The Western Oaks project has signed Bank One for a freestanding bank building and drive-through, Bryan Kaminski, Kamco's president, tells GlobeSt.com. Next in Kamco's sights are a fast-food restaurant and a destination restaurant. That would be followed by a 26,000-sf retail occupant and tenants for 14,400 sf of inline retail space. Two planned office buildings--6,000 sf and 16,000 sf--will wait until the market's ready.

"We don't have players yet," Kaminski says of the restaurant pads, "but we're just now starting the marketing process. The big box and general retail will most likely still come about. The office is somewhat of a wild card."

Brad Hardy of Cross and Co. in San Antonio is marketing the project and handling the leasing. The project is situated at William Cannon Boulevard and Brush Country Road.

Kaminski, whose company is based in Dallas, allows that 22,000 sf of office space won't have a big impact on the Austin office market. At the same time, however, Kamco won't move on the offices until users are signed. "I might be pleasantly surprised and somebody may step forward sooner rather than later," he says.

The Western Oaks center is adjacent to the Forum, a proposed one-million-sf, mixed-use development. Kaminski says his project will complement the Forum. His project isn't going after department stores, movie theaters or hotels that could land at the Forum. "But, he adds, "we're ready to go." He says his project could accommodate a 15,000-sf retailer who's ready to build.

Getting the project through the City of Austin development process took about two years and a lot of negotiating, according to Kaminski. "We had to move some buildings around, create some additional screening and we had to configure things differently."

The development still has some business to conduct with the city before work can begin. "We've got to finalize the comments back from the city on our site plan and pull the permit and start the infrastructure," Kaminski says.

Instant Insights /

Austin Officials OK 15-Acre, Mixed-Use Project

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