1890 Ranch

Like the previous reviewer, Ty, I am disappointed with the unfulfilled potential of 1890 Ranch.
The location is great. The stores are really good. I’m appreciate that they are running at a high capacity.
What irks me is the REALLY MESSED UP PARKING that threatens the shopper at every turn with being towed or violating their parking policies.
It boggles my mind that a shopping center would threaten its honest customers in such a way.
Take a quick tour of the parking on the back 40 where the restaurants and cinema are and you’ll see a minefield of restricted and poorly labeled parking slots — «10 minute parking only», «handicap parking», «restaurant parking only» — most of which are poorly marked.
When you combine these restrictions with the diagonal parking, it makes it EXTREMELY difficult to know what kind of spot you are pulling into before you actually commit to that spot.
Yesterday we just wanted to have lunch. But by the time I was finally able to park, I wanted to punch someone in the face!

1890’s Ranch is a tale of unfulfilled potential. The shopping center has segments with with wide pedestrian friendly walks and limited parking as well as huge box stores with massive parking lots. It is the main strip that starts at the main entrance and u-​turns at the Cinemark Theater that could be so much more than it is. The architecture along this strip is nicer than your typical strip center. There are plenty of covered walks, attractive native landscapes, variations in building materials, and interesting shapes to break up the Lego Land appearance of your typical suburban shopping center.
I’m not suggesting this could be the next Domain or anything but it certainly could become a lively social setting and market place for us poor suburbanites living in the heart of Upper Breedistan. With its wide walks I can imagine the area bustling with patrons walking past unique restaurants with sidewalk seating and unique local shops culminating in the round courtyard area with perhaps a stage for live music and performances and maybe a food stand or two. Instead this courtyard is wasted as an entrance to the Cinemark Theater. I think the theater could have been set back a hundred yards or so and this plaza could have been expanded to serve as a hub for the whole of the shopping center. Also instead of filling these lease spaces with unique local businesses they have been filled with chain stores and restaurants. A number of those chains have closed shop and disappeared I noticed. The place lacks character which is a shame because it isn’t lacking in architecture.
Perhaps it was market timing. The place opened when the economy took a nose dive and the right kinds of businesses couldn’t afford the rents so in came the chains with the deeper pockets. I can’t help feeling tenants and buildings are a bit mismatched. That said much of the layout, architecture, and traffic routing is ideal for a better future perhaps. If things were to come together correctly I think this area could serve as vibrant entertainment district for the Cedar Park community in addition to being just a shopping center. My fingers are crossed.