In 1997, it was apparent that downtown retail was on the verge of disappearing and downtown, in general, was on a decline. West Second Street had become a blighted area which was home to a number of abandoned warehouses and a lumberyard that the City converted into temporary offices and a City Council Chamber.
In hopes of stimulating a recovery, the City Council adopted an ordinance and package of Smart Growth code amendments making it easier to redevelop property downtown. An early success with the Smart Growth initiative was the negotiation of long term leases on two of the City owned blocks, Blocks 2 and 4, to the Computer Science Corporation (CSC) for office buildings. As part of the negotiation, the City required a commitment to ground floor retail in each of the buildings along with the preservation of the Schneider store building.
To make the revitalization of the area successful, there would have to be a united front guiding the process, and thus the mixed-use district concept was born. All six blocks would be mixed-use buildings with 168,000 square feet of street-level retail. The redevelopment goal for the new district was to create a fun and interesting place to work, live and play, accomplished by combining retail, office, housing and entertainment in a pedestrian-friendly environment.
City project staff worked to present the vision to stakeholders and gather support. AMLI Residential kick-started downtown residential development with urban apartments on Block 20, and later on Block 22. City Hall was completed in November of 2004 and includes district parking and a plaza for gatherings and live music. Block 21 is the last of the blocks to be developed in the area and is under construction by Stratus to become a luxury hotel, office space, condominiums and the Austin City Limits studios.
 In order to create a uniform district feel, the City negotiated agreements with CSC, AMLI and Stratus to develop high quality ground-floor retail on blocks 2, 3, 4, 21 and 22. HSM Urban Partners was hired to create the district’s retail leasing strategy to provide a mix of business types that reflect the nature and character of Austin. The agreement includes a goal of 30% locally-owned tenants which is surpassed with rates consistently over 50%.
The district was designed with engaging streetscapes based on the “Great Street” designs by Copley Wolff Design Group, ROMA and Black & Vernooy + Kinney. In 2004, Second Street was enhanced with the pedestrian-friendly streetscape design as part of the City’s Great Streets program, including:
- Wide sidewalks to accommodate pedestrians and multiple uses such as outdoor dining and events.
- Shade trees and shade structures on the buildings.
- Benches for socializing.
- Bike racks.
- Trash cans.
- Crosswalks with countdown timer signals.
- Art installations.
- Street-level retail with housing or commercial uses above.
- Large street-level retail windows.
- Outdoor restaurant seating.
- Street lighting.
- Reduced roadway width, two-way traffic and parallel parking, to slow down cars.
Bulky and energy-intensive air conditioner units are almost non-existent due to the district's use of Austin Energy's chilled water cooling plant connected to the district buildings by underground pipes.
The 2nd Street District supports the overarching goal of making downtown a great place to live, work and play. A complementary flow of activity links the 2nd Street District with the nearby Warehouse, Market and 6th Street Districts as well as the waterfront and Convention Center area hotels. The 2nd Street District has also become a catalyst for further redevelopment in the surrounding areas, with several new residential, office, Federal and cultural projects underway.
The City’s long-term vision extends beyond the existing 6-block district and will build on the synergy to expand the entire length of Second Street from Lamar Blvd. to the Convention Center.
2nd Street District directory
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