The overview
A zoning change at 200 E. Riverside Drive, a nearly 4-acre property now home to an old office building, would clear the way for two proposed high-rise towers up to 500 feet tall. That project outline includes nearly 1.4 million square feet of office space and almost 30,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, plus other public features, near the south shore of Lady Bird Lake.
The property is being rezoned as a planned unit development, or PUD, allowing property owners to negotiate with the city for greater building height and density in exchange for public benefits.
As currently drafted, development under the PUD would require:
- 12,845 square feet of public pocket parks
- A $100,000 contribution to the city's public art program
- Support for city affordable housing programs
- The lease of 3,500 square feet of retail space to a local business or nonprofit at a discounted rate
- 450 square feet of public "amenity space"
- Construction of a new public reclaimed water main
- Green building design standards and tree plantings
The potential towers are in review while a broader city framework for new development in the South Central Waterfront has stalled. City Council held off on consideration of those regulations after some public review last year, and a new timeline for that process hasn't been set.
In the meantime, plans for other high-rise projects around the district remain in progress.
What happened
After giving the Riverside PUD an initial thumbs-up in December, city officials advanced the update with the second of three required votes Feb. 27. The third could now take place in late March.
Attorney and lobbyist Richard Suttle, speaking for his client and property owner the Hunt family, asked City Council to move the PUD proposal along during the February meeting. Suttle said the development team needed to quickly confirm its approach for a city affordable housing requirement to avoid stalling their project planning.
Rather than including any income-restricted units in the high-rises, they sought to pay into the city's housing fund to support affordable units elsewhere. Officials signaled support for that fee payment to keep the zoning case moving toward their third and final vote.
Suttle said the fee option ensures towers, rather than a significantly smaller residential building, will end up being developed. He also noted the property's relationship to the planned Waterfront Station on the Project Connect rail line and civic goals tied to public transit.
“If the answer is no on fee in lieu, then we can all go home and there will not be a high-rise here, and we’ll build 96-foot tall buildings just like the Water Marq next door. And we’ll keep them there for 50 years and the city will lose the tax base, the train station will lose the tax base, it’ll be a more difficult road to hoe for getting right of way from us, all for naught," he said. "The whole point of this case is to allow heightened density at the train station.”
Zooming in
The property off Riverside Drive is envisioned as a hub for Austin's proposed rail branches.
Project Connect designs call for 200 E. Riverside Drive to serve as a connection point between the line's southern stretch down South Congress Avenue, eastern portion along Riverside, and central portion running through downtown to North Austin. The property would include the Waterfront Station, now being considered as an elevated stop leading to a new bridge across the lake.
"ATP wants right of way, but they can’t tell us whether this train station is at grade or above grade. They want a substation—and it’s a big substation, and they want it in our building—but we can’t design a building until we know what we can do through the zoning process. So we’re caught," he said. "The city of Austin doesn’t have any right of way, ATP doesn’t have the right of way. What’s not going to happen is for us to dedicate right of way through this zoning case when the train company doesn’t even know what they need or want."
Despite that process, Suttle said the property owners still plan to save space for transit infrastructure on-site as development moves forward.
Jennifer Pyne, ATP's executive vice president over planning, community and federal programs, said the agency is recommending the rail, elevated station and bridge placement within the 200 E. Riverside Drive property. Project Connect's draft environmental impact statement remains open for community review until March 11, and Pyne said designs will either be finalized or adjusted based on public feedback.
"Our current phase of work includes coordination with adjacent projects and stakeholders to optimize design and integration of the light rail project into its surrounding environment. As design advances, ATP will continue to minimize impacts to adjacent properties where possible before initiating the process of acquiring right of way," she said in a statement.
