KHJR Collaborate Introduces a New Standard for Health & Wellness-Anchored Development in Hays County
As one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, Hays County is at an inflection point. Rapid population growth has increased demand not just for housing and jobs, but for a built environment that truly supports how people live, work, and care for their health.
KHJR Collaborate is answering that moment with the launch of a health & wellness-anchored mixed-use development designed to strengthen healthcare access, economic vitality, and community connection across the region. The project introduces a new “Hays Standard” for development, one rooted in long-term community benefit rather than short-term growth.
Moving Beyond Density to Daily Life
For decades, mixed-use development has focused on filling space. Too often, healthcare, employment, housing, and infrastructure are planned as separate systems, stitched together after the fact.
Our approach is different.
This development is grounded in KHJR Collaborate’s live-work-thrive model, which brings health, work, and community together from the start. Rather than treating wellness as an amenity, the project embeds healthcare access, preventative care, and holistic living directly into the infrastructure of daily life.
“For too long, mixed-use development has focused on filling space instead of serving people,” said Chris Kay, Founding Partner of KHJR Collaborate.
“Healthcare access, wellness & community resilience need to be built into infrastructure from the beginning, not added later.”
A Regional Wellness Hub for Central Texas
Designed as a regional wellness hub, the development will serve residents from Wimberley to Dripping Springs and surrounding communities. It introduces a centralized destination for healthcare, preventative care, and whole-person well-being, while creating a high-density live-work-thrive ecosystem that attracts talent, supports innovative businesses, and strengthens long-term economic performance.
Set against the natural beauty of the Texas Hill Country, the project prioritizes:
Integrated healthcare and wellness services
Walkable, connected environments
Expanded outdoor access
Infrastructure designed for daily life, not just traffic counts
The result is a place that supports both human vitality & environmental harmony, helping ensure Hays County remains a desirable place to live for generations.
Growth Through Collaboration
The project is being advanced through a public-private partnership model that aligns county priorities with private investment. This collaborative approach allows critical infrastructure to move forward more efficiently while creating long-term value for residents, service providers, and investment partners alike.
By bringing together county and municipal leadership, private capital, and wellness-focused tenants, the development establishes a shared vision for growth—one that considers economic performance and community outcomes together.
Rethinking What Development Can Be
Located just south of Austin along Interstate 35, Hays County has experienced population growth of more than 25 percent in recent years. That growth demands a new way of thinking—one that integrates health, work, and community into a cohesive environment.
“This isn’t just about development,” Kay added. “We’re rethinking what it means to live in Texas’ rural-adjacent Hill Country. By integrating health, work, and community into one seamless environment, we’re delivering long-term value for the people who call Hays County home, and for the investors who believe in that vision.”
Setting the Hays Standard
This project adds to KHJR Collaborate’s growing live-work-thrive portfolio, which focuses on development models responsive to how communities live today. Across our work, we apply insight from local conditions to strengthen healthcare access, support economic activity, and promote long-term community wellbeing—particularly in rural and underserved markets.
As Hays County continues to grow, KHJR Collaborate is committed to building places that don’t just keep pace with growth but set the standard for what responsible, people-centered development looks like.
“We don’t develop for density. We develop for how people live.”
About KHJR Collaborate
KHJR Collaborate is a real estate development innovator with offices in Texas, California, and Nevada, operating at the intersection of planning, economic development, and investment. The company drives community growth by shaping the built environment through a wellness-anchored, public-private development model that aligns human vitality with long-term economic performance. By integrating healthcare, wellness, and the social determinants of health into master planning, KHJR Collaborate delivers live-work-thrive developments that support resilient growth in rural and underserved communities across the United States.
Media Contact
Chris Kay
Founding Partner, Principal & Chief Development Officer
Ckay@collaborateteam.com
832.409.3050