Waller Creek Project Newsletter
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What A Ride On Waller Creek
[youtube = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCtZ0N_W8wc]
With 50+ people in attendance, Saturday’s Waller Creek Bike Ride was successful at bringing people together to envision a future for Waller Creek. We gathered at the Mexican American Cultural Center, which is just a few hundred feet from the southern outlet of Waller Creek. From there we rode on along the hike and bike trail before entering what is properly known as the Waller Creek Greenbelt.
Click here to view the photostream from the tour
We stopped at several points along the way. There is a large gap in the trail at Cesar Chavez where the flooding and runoff have destroyed the path. As you ride back up behind Iron Works you can briefly reconnect by crossing Red River. At 5th and Sabine we stopped and gathered to listen to a vision for creating a promenade – pedestrian and bicycle only – along the narrow and sparsely traveled Sabine Street between 4th and 7th Streets. An interesting idea that can leverage the already wide sidewalks along Sabine Street.
[youtube = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vqm4otX8FE]
Pushing on we were able to reconnect with the creek bank between 6th and 7th Streets, below Texas Picnic Company. This is a notorious gateway for vagrancy and criminal activity, so it was no surprise that as our group pulled up we were greeted by five APD cars investigating something. Down into the creek, we begin to see the wonderful limestone creek bed. It’s beauty is ironically created from centuries of violent flooding.
As we rode past the Police Headquarters, gathered behind the Waller Creek Building, then continued to ride through Symphony Square and into Waterloo Park it became salient just how much property the city owns along Waller Creek. Once we arrived at Waterloo Park we had a Q&A. As it turns out there was someone from the State of Texas who joined the ride and commented that the State is very interested in working on solutions to improve Waterloo park by addressing the problems of unfriendly parking garages along San Jacinto. Having only heard that there has been no outreach, to or from the State, I took this as a very positive declaration.
[youtube = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ez0RpsqR4c]
The Waller Creek Tunnel Project, simply the infrastructure that will enable and entitle district improvements, stops at Waterloo Park near 12th Street. We continued to follow the path of the creek north bound past 15th Street and behind the UT Tennis courts. We ultimately stopped at Crown & Anchor where everyone was able chat over beers and burgers.
This was a unique experience and an opportunity to hear the whispers, subtle conversation, and sharing of opinions on how to utilize Waller Creek once the tunnel is complete. Jeb Boyt, Shawn Shillington, Jana McCann, Rachel Proctor May, and Councilmember Chris Riley provided great information and a fun time.
-Jude
Waller Creek Bike Tour
Thanks to Dale Glover, Austin Parks Foundation board member and downtown Austin resident for sharing this…
Waller Creek Bike Tour
Saturday, August 1st @ 10:00 am
Starting at the Mexican American Cultural Center Plaza (600 River Street)
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“The Waller Creek master planning process is well underway. This is an effort to redesign the currently underutilized downtown creek into a premier community space — a potential venue for strolling, jogging, biking, dining, shopping, music, break-dancing, balloon-animal-making, capoeira demonstrations, competitive toenail-painting, and a host of other activities. The master planning process will help us decide what kind of space we want and what kind of activities we want to promote to activate the space. However, a key issue shaping the decisions is the facts on the ground — the condition of the creek and the creekside amenities today. Hop on your bike and join us for a two-wheeled exploration of the opportunities and constraints for this future community hub. We’ll be joined by experts and participants in the Waller Creek master planning process, including:
• Council Member Chris Riley
• Jeb Boyt of the Waller Creek Citizen’s Advisory Committee and Austin Metro Trails & Greenways
• Jana McCann of ROMA Design Group
• James Moody of The Mohawk and the Austin Live Music Task Force
• Shawn Shillington, the Urban Development Editor for Austinist.com
And more! The tour will end at 11:45 with snacks and conversation at Crown and Anchor (29th and San Jacinto).”
-Jude
Waller Creek District Master Plan
From the City of Austin website: In February 2009, the City authorized the Roma Design Group to begin the Waller Creek District Master Plan. Over the next 10 months, ROMA will work to identify a community vision for the area, identify opportunities and challenges, and recommend ways to make the vision become a reality. Currently much of the land near Waller Creek cannot be developed because it is in the creek’s 100-year floodplain.
Yesterday’s town hall at the convention center to discuss Waller Creek District Master Plan was the largest turnout I’ve seen for Waller Creek. The large audience seemed to collectively understand the need for change. ROMA design group shared a draft vision for the district’s potential. A couple of things become salient yesterday. This will not become Riverwalk “2”. Development will happen to pay for the tunnel and also to encourage the creek’s use. Development recommendations should not be uniform along the creek as different sections offer unique settings.
Segments of Waller Creek:
- North bank to Cesar Chavez
- Cesar Chavez to 5th Street
- 5th Street to 7th Street
- 7th Street to 11th Street
- 11th Street to 15th Street
This is good. As an example of the necessity for different sections, compare the North bank to Cesar Chavez with 5th Street to 7th Street. The latter has a beautiful natural limestone bed (in most parts) but is narrowly channeled. The former has more rough terrain and dangerous erosion along the banks. Breaking up the creek into different sections allows for more focused discussion on highest and best use.
As one of the ROMA representatives said, I’m paraphrasing, “Waller Creek is the most significant urban planning endeavor of our generation”. Amongst a myriad of other benefits, this the Waller Creek Districrt has the opportunity to bridge East Austin with downtown, to fundamentally improve Waterloo park and Palm park, and to provide a green setting which to traverse downtown north-south and connect with Lady Bird Lake trails.
Waller Creek Tunnel Project Moves Into Final Design
From the Spring 2009 Waller Creek newsletter:
Early tunnel activities, which included survey work, geotechnical studies, physical modeling, and public outreach, have drawn to a close. The project has entered into the final design.
The design phase is expected to continue through January 2010 and will be followed by a bid and award phase, when the City seeks contractors to do the construction work. Actual construction is expected to begin in 2010 and be completed in 2014.
Design of this large project is separated into distinct sections, including:
• A Parks and Recreation Department boat house adjacent to Lady Bird Lake
• The tunnel
• The inlet
• The outlet
• Two creekside inlets located between 4th and 5th, and 8th and 9th Streets.
A 3 hour public meeting to discuss downtown Austin’s Waller Creek District Master Plan will be held on Wednesday, May 13th from 6:00pm to 9:00pm in Ballroom C of the Austin Convention Center, 500 E. Cesar Chavez Street. The meeting will include a presentation of existing Waller Creek conditions and a brief presentation of the flood control project. In addition, the Consultant will lead a general discussion of the community’s desires for activities along the Creek and within the District, potential character, and private development along the Creek.
-Jude
You can download a pdf of the Waller Creek newsletter here