Westlake Dermatology could soon be opening its doors in the Bee Cave area, according to a permit recently filed with the state for a $5 million clinic at 14418 W. Hwy. 71. The 4,262-square-foot facility is expected to break ground this month and wrap up construction by May 2027, per the filing.
The project first came to light in Community Impact's review of the filing, which lists WD 71 Ventures LLC as the property owner and pegs the project's cost at roughly $1,173 per square foot. State filing records reviewed via the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation's tracking database confirm San Antonio-based Michael G. Imber Architects as the architect of record, with the project registered under accessibility tracking number TABS2026026673.
City Council Cleared the Way Months Before the State Filing
Before the TDLR paperwork surfaced this week, the project had already cleared a round of municipal review. In April, the Bee Cave City Council approved the site plan and granted two waivers for the development, according to Citizen Portal. Engineers presented plans to address a 700-square-foot increase in impervious cover and localized peak-flow stormwater runoff before council members signed off.
Once open, the clinic is expected to offer the same range of services Westlake Dermatology provides at its other Central Texas locations, per the filing. That includes dermatopathology procedures and light therapy on the medical side, along with laser treatments, plastic surgery and body contouring for patients seeking aesthetic care.
A Company Rooted in Bee Caves Road, Now Expanding Statewide
Westlake Dermatology's return to the corridor carries some symmetry: the practice was founded in 2002 by Dr. Gregory Nikolaidis, who opened its first clinic on Bee Caves Road in Austin as a solo practice, according to Community Impact's coverage of the company's 20th anniversary. Two decades later, the group has grown into a 22-location, 59-physician operation spanning the Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio metro areas, according to Westlake Dermatology.
The Bee Cave filing is also not the company's first foray into southwest Travis County. Westlake Dermatology opened a clinic offering medical dermatology, dermal fillers, chemical peels and micro-needling in West Oak Hill in September 2019, with Hoodline reporting on its Southwest Parkway debut at the time.
Affluent, Fast-Growing Suburb Fuels Demand
That affluence pairs with rapid growth pushing west from Austin. Bee Cave recorded a median household income of $111,172 and a per capita income of $95,004, with a poverty rate of just 2.2%, according to U.S. Census Bureau data covering 2020 through 2024.
Travis County's population grew 25% over a 10-year span to reach 1.3 million residents, a surge that has fueled demand for localized healthcare facilities in suburbs like Bee Cave and Lakeway, according to a Travis County report. That growth is part of the backdrop for the Highway 71 corridor's building boom, of which the Westlake Dermatology project is just one example — Community Impact ranked it among the five most expensive commercial and residential permits filed with the state across the Austin metro during the first week of August, alongside a master-planned housing expansion in Pflugerville and an apartment complex in Austin.
What's Still Unclear
Once construction wraps, the project will still face one more compliance step. Texas law requires commercial construction valued over $50,000 to undergo an inspection by a Registered Accessibility Specialist within a year of completion, per the Legal Information Institute's summary of 16 Texas Administrative Code § 68.52 and the Texas Architectural Barriers Act, with fines for missing that window ranging from $500 to $5,000.
Beyond that regulatory step, several details about the Bee Cave clinic remain unresolved. It's not yet clear when Westlake Dermatology plans to begin hiring for the new location, what exact mix of medical versus cosmetic services it will emphasize there, or whether the busy Highway 71 corridor will require additional traffic or access permits from the Texas Department of Transportation.
