Downtown

July 2000

• 7th Street Hope Center
  New Project Description
  The Seventh Street Hope Center is a multi-purpose facility designed to meet the needs of all segments of the homeless population. The Center is made up of three components: a 100-bed shelter for men, a day resource center and a health clinic for all homeless persons. The shelter capacity will be expanded to 250 men during extreme weather. Although a longer-than-expected negotiation period has delayed the original timeline for completion, it is hoped that the Center will be operational by Summer, 2001, with the Resource Center possibly opening earlier. A firmer timeline will be developed once the agreements are signed and the design and construction of the building moves forward.

• 11th and 12th Street Community Redevelopment
  New Project Description
  The redevelopment plan contains projects and programs that seek to restore a thriving mix of uses and activities along the East 11th and 12th Streets corridors. East 11th Street is envisioned as a visitor-oriented destination consisting of 3-5 story buildings that provide entertainment, music and office uses that will attract users from the Austin metropolitan area as well as local residents. The East 12th Street Corridor is envisioned as a mixed use area with a variety of small-scale, live-work environments with combined office, retail and residential uses which serve the immediate area.

  The Austin Redevelopment Authority has selected RIATA Development to help develop 65,000 sq. ft. of office/retail space and 24 loft apartments on E. 11th between Curve and Lydia Streets. RIATA also proposes to build 30 town homes along Juniper Street with 184 parking spaces. Completion for this initial phase of development is projected to be fall of 2001. In addition ARA has attracted a tenant to occupy 1101 East 11th Street. Once restoration is completed, Spring 2001, Balcones Recycling offices will occupy the entire building.

  There is also a city funded historic resources survey underway at the present time. Required by the federal government as part of an approved HUD 108 loan package, this survey will identify and make recommendations for preserving both physical and cultural historic resources within the East Austin Master Plan area. The study will be completed by the end of September.

• Downtown Art Museum
  On December 20, 1999, Gluckman Mayner, Architects submitted the Schematic Design Review Package to the Austin Museum of Art and the City of Austin Architectural and Engineering Services Division for review and comments. The project is approximately 50% through the Design Development Phase.

• Downtown Design Guidelines
  On May 18 the City Council adopted the Downtown Austin Design Guidelines as recommendations for all downtown development and redevelopment projects by both the public and private sector. City staff are developing recommendations for the implementation of the Guidelines.

• Downtown Development Initiatives
  
  • Waller Creek: The consultant, Chuck Flink of Greenways, Incorporated presented a draft of the Waller Creek Urban Greenway Action Plan on August 15.
  • Heritage Austin: Completion of the Heritage Society of Austin report Heritage Austin: A Community Value Based Vision is now expected in September 2000.

• Downtown Parking Study
  The next meeting of the Parking Study Task Force will be August 30, 2000.

• Lamar Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge Facility
  Jay-Reese Contractors, Inc. started construction on May 15, 2000. Hike and bike trail at both ends is re-routed to allow room for construction. Drilled piers are under way in water and on land at the north and south shores. A barge has been installed in Town Lake to drill piers in water. A material barge moves from the shore to the drilling barge on regular basis. A central path in the river is kept open for all river traffic. Signs are in place and lights are installed for safety of lake and shore users. Construction is expected to last for one year.

• New City Hall & Public Plaza
  Carter-Burgess, Inc., was hired to develop a space program and plan for the new City Hall and Public Plaza. Stakeholder and community participation meetings were held in February. The program will be completed in August 2000. In March, the City Council selected the Austin firm of Cotera, Kolar, Negrete and Reed Architects with Antoine Predock, FAIA of Albuquerque, New Mexico as the Lead Designer and Lars Stanley, AIA as Associate Architect and Sustainability Consultant.

  Beginning in January, the City Council moved its regular meetings to an LCRA facility on Lake Austin Boulevard, and all City employees working in the Municipal Annex were relocated by the end of February. Demolition of the existing buildings is scheduled to be complete this fall, and construction of the underground parking garage is expected to begin in early 2001.

• Poleyard Residential Development
  Construction is well underway. The first units will be ready for occupancy September 1, 2000. Completion is planned for March 2001.

• Town Lake Park Events Center
  Bid Package 1, providing for the removal of the Riverside Center building at 901 W. Riverside Dr., was substantially completed July 6th 2000. Bid Package 2 construction has been initiated. This scope of construction work includes relocation of some existing utilities and placement of new as well as the placement of 366 drilled piers that will become the foundation for the new Events Center and Parking Facility.

• Town Lake Park, Phase I
  Design Development led by TBG Partners for Cultural Landscape area. This first Landscape package construction is scheduled for November 2001 through May 2002.

• Town Lake Waterfront Overlay District
  ROMA presented their draft report Austin Town Lake Corridor: South Shore Central / Travis Heights Development Standards to the City Council on June 29. City staff was directed to develop a strategy for the implementation of the report recommendations.

• Waller Creek Flood-Management and Water Quality Improvements
  The Austin City Council approved the contract for project engineering services on May 20, 1999. Preliminary engineering studies have been underway since that time. A public meeting was held on June 29, 1999 to present the scope of the preliminary engineering investigations. Since that time, the engineering consultant has advised the City that the cost of the project will be greater than estimated in the 1996 study of the project. Supplemental project preliminary engineering studies have been authorized to study additional tunnel alignments and outlet locations in an attempt to determine the most cost-effective project.

• Waller Creek Trail and Park Improvements
  

  Waterloo Park	Project Complete except for kiosk
  Symphony Square	Project complete except for kiosk
  Doyle House Ramp	Project complete except for kiosk
  Ninth Street Ramp	Project complete except for kiosk
  Seventh Street Lighting	Layout beginning
  Sixth Street Gate	Project complete
  Palm Park	Project complete
  Trask House	Project complete except for kiosk
  Cesar Chavez	No construction yet; re-design underway
  Town Lake and Waller Creek	Project complete except for kiosk

  In addition to the site construction, we are in the process of bidding out materials, such as the pedestrian bridge, benches and other site furnishings, signage, etc.