The Trinity Block, also known as Block 87, is located at the northeast corner of Seventh Street and Trinity Street intersection. Block 87 includes 281 parking spaces for downtown visitors but could offer retail, office, residential and parking as soon as mid-2018.
“The Episcopal Church has been part of Texas and of Austin since its beginning,” said Bishop Stacy Sauls, COO of The Episcopal Church, in a news release. “We are particularly excited to be part of Austin’s development for the common good of this community. ... We are committed to this development being a benefit to all segments of the community and something of which Austin will be proud.”
The Episcopal Church has hired Sayers & Associates to broker the property and help find developers with proposals for the site. Church officials hope to have development complete by July 2018, which is when the church's international General Convention takes place in Austin.
The Episcopal Church has released a possible vision for the Block 87 lot which includes a mixed-use tower and roof top green space.[/caption]A possible vision for the site has been put forward by The Episcopal Church with the help of Studio 8 Architects, which includes capping the development's height at 75 feet in some areas to avoid obstructing views of the State Capitol. However, the group is open-minded to any ideas developers may propose, including the sale or lease of the property—or a combination of the two.
The church will require any new development dedicates 60,000 square feet for the church's international archives. The lot has the potential 600,000 square feet of developable space.
“We welcome proposals from those in the development community who appreciate that the path to The Episcopal Church’s Archives must come out of this transaction,” Rev. Canon Lang Lowrey III said in a news release. “This property sits at the crux of three distinct districts: Austin’s creative scene with the Red River District and East Austin, its burgeoning medical district to the north and the tech and hospitality anchors downtown already provides."
The Episcopal Church officials said they see a huge variety of opportunities that could come from this development.
"We believe that the Trinity Block promises the largest development opportunity in downtown. And given that there are so many different uses that could do well at this location—from the large, modern floor plan in office buildings to micro-units for residences, we are excited to work with prospective partners to develop this site,” Lowrey said in a news release.
