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Waller Creek Wow

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We had a great turn out at last night’s Waller Creek District Town Hall. A packed house of ~150 people were in attendance to learn about McCann Adams Studio’s (formerly ROMA Austin) final draft of the Waller Creek District Master Plan (“the plan”). The plan consists of recommendations on infrastructure, pedestrian and bicycle use, and appropriate development standards. These recommendations will guide the design of surface level improvements for the nearly 25 acres of downtown land that runs adjacent to Waller Creek.

This was the third town hall for the WCD Master Plan, and the audience had the opportunity to solicit questions of the members of the Waller Creek Citizens Advisory Committee. The comments will be attached to the final draft as it begins to make the rounds through boards and commissions.

It’s unclear how the recommended improvements will be funded. One or two of the sub-projects could be included in the upcoming $100MM mobility bond package. Most likely we will see improvements paid for on an ad-hoc basis by private development, once the tunnel is complete.

In June, the WCD Master Plan is expected to reach city council for adoption and be incorporated into the much larger Downtown Austin Plan.

Upcoming Review Process

April 12th – Waterfront Planning & Parks Board: Land & Facilities Committee
April 21st – Downtown Commission & Planning Commission’s Neighborhood Planning Subcommittee
April 26th – Design Commission
April 27th – Parks Board
May 4th – City Council’s Comprehensive Planning & Transportation Cmte.
May 5th – Environmental Board
May 11th – Planning Commission
June 10th – City Council briefing
June 24th – City Council action

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Shoal Creek Walk Moves Through Planning Commission

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Rendering of Shoal Creek Walk

Schlosser Development’s Shoal Creek Walk concept, to be located where a large surface level parking lot currently exists, has agreed to include an affordable housing component (in addition to $2.3MM in green-scaping concessions) in order to receive the Planning Commission’s recommendation for a height variance to 350 ft.  The building is intended primarily as an office tower, but has included 90 residential units at the top.  Schlosser may pay a $3 per foot (for all area greater than 687,000 ft) fee in lieu of actually building the affordable dwellings.

Will The Austin Planetarium’s Stars Shine Over Downtown Austin?

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austin planitariumOne of my favorite podcasts is Astronomy Cast, because… well, I’m a geek for science, especially physics and astronomy.

So, I was very excited to learn that Torvald Hessel, executive director, and his colleague Dr. Ron Johns with the Austin Planetarium would be visiting with the DANA board last night to discuss the future of this $60MM planetarium in downtown Austin.  Lest you believe this is just a wacky idea, they’ve got some heavies involved including local Cosmonaut, Richard Garriott and Astronaut Rick Linnehan.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17jymDn0W6U]

Austin is the largest city without a planetarium, or a full-dome theater with projection against the ceiling (not to be confused with an observatory which is a telescope at a remote location).  Of the 50 largest cities in the U.S., Austin is the only city without a planetarium of any kind.

Planetariums boost tourism and tax revenue, and are a family oriented destination for city residents and visitors. Studies suggest that planetariums increase interest in sciences as a career – a big concern for our government – and facilitates worker retention, especially in the high tech industry.  In other words, “Nerds like to do nerdy things.” says Hessel.

The facility would include:
-planetarium
-science museum
-technology center, a showcase for locally developed technologies.

The venue under consideration would be 115,000sf and located on the Southeast corner of Congress and MLK.  This site is currently a surface level parking lot owned by the State of Texas.  The planetarium is seeking a long term lease and would include three stories of underground parking that the State could still use.

Can you see a [real] “Museum District” in the making?  I can.  With the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum ($80MM) to the west and the Blanton Museum of Art ($85MM) to the north, the addition of another exhibiting destination like an Austin Planetarium ($60MM estimate) should generate increased traffic to all three.  See economies of agglomeration (or locally by Chris Bradford who introduced me to the concept).

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The Austin Planetarium is operated as a not-for-profit 501(c)(3).  You can donate and become a sponsor here. 2010 goals for the Austin Planetarium are to acquire land and formalize city and state commitments, enlarge donor pool, and lock-in corporate sponsorships.

So, is the Austin Planetarium just another piece of Austin real estate vaporware? It appears they have a great team, passion, and access to big corporate and university money. The site selection is inspired, and we’re told that no other group is at the table proposing a higher and better use of the parking lot. The earliest we would see ground breaking is in 2011.

-Jude

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Is 2nd Street Getting A Movie Theater?

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AMLI is rumored to have signed a lease with an operator for a 3-4 screen movie theater to take the space above Malaga and Z Pizza.  We’re told the theater will serve food and drinks (including liquor), and the menu would consist of items from restaurants located in the 2nd Street district.  It’s clear from the photo above that the space isn’t very deep, and it’s possible that part of the venue would extend over the sidewalk.

We don’t know who the operator is, but we do know it’s not local favorite Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas. The addition of a destination venue like this, and the wrap-up of the W-Hotel’s construction will be a breath of fresh air for neighboring retail on the 400 block of W 2nd Street.

Downtown Austin’s 2nd Street District retailers have been hit hard with the economic downturn, and the venues on 400 block have struggled to keep up with the foot traffic found just two blocks over where Jos, Estilo, and DWR are located.  Many pedestrians end up not walking beyond the W Hotel construction site.

SPECIAL OFFER FOR DAB READERS: THE Book About Urbanism In Austin

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The Congress for the New Urbanism, CNU, is on the front lines of saving the planet from suburban sprawl.  At the 2008 CNU annual conference, hosted in Austin, attending members received an amazing book titled Emergent Urbanism: Evolution in Urban Form, Texas.  Simply put, this is one of the best books about Austin, Texas.

The book is a publication of the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture, Placemaking Studio, and Black + Vernooy.  Inside you will find 150 pages of incredible stories about, and history of, urbanism in Austin.  Contributors include Sinclair Black, former Austin Mayor Will Wynn, Katherine Gregor, Larry Warshaw, Cid Galindo, Senator Kirk Watson, amongst others.

One of my favorite articles is by Kent Butler and Frederick Steiner, The Green Heart of Texas.  They provide us with a history of the Edwards Plateau and geological uniqueness of Central Texas’s Balcones Fault Zone that separates the Hill Country from the Blackland Prairie.

This is a must have book for anyone that is interested in pedestrian friendly sustainable growth in Austin, Texas.  It would make a great gift for friend, family, or client.

The book can be purchased on Amazon for $30.00.  OR, drumroll … … … I’m excited to announce that Downtown Austin Blog has been given 15 30 50 100 books to disseminate to DAB readers for $9.99 + shipping!

Proceeds go directly to CNU Austin (Central Texas).  Use the button below to order yours now!