Tentative March 2026 opening for shopping center; big names confirmed – DailyTrib.com

A current plan for The Shops at Flatrock Crossing shows the layout of parking, storefronts, and even a walking trail that will line U.S. 281 in south Marble Falls. Fresh plans were presented to the City Council on Oct. 15. The developer says the shopping center could be open by March 2026. Image from Empirita Development Co.

A major retail center planned for south Marble Falls could be open to shoppers by March 2026, according to its developer. The Marble Falls City Council approved a series of exceptions and amendments for The Shops at Flatrock Crossing during its Oct. 15 meeting. 

And, yes, Academy is coming.

Plans for the shopping center were made public in April. The $130 million, 350,000-square-foot retail center is being built along U.S. 281 between a 7/11 convenience store and the Charley Taylor Rodeo Arena. 

Tenants that were previously speculated, including Academy, Ulta Beauty, Boot Barn, Micheals, and T.J. Maxx, are now confirmed, according to developer Bob Berryhill of Empirita Development Co., who is handling the massive project. 

When complete, The Shops at Flatrock Crossing should have about 34 major storefronts/restaurants along with an estimated 1,500 parking spaces.

The Marble Falls City Council approved an array of amendments to the planned development district that was created to manage the Flatrock Crossing project and the Roper Ranch residential development attached to it. 

Roper Ranch will have hundreds of homes, apartments, and another retail center, all located on land northeast of Flatrock Crossing, between U.S. 281 and FM 2147 East. According to the latest plans reviewed by the city, development will take place in five phases, with completion dates scattered between 2026 and 2035.

The amendments approved by the council on Tuesday were from among several favorable recommendations made by the Marble Falls Planning and Zoning Commission, including allowing larger-than-normal signage, taller light poles, and adjustments to sidewalk requirements.

The Planning and Zoning Commission did differ with the developer on one thing: the requirement of canopy trees in the shopping center’s parking lot. 

The previous planned development district policy stated that each parking row should have a landscaped island with at least one large shade tree. The developer asked that this requirement be waived because the trees would limit storefront visibility. The trees will still be planted but on different portions of the property. 

“We’re fine with the number of trees that are required by city code. We just would like to have them out of the center parking area,” Berryhill told the Marble Falls council on Tuesday. “Retailers are having some major angst and issues (about potential visibility issues with the trees).”

The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended that 28 percent of the parking islands still have shade trees, but the City Council decided against that and granted the developer’s request to remove all large shade trees from the parking lot.

Adequate landscaping and smaller trees/shrubs are still necessary to fulfill the agreement between the city and the developer.

“We want to make an impression. We don’t want a sea of asphalt,” Councilor Richard Westerman said.

dakota@thepicayune.com