A rendering of White Rocks concert venue. Source White Rocks Entertainment
White Rocks Amphitheater announced a $10 million annual endowment for the arts and an artist collaboration hub in downtown Austin in August.
Located just west of Austin, the 10,000-seat amphitheater is the center of the project and includes a hotel, recording studios, a spa, condos, a distillery and retail space with a closed-loop water management system.
Owner White Rocks LLC, in partnership with Universal Music Group developer UMusic Hospitality and Lifestyle (UMHL) has faced scrutiny since developers first pitched the project in 2021 as “Violet Crown.”
Land owned by White Rocks LLC near Bee Cave, shown in an approximate boundary overlaid on satellite Source: Travis Central Appraisal District
Development of the White Rocks Amphitheater and entertainment resort will face a hearing with the State Office of Administrative Hearings after the Travis County Commissioners Court opposed the wastewater permit application in July.
“Travis County Commissioners Court, do hereby stand firmly and unequivocally opposed to the White Rocks TLAP application as part of our effort to advocate for the responsible stewardship of our land, water, and wildlife,” the resolution said. “We urge our partners, agencies, and community to join us in defending the very ecological integrity, and natural legacy that defines the soul of Travis County.”
After county and community hearings, White Rocks Entertainment LLC announced an arts endowment, artist development incubator and a $250,000 contribution to the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan.
White Rocks spokesperson, Michelle Doss, told Observe the Work that the company will distribute 10% of amphitheater ticket sales in real time to participating organizations, cutting out a grant application process.
The announcement said that in its first year of operations, “the endowment could distribute approximately $10 million annually.”
White Rocks did not say how organizations can apply to receive the funding, but the payments are designed to be recurring rather than one-time awards.
A separate initiative for a downtown Austin collaboration space named “White Rocks Collab” is in early development. White Rocks is evaluating potential 25,000 to 50,000 square-foot locations and negotiating with stakeholders.
The space will act as an artist hub offering downtown refuge, performance space and technical equipment to support local artists, according to Doss.
“The Collab focuses on providing physical space and development support,” Doss wrote in an email, “while the endowment provides recurring financial investment to community organizations.”
Travis County Commissioners Court opposed the developer’s application for a Texas Land Application Permit for wastewater discharge, saying the project’s scope is ill-suited for the ecologically sensitive area and cannot support wastewater demands.
Citizens and environmental groups have raised concerns about the location of the development’s wastewater treatment facility, pointing out that it is directly upstream from Barton Creek and the Barton Creek Habitat Preserve. Rain runoff, they said poses a threat in a sensitive area protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.
The development intends to create a closed-loop water management system that serves the resort and, the developer says, eliminates the risk of runoff. The developer filed its original wastewater permit request in May 2024.
The Bee Cave site may be UMHL’s first U.S. property after opening its luxury hotel in Madrid. The global hospitality group said in a press release that it has begun expanding across North America.
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality commissioners have moved the permit request to a case hearing yet to be scheduled.
This is a developing story.