Summary of Engagement so far

The following is a summary of all public engagement activities that have occurred up to this point. There will be more opportunities for engagement in the next phase of the project.

Online Survey

The first online survey ran from March 9 through April 12th and was offered in both English and Spanish. We received 2,738 responses to the survey. Here are some highlights of those survey results.

Williamson County 175th Anniversary Celebration

This was the first major in-person engagement event that involved 2 days of engagement on March 10th and 11th. We were located on the Square and coordinated engagement efforts and topics with the online survey. 

Things we heard about the most:

What do you love about Downtown?

• • 9-Block Square
  • Georgetown Public Library
  • Historic Courthouse
  • Proposed Parking Garage (6^th St./Austin Ave.)/Monument Cafe
  • Blue Hole Park

Where are opportunities for improvements?

• • Traffic/Pedestrian Safety (Austin and University Ave.)
  • Williamson County’s Historic Jail
  • Existing Parking Lots

Key Take Aways:

• People love The Square, the proposed parking garage, local businesses and Blue Hole Park
• Improvements include improving safety/traffic for Austin and University Ave. finding a use of the old jail
• Parking remains a priority for most people

DFW tour

During the critical Discovery phase of this project, we had the opportunity to visit select communities in DFW along with City Leadership and members of the public. These cities were chosen for their cultural significance and relevance as places that might create inspiration for Downtown Georgetown.

Key Take Aways from each Community

Waxahachie: multi-functional park at the edge of downtown; repurposing of County buildings for retail/residential; big public art presence

Bishop Arts: variety in building scale provided interest; introduction of retail-focused pedestrian zones within mixed-use development; quality and diversity in architecture

Lower Greenville: reduction of street width for added pedestrian space; high-quality materials; activation through patios and seating areas

McKinney: generous, increased space for storefront activation; repurpose of historic courthouse; district approach to parking

Grapevine: Main Street closure for events; public-private investment partnerships; strong mix of local businesses

Red Poppy Festival

The planning team had a presence at the Red Poppy Festival on April 29th and 30th. This is the largest local event of the year (in the Downtown area) and the goal was to engage with visitors, residents, and those who frequent the Downtown area and start to engage the public in emerging themes.

We subdivided the Downtown Overlay District into individual character areas. Each area had different proposed uses

Character Areas:

• • Area A – The historic Nine Block Square
  • Area B – 9^th Street to University Ave
  • Area C  – Area immediately adjacent to Historic Downtown
  • Area D – Area north of 4^th Street to the River

Things People Liked The Most

Area A. – Historic Nine Block Square

Area B. – 9^th Street to University Ave

Area C. – Adjacent to Historic Downtown

Area D. – North of 4^th Street to the River