New City Hall and Public Plaza

Summary

A new City Hall and adjoining public plaza will be constructed on the existing Municipal Annex site on the north shore of Town Lake, as part of a public-private partnership with Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). The City facilities will be part of a complex of buildings that include offices for CSC's Financial Services Group, retail shops, restaurants and residential spaces. A new Council Chambers and other public meeting rooms will be included. City staff expects construction to be complete by the end of 2003. The City Council has temporarily moved its regular meetings to the LCRA Headquarters facility on Lake Austin Boulevard.

Status

In March 2000, 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. Council approved a Concept Design for the New City Hall and Public Plaza in February 2001. Schematic Design was presented to Council in April 2001, with design approval scheduled for May 2001. Construction of the underground parking garage began in April 2001.

Issues

The development of a new City Hall and Public Plaza provides Austin with an opportunity to design and build a city hall that is "uniquely Austin." Community participation was vital to the programming and strategic planning process. With the new City Hall being part of a larger private development, it was important for the design team to create a new City Hall which is distinct from the surrounding CSC developments. Further, due to the plaza's location at Town Lake, consideration will be given to connecting the plaza with nearby pedestrian walkways and bikeways.

Description

The new City Hall will be approximately 115,000 gross square feet, and overlook both Town Lake and a revitalized, retail oriented Second Street. The Council has tentatively approved a restaurant and other retail support uses in 4,000 gsf of the new City Hall, pending a more detailed discussion of the retail project to be held in 2001. A Public Plaza will be constructed on the south side of the lot, facing Town Lake. Three levels of underground parking are included in the development, with one level dedicated to daytime CSC parking upon completion of the third of three office buildings, as well as parking for the retail space included in the project.

Personnel and functions that will relocate to the new City Hall include: the Mayor and Council Members, City Manager and his staff, City Clerk, City Auditor (currently in leased space in Two Commodore Plaza) Public Information Office, Budget Office, departmental administration for the Financial and Administrative Services Department, and the Law Department (by vacating leased space in Norwood Towers on 7th Street).

More Information

More information can be found at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/cityhall.

Basic Data

• Project Contact: Ron Davis, 974-7001

Back to the July 2001 Downtown Report