Belterra Village is coming, Nutty Brown Café is going

June 23, 2016

by Ann Fowler

CEDAR VALLEY – Soon, entertainment and dining choices may have Oak Hill residents heading west on Highway 290 West when Belterra Village opens in the fall of 2017. The development is being built by Crescent Communities and Endeavor Real Estate Group.

The 90-acre complex, at the southeast corner of Highway 290 West and Nutty Brown Road, will include a 14-screen movie theater, Sky Cinemas (above illustration), from the creators of Violet Crown Cinema.

The theater will serve food, and have a menu that will include fare such as salads, burgers and fries, plus beer on tap and wine by the glass. The full-leg reclining seats include attached tray tables, but wait service will not be available in the movie auditoriums. The theater also plans a dining area and outdoor beer garden.

“Sky Cinemas represents our effort to bring the highest quality cinema experience to growing suburban areas, and we’re excited to launch the first Sky Cinemas in Dripping Springs to expand on its already family-friendly, fun, local culture,” said Sky Cinemas founder Bill Banowsky.

“The theater conveys our reimagining of the traditional cinema business,” added Banowsky. “We’ve taken from all of our experiences in cinema—both traditional and specialized—and are bringing the best of each to Sky Cinemas, including plush reclining seats and auditoriums designed with a more intimate scale, similar to what we’ve done in Violet Crown.”

Phase 1 of the development, to start construction this fall, will include more than 200,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, medical offices, a senior living community, plus a Hampton Inn.

Some of the eateries that have already leased space at Belterra Village include Zaxby’s, Torchy’s Tacos, Mama Fu’s, Jersey Mike’s, Baskin Robbins and Dunkin Donuts.

Other retailers moving in include Great Clips, Pet Supplies Plus, Spec’s Wines, Spirits and Finer Foods and Breed & Co. Hardware.

“Opening our third Breed & Co in Belterra Village allows us to share our unique brand of upscale houseware specialty products and everyday hardware necessities with this fast growing corridor of Southwest Austin and Dripping Springs,” said CEO and President of Breed & Company, Dave Barker. “Residents of Belterra and nearby areas will be able to take care of their home while planning a wedding through our amazing bridal registry or just hosting a get together with their neighbors. All you need is Breed.”

Daniel Campbell, principal with Endeavor Real Estate Group, said, “This trade area has been historically underserved, and once we were able to demonstrate to the market a master plan for a site in the trade area that would create a significant node of retail and other uses, the project really came together. What we intend to create with Belterra Village is a community gathering spot where neighbors down the street and across town can come together for shared experiences.”

“Those are the types of businesses we need closer to Oak Hill, plus several restaurants,” said Granada Hills resident Rick Perkins. “Too bad the Westpark PUD was derailed here in Oak Hill.”

“It’s the right time to bring a development like this to the Hwy. 290 corridor to provide a destination with a mixture of uses to Southwest Austin residents,” said Crescent Communities’ Tommy Tucker. “In addition to shopping and entertainment offerings, we’ve carefully planned for more than 79 high-density residential offerings in Belterra Village to accommodate the growing housing demand in Belterra’s master-planned community and its surrounding areas.”

Nutty Brown Café heading north

While southwest Austin is gaining entertainment and eating choices with Belterra Village, it is losing an iconic restaurant and music venue when the Nutty Brown Café moves to Round Rock. The restaurant opened its doors 13 years ago on the northeast corner of U.S. 290 West and Nutty Brown Road. It is popular for its outdoor music venue.

Last year, H-E-B purchased 65 acres of land, including the 20-acre Nutty Brown site, but released a statement, “The Nutty Brown Cafe will continue with their operations and Texas country music concert series. We have no plans to develop the property at this time.”

Although not feeling pressured to move, owner Mike Farr started looking at other locations, ultimately deciding on McNeil Park in Round Rock. The restaurant and music venue should be fully operational at its new 18.4-acre site by March of 2017.

Once the restaurant has moved, H-E-B will be free to build on that site. The Belterra Village site map shows “H-E-B coming soon” at the Nutty Brown Café location.