Construction on the center’s first phase will start this fall and is expected to be complete in fall 2017. Already, almost half the available space has been leased, Crescent and Endeavor said. Those long drives to watch a movie, shop or grab a bite to eat are about to end for residents in the Dripping Springs area.

A 14-screen movie theater from the people behind downtown Austin’s Violet Crown Cinema and a Breed & Co. hardware store, another Austin-based business, have signed on to anchor the Belterra Village mixeduse development at the southwest corner of U.S. 290 and Nutty Brown Road.

Other tenants who’ve committed, according to developer Crescent Communities and its partner Endeavor Real Estate Group, include Pet Supplies Plus, Spec’s Wine Spirits and Finer Foods, Torchy’s Tacos and Mama Fu’s Asian House.

Construction on the center’s first phase, which will feature about 200,000 square feet of space, will start this fall and is expected to be completed in fall 2017. Almost half the available space has been leased, Crescent and Endeavor 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,” said Daniel Campbell, a principal with Endeavor Real Estate Group. “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.”

Other components of Belterra Village’s first phase include a hotel, medical offices and a senior living community. When fully completed, the entire mixed-use development will span about 90 acres.

14-screen theater to anchor new shopping center near Dripping Springs June 21, 2016

“It’s the right time to bring a development like this to the (U.S.) 290 corridor to provide a destination with a mixture of uses to Southwest Austin residents,” said Tommy Tucker, Crescent Communities’ residential vice president for the Austin market.

The area already has a strong residential population, executives with Crescent and Endeavor said, including Crescent’s own Belterra community. Subdivisions currently being developed in the area have a combined total of more than 10,000 lots, according to Endeavor, with proposed subdivisions potentially adding 4,000-plus more lots.

“This project comes at the ideal time, considering the continued growth in the area, as well as the opportunity it gives us to meet the needs of Belterra’s now more than 1,400 residences and hundreds more to come in the near future,” Tucker said.

The movie theater at Belterra Village will be the first Sky Cinemas location in the country. The high-end chain comes from the Violet Crown Cinema team and will, in many ways, be similar to the popular downtown Austin theater.

It will feature a full food and drink menu, with burgers, salads and regional beers, among other offerings. There will be a special dining area, as well as an outdoor beer garden. Patrons may also bring items they purchase into the 14 auditoriums, but there will not be in-auditorium food and beverage service. Seats will recline and will have attached tray tables.

“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,” Sky Cinemas founder Bill Banowsky said. “The theater conveys our reimagining of the traditional cinema business. 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.”

The Breed & Co. store at Belterra Village will be the homegrown chain’s third location. The retailer got its start in 1970.

“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,” Breed & Co. president and CEO Dave Barker said. “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.”