KYLE — Kyle hosted its inaugural City Fest on Oct. 19, where Mayor Travis Mitchell delivered the State of the City address to community members.

According to Mitchell, staff has been planning City Fest for more than a year in an effort to give residents an opportunity to speak to both city departments, which had booths, and city council members, while making the State of the City more accessible. Previously, it was a paid luncheon focused on targeting business owners throughout the city.

Mitchell categorized the address into five topics: growing economy, water supply, expansion of the parks system, revitalizing downtown and mobility projects.

Growing economy

Data displayed several statistics of the city from 2016 to present day:

• Population

– 2016: approximately 39,000

– 2020: approximately 45,000

– 2024: approximately 65,000 30% increase since the pandemic

• Sales tax revenue

– 2016: $6.4 million

– 2020: $9.7 million

– 2024: $17.9 million

• The value of Kyle if sold

– 2016: $2.3 billion

– 2020: $3.6 billion

– 2024: $6.9 billion

“The question is, what are we going to do about all that growth and how are we going to invest new revenues. Well, I’ll start by saying that we have 900,000 square feet of retail space under development right now, citywide. It’s an amazing number. The development and growth of our retail industry has been impressive,” said the mayor.

The Dry River District, by Costco and Evo Entertainment, recently welcomed HTeaO and Abbott’s Frozen Custard. Similarly, Panera Bread, Crust Pizza Co., Crunch Fitness and Texas Roadhouse are on their way to opening.

Nitro Swimming, located at 3425 South FM 1626, Kyle, is also nearing completion of its 40,000 square-foot construction, which will include a 25-yard-long lessons pool at 88 degrees and a 23 lane competition and training pool.

Mitchell concluded by revealing that the Sprouts Farmers Market groundbreaking — located inside the Brick and Mortar District, along with 18,000 square feet of additional retail — will be held at 10 a.m. on Oct. 30.

Water supply

“Where are we going to get all the water to have these new businesses? As the new residents come, it’s a valid question and many have rightly noticed that in the last year, we’ve had to go into several different stages of drought restriction in order to make sure that our water supply was sufficient to supply to our residents,” said Mitchell. “It’s been a hard year for many folks, but I want to make sure that you understand one thing: the city of Kyle has water on the way.”

In previous years, Mitchell has mentioned a contract with Alliance Regional Water Authority, which began 17 years ago as a collaboration between Buda, Kyle and San Marcos. The project will source water from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer, extending across Texas, from the lower east to Louisiana. According to the mayor, there is more water in the 10% of the aquifer they will have access to than all of the surface lakes in the state combined.

The goal, said Mitchell, is to source the water enough to lay 85 miles of pipe directly into Hays County and then store the water in new elevated storage tanks. The project is near completion and is expected to bring water to Kyle in February 2025.

Along with the new source of water, the city is taking other steps to reduce water demand, such as the recently approved pilot rain barrel and xeriscaping program. The rain barrel program offers up to a $200 rebate for anyone who wishes to put a rain barrel on their property and up to a $250 rebate for anyone who takes their irrigated landscaping away and puts in natural native plantings that do not require water. Finally, the city has created opportunities to change development patterns in the future, by updating landscaping policies for new developers.

Expansion of the Parks and Recreation Department

Over the past few years, Kyle has focused on expanding its park system, Mitchell explained, stating that in 2021, Mary Kyle Hartson City Square Park was opened and he has “never seen it empty.” Next, Heroes Memorial Park opened in 2022 and La Verde Park in 2023. This year, a community garden and two splash pads have been created for the community members, as they continue to work on the upcoming Gregg-Clarke Park Skatepark, Plum Creek Nature Trail from Lake Kyle to the Waterleaf neighborhood and the Kyle Sportsplex, all of which will break ground late 2025 to early 2026.

A bigger project that is beginning to take shape is Lake Kensington Park, located near Ascension Seton Hays Hospital and Dacy Lane. The centerpiece of the land is the lake, which is twice the size of Lake Kyle and, near the center, is 40 feet deep, the mayor said. The city has worked on acquiring the parcels around it, which amount to 101 acres, and has recently created a task force to engage with the public and put together a series of designs for the next 12 months. Following this, the project will hopefully break ground in a year to a year and a half.

“It’s very important that we do not neglect our existing parks. We felt compelled as a council — working with our staff and our city manager — to make a robust investment in the existing parks that we have. That investment amounts to $25 million committed over the next five years to fund major improvements to Steeplechase, Waterleaf, Gregg-Clarke and Lake Kyle [parks], as well as others … We’re working on our first, and most robust, Parks and Open Spaces Master Plan that has got town halls and open houses for you to converse and give feedback,” said Mitchell.

The next open house for the master plan is on Nov. 6 at the City of Kyle Public Works Headquarters, located at 520 RM 150.

Finally, Mitchell announced that the city has made an investment to purchase 13,000 square feet in a pair of buildings on Republic Drive as the new headquarters of the Parks and Recreation Department.

Downtown revitalization

“Why does Kyle need to have its downtown revitalized? That’s a question that not many people ask, to be honest, because I think most of us understand that our downtown — while full of history and great people and some wonderful businesses, compared to the region — struggles to cultivate and attract the type of destination business and programming and events that we would like to see for our downtown. Downtowns are the core of your city; they’re what give you your identity,” explained the mayor.

According to Mitchell, there are several factors that currently limit the potential of downtown: FM 150 runs through the center, which causes a buildup of traffic; the train that stops and blocks the road; the city lacks the destination retail and critical mass that is needed, meaning that when someone visits downtown, they want to visit many businesses, not just one; and a lack of parking.

To amend these hindrances, the city is working on the following:

• An eastern and a western loop in Kyle

• Relocating the train siding (which is what causes it to stop) further north to Kohlers Crossing, while adding grade separation to prevent blockage there

• Purchasing downtown sites to create mixed-use development

•Adding a parking garage

“We understand that the community has feedback that they want to give and in the coming months we intend to engage the community to find out, for your downtown, what you think belongs there,” Mitchell stated.

Mobility

“I say that people want froyo, but what they really want is to be able to drive around town in a reasonable amount of time during rush hour,” said Mitchell.

He continued by recapping Uber 3.14, the Vybe Trail, an 85-mile, 12-foot wide sidewalk throughout the city, and the 2022 $294 million road bond, which included segments on Marketplace Avenue, Center Street, Bunton Road, Bebee Road, Windy Hill Road and Kohlers Crossing, with construction taking place over the next several years. There will also be deceleration and turn lanes added to CR 158 and IH-35 on the east side of Kyle.

The Goforth Road project is also currently underway, with the second portion fully funded and the third portion coming soon. Mitchell stated that the project will cut north across CR 158 and tie into FM 150: “What that means is, if you live east on FM 150 and you want to go south on IH-35, you do not have to go all the way into the downtown loop, back up where all the traffic is, around Lehman Road and the Sonic area and all that. You do not have to do that anymore. You’ll be able to turn around and go straight south — a direct shot — and either go on the 110 loop or get on South IH-35 and vice versa.”

“If you’re coming home and it’s rush hour, you won’t have to take the 213 exit to go east on FM 150. You’ll be able to take the 210 exit and then go straight north all the way up to Post Oak. The Goforth Road [project] stands, if we can get it completed in a timely fashion, to provide traffic relief and bring 1000s of cars off of FM 150 in the critical bottleneck space,” said Mitchell.

Although many believe mobility equates to roads, the mayor noted that walkability is important, as well. The retail roads project will create sidewalks around the Hays CISD Performing Arts Center, La Verde Park and Heroes Memorial Park, with festival lights, trees, pedestrian amenities, gardens, plazas and a signature Kyle Cultural Trail, which is a 10-foot brick pedestrian and bicycle urban trail.

The mayor also advocated for Hays County’s $440 million road bond on the upcoming November ballot, which aims to add and improve roads throughout Hays County.

For more information on city projects, visit www.cityofkyle.com.