported program is unusually broad: a music venue, civic center, hotel, restaurants, retail, apartments and office space comparable to roughly five Frost Bank Towers.
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Bolm could become another major mixed-use node in East Austin if that program advances. However, the cited material is a 2025 preview rather than a current City project page. Its construction timing, financing, tenant commitments and final program should therefore be treated as reported plans requiring confirmation as new approvals and construction notices appear.
How these projects differ
Planning maturity
- Mueller: an established community with decades of build-out.
- Colony Park: a signed agreement and defined housing and infrastructure program on vacant land.
- Bell District: civic anchors open, with first mixed-use buildings in preparation.
- Bolm Riverfront: a reported proposal approaching a first phase.
Program mix and scale
Colony Park publishes the clearest unit, commercial-space and open-space breakdown. Mueller is the largest by acreage and has the strongest operating track record. Bell District concentrates a high-density phase around civic destinations on roughly 50 acres. Bolm’s reported mix emphasizes entertainment, hospitality, civic uses, housing and large-scale offices, but its final quantities are not established in the cited material.
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Colony Park is on city-owned land and depends on public-utility and street infrastructure to unlock construction. Mueller is a long-running City–Catellus public-private partnership. Bell District’s public library, park and event spaces are already functioning as anchors. Bolm’s public-sector arrangements are not detailed in the cited report, so its delivery mechanism should not be assumed.
Affordability, access and community benefit
Colony Park is explicitly described as mixed-income and ties its development to concerns raised by Colony Park and Lakeside residents. Mueller’s adopted goals include affordability, sustainability and economic development. Bell District’s stated focus is walkability, mobility and community gathering space. The available Bolm description establishes a broad use mix but does not establish specific affordability commitments.
What to verify before treating a project as “built”
- Look for a executed development agreement or current city approval, not only a conceptual rendering.
- Separate opened civic spaces from completed housing, retail and office buildings.
- Check whether a quoted groundbreaking date refers to roads and utilities or to vertical construction.
- Treat planned homes and square footage as targets until certificates of occupancy or comparable delivery evidence exists.
- For Bolm Riverfront and any changing phase schedule, confirm the latest city filings or developer announcements before relying on a date.
Taken together, these projects show Austin’s mixed-use vision entering a delivery phase at different speeds. Mueller supplies the operating example; Colony Park is moving through the infrastructure gateway; Bell District has made its civic core tangible; and Bolm Riverfront remains the proposal whose next construction milestone needs the closest verification.
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