After a year of public engagement and work by planning firm Halff Associates, Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department will present its plan for the improvement of East Austin’s Walter E. Long Park to the city’s Parks and Recreation Board later this month. We’ve noted for years that the park, which at 3,695 acres including its lake and surrounding land is more…
design
At Downtown Austin’s Empty Post Office, the Wait Is Longer Than Usual
Though Austin is still a fairly young city in terms of its central growth, our portfolio of full downtown city blocks suitable for tower development gets smaller every year. With limits imposed upon many such tracts by Capitol View Corridors, the presence of historic buildings, or multiple property owners requiring lengthy and complex land assemblies by any aspiring developer, the…
Here’s Our First Look at Designs for Waller Creek Show 2019
Our friends at the Waller Creek Conservancy announced details today for Creek Show 2019, the sixth annual nighttime exhibition of lighted art installations by local design firms on Waller Creek. Creek Show’s not just a good opportunity to see some cool art, but also a demonstration of Waller Creek’s potential as a downtown amenity — so it’s a…
Downtown Austin’s Sabine Street Promenade is Finally Happening
After languishing in Austin’s own version of “development hell” for roughly a decade, the Sabine Street Promenade is under construction even as we speak. To be exact, it’s been under construction for at least two months now — we’ve walked past this site like three times and assumed someone else had already noted this long-awaited bit of downtown…
It’s Toilet Time in Downtown Austin, With Three New Public Restrooms on the Way
After three years of planning and over one year of data-gathering (hey, don’t laugh) from a migrating temporary restroom, the City of Austin is ready to put down roots, with two permanent public restroom installations headed downtown this November and a third on the way by January 2020. Thanks to recent city utility filings and some assistance from…
At Austin Energy’s New Rainey Street Substation, ‘Modern’ Is the Look
The community engagement process for the design of a new downtown electrical substation at 55 East Avenue on the edge of the Rainey Street District has reached a conclusion — of the three themes put to a vote a couple of months ago, Austin Energy announced yesterday that the “modern” design option for screening the facility eventually won out. Here’s…