Bee Cave officials’ goal of bringing at least two high-end department stores to their rural burg west of Austin isn’t in the cards right now, but Hill Country Galleria developer Chris Milam says he’s determined to pursue a world-class mall project, with or without Neiman Marcus. The luxury chain this week became the latest upscale retailer — after Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, and Lord & Taylor — to express its lack of interest in the Galleria project. “We’ll just continue to do what we’re doing, which is to work hard to make a real nice project,” Milam said last week.
The proposed $250 million Galleria has drawn fierce opposition from both Bee Cave residents and environmentalists led by the Save Our Springs Alliance. Bee Cave officials approved the project last year with a $30 million tax incentive, but they qualified their blessing with a wish list of swank stores they wanted Milam to pursue. In turn, SOS initiated a letter-writing campaign directed at each retailer and, so far, has gotten the response it wanted.
While the stores are at least as sensitive to market factors as to grassroots opposition, SOS cheers nonetheless. “There is a pattern here of department stores responding to our communication and coming forward to let the public know that they aren’t a part of this proposed mall,” SOS spokesman Colin Clark said. “I imagine Chris Milam’s investors must be asking some questions.”
But Milam says he doesn’t believe the project is in trouble, and his investors are still on board. He and Bee Cave officials agree on one thing at this point: no Wal-Mart.
This article appears in February 21 • 2003.
