Community members and residents gathered June 26 to mark the opening of a first-of-its-kind apartment complex in East Austin geared toward lower income artists, including those with disabilities and exiting homelessness.

The overview

The 66-unit Live Make Apartments at 1127 Tillery St., Austin officially opened its doors this spring after years of planning and city review. The affordable project sits next to newly-dedicated parkland, which is now going through permitting as the city moves to improve the historic Tillery Pecan Grove site into a neighborhood park with public trails and amenities.



In addition to dozens of apartments, Live Make also features spaces like:

• A public art gallery
• Painting and ceramic studios
• A community classroom
• A community kitchen and food pantry

Chore assistance and onsite supportive services like and job training, art production, business development and peer support programs are also available for tenants.

Zooming in

A key driver for the new development is Imagine Art, a local nonprofit that supports artists including those who are deaf, blind, or living with other intellectual, physical and mental health disabilities. Imagine Art has offices in the new complex and will be running the property's creative spaces and resident support services.

Founder and CEO Debbie Kizer said Live Make's opening was a "dream come true" for the organization and a significant impact for the area's creative community.

"We are stepping over the threshold of a new season where Imagine Art will live out its mission to leverage art and place, to raise up artists as catalysts for change, to send those artists out to make change happen," she said at the June ribbon-cutting. "We’re changing affordable housing, we’re changing food security, we’re changing long-term care systems. So by cutting this ribbon, we are opening the gift that is Imagine Art and we’re giving it to the city of Austin.”

State Rep. Lulu Flores, D-Austin, who's served on the city's Arts Commission, also said the development represented a success for local creatives.

“[I’m] big supporter of the arts and looking forward to seeing many more of these projects because this is amazing, and it’s a dream come true for a lot of people. We dream these things as arts commissioners and I’m so happy that you’ve made it a reality," she said.

By the numbers

The new multifamily project serving vulnerable communities is fully reserved for low-income renters, with units ranging from studios to three-bedroom spaces.

Live Make has 13 units available for those earning up to 30% of the Austin-area median income, or MFI; 25 units capped at 50% MFI; and 28 units for those earning up to 60% MFI. The current local MFI is $93,650 for individuals and $133,800 for a family of four.

Fifteen units at Live Make are Americans with Disabilities Act mobility units with audio and visual features for deaf and visually impaired tenants, and 15 units are part of the local Continuum of Care system moving people out of homelessness.

The development received a total of $6.5 million in city funds through the Austin Housing Finance Corp., including $6.2 million from the city's 2018 housing bond and nearly $300,000 from the Housing Trust Fund.

Live Make was developed through a partnership between Imagine Art, AHFC, affordable builder Citrine Development and affordable housing consultant MRE Capital.

After its recent opening, Kizer said just a handful of units currently remain available. Leasing inquiries can be made through property manager Valhalla Management.