Blue Hole master plan draft prioritizes nature preservation, adds parking and safety features; council raises floodplain and maintenance questions

Kimberly Garrett, Georgetown parks and recreation director, and Aaron Cooper of HAF presented a draft master plan for Blue Hole Park that emphasizes preservation of natural areas while adding wayfinding, restroom facilities, a new park entrance and more structured parking options.

The draft concept, shaped by two earlier designs and public engagement, reflects input from a spring survey of 578 participants and in-person outreach at the city's Red Poppy Fest. Consultants said most respondents live more than two miles from the park, visit one to three times a month and favor improving existing activities rather than adding new high-intensity uses.

Key elements of the draft plan include a redesigned Rock Street terminus with a one-way circulation roundabout and diagonal parking intended to add about 20 stalls in the north-of-Second-Street area; a new restroom near the main entrance; terraces and stabilized shorelines on the south San Gabriel River bank to provide safe water access and paddlecraft entry; a trailhead and parking on Scenic Drive for the South San Gabriel Trail; removal of the asphalt drive through the cemetery to restore contiguous cemetery space; and a proposed pedestrian bridge and enhanced north-bank access.

Consultants and staff stressed that the concept is preliminary and will be refined with topographic survey, hydraulic (H&H) analysis and coordination with Texas Parks and Wildlife for permitting if the city pursues sand, gravel and marl removal to restore swimming areas. Staff said they currently hold a small dredging/river permit but are pursuing a larger permit to address sediment along the San Gabriel River from San Gabriel Park to Blue Hole.

Council members and staff debated design details and trade-offs. Questions and concerns raised during the workshop included:

- Floodplain and hydraulics: Several council members said picnic nodes and concrete pads depicted in the concept fall within mapped floodplain and could impede flow or create hazardous currents; consultants said engineering and permitting will refine siting and avoid creating 'no-rise' conditions but that solutions to protect amenities from repeated flood damage can be expensive.

- Parking and cost trade-offs: Several council members said they prefer spending on park amenities rather than surface parking and suggested structured parking (a parking garage) as a future option; staff said Rock Street improvements are intended to create a visible, safe park entrance and capture overflow rather than large surface lots.

- Public safety and maintenance: Council members requested clearer plans for lighting, emergency access (design shows removable bollards and an emergency gate), surveillance/camera use and ongoing maintenance costs. Staff said toilet options under consideration include self-contained Portland Loos that reduce loitering and would be sited near the new entrance for visibility and maintenance access.

- Water access and user safety: The draft shows terraces and steps (roughly 12'18 inches per riser envisioned in discussion) to provide safer river access and a paved shelf zone to facilitate paddlecraft launch and landing; staff said ADA access and handrail needs will be assessed in schematic and engineering phases to avoid placing rails in the floodway when possible.

Staff said they will return to the community with a final round of engagement in July, refine the concept in August and present a final plan, cost estimate and phasing recommendations to council in early September. No formal action was taken; council members asked staff to provide engineering-level responses on floodplain impacts, a clearer lighting and public-safety plan, a precise count of total parking added citywide, and the status and feasibility of a larger TPWD permit for sediment removal.