A pair of mixed-use developments with affordable housing and cultural spaces are coming to vacant city-owned lots in East Austin's African American Cultural Heritage District.
The big picture
Local stakeholders and agencies have been working for years on a plan to transform Austin's "Blocks 16 and 18" sites on the 900 and 1100 blocks of East 11th Street.
The framework that's now moving forward was one of two proposals under consideration by Urban Renewal Board—which oversees the "blighted" East 11th and 12th street area under the city's Urban Renewal Plan—since last summer. After months of review, a final outline for the blocks' redevelopment advanced July 18.
“This milestone for Blocks 16 & 18 marks a significant step forward in the city’s ongoing efforts to preserve cultural vibrancy, create economic opportunity, and expand affordable housing access,” interim Housing Director Mandy DeMayo said in a statement. “We are thrilled to see these plans create an anchor for the future of the African American Heritage and Cultural District.”
Area council member Natasha Harper-Madison also noted the blocks' place in Austin's history stemming from the segregationist 1928 master plan and decades of urban renewal—often called "urban removal"—efforts that ended up displacing the residents and businesses of traditionally Black and Hispanic neighborhoods.
"The mission was to combat slum and blight, so an area that was deemed slummed and blighted—the east side of course, East 11th and 12th street—it’s all gone now," she said. "Between private and city ownership, Block 16 and 18 was the last of it. Now all we have is to look forward to how we move forward with the development of this historic and important, relevant community area.”
The details
Based on the renewal board's recommendation, city officials voted to negotiate with the Pleasant Hill Collaborative on the project.
That group includes the national student housing developer Servitas and Austin-based builders Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corp. and Topo, and worked with Austin community and music advocate Harold McMillan to come up with its plan.
The collaborative's $112 million, nearly 300,000-square-foot redevelopment of Blocks 16 and 18 would include several neighborhood priorities such as:
- 138 residences with a mix of studio to three-bedroom apartments and townhomes. Most of the units would be reserved for tenants earning 50% of the local median income or less, with some to be used for student or workforce housing
- 27,000 square feet of cultural venues including performance and studio space
- 13,000 square feet of commercial space including a grocer
- Outdoor public spaces and rooftop amenities
The Block 16 project would serve as a "clear announcement" of the east side cultural district with features like a public plaza and a mural from a local artist, according to the collaborative's proposal. The five-story building would also feature most affordable housing.
The four-story Block 18 would house the new venues alongside coworking space for local students, artists and musicians. It'll also feature eateries, a central public courtyard with a performance stage and housing for Huston-Tillotson University students.
Several Austinites showed up to the July 18 City Council meeting to petition for the inclusion of the Texas Music Museum in the Blocks 16 and 18 redevelopment. Residents, some involved with the Music Commission, said the decades-old nonprofit currently can't display most of its extensive exhibits and archives given space constraints, and would be a good fit for the future project.
Once project negotiations are completed, the Pleasant Hill Collaborative project is expected to break ground in 2025. The first phase would open in 2027 followed by the second in 2029.
One more thing
The Blocks 16 and 18 initiative has been overseen by real estate nonprofit Rally Austin, formerly the Austin Economic Development Corp., that handles some local economic and cultural preservation initiatives. In a statement, Rally Austin CEO Theresa Alvarez said she appreciated the extensive community efforts and final City Council vote that moved the Pleasant Hill plan along.
"Our focus now turns to bold representation of a team with tremendous assets for structuring a deal that will honor the history of the site and legacy of East 11th Street while delivering a mix of needs to support accessibility for marginalized communities in East Austin," Alvarez said.
On July 18, Rally Austin was also allocated $5.1 million in city cultural bond funds for Block 18's cultural venue, and for improvements at the Museum of Human Achievement on the east side.
