Effort to revitalize eastern downtown calls for chain of new, improved parkland[/caption]
Energized by new leadership, the nonprofit Waller Creek Conservancy is ready to ramp up efforts to redevelop the mile-and-a-half creek along downtown's east side.
Peter Mullan, who was named in mid-January as the conservancy's new CEO, was recruited for the job after a nationwide search. His experience with New York City's High Line project, which repurposed an abandoned railroad structure to a park, has prepared him to help transform Waller Creek, he said.
"The more I learned about it, the more excited I got because I started to understand what the potential impact could be and the role that the project could play for all of Austin," Mullan said. "I'm excited to be a part of it."
Steps taken so far
The initial effort to redevelop Waller Creek started with a city-led project to create flood-control infrastructure. The $149 million project broke ground in April 2011 and will be in service sometime between March and June, said Carolyn Perez, public affairs manager for the city's Public Works Department. The end result will open up 28 acres of downtown land previously limited in use because of Waller Creek's 100-year flood plain—or the area where major flooding could potentially occur. The flood-control project also helps rid the creek of debris, prevents further erosion and helps water flow into Lady Bird Lake, according to the city.
The current state of Waller Creek[/caption]
In the meantime, the conservancy, which was founded in 2010, is still in the early design stages of its Waller Creek redevelopment project. Mullan is using that time to focus on educating community members about the project and recruiting partners.
"As Austin continues to grow there is going to be the need to build in pieces of public infrastructure, and when I use that term I really mean public space—places that can be used by all constituents," Mullan said. "I think Waller Creek will be the most significant of those."
Plans, designs and concepts for the project, which spans from Lady Bird Lake north to 15th Street, have been in the works for years. Any changes to the grounds surrounding Waller Creek will start within the next two years, and the majority of the project should be complete in 10 to 15 years, WCC Programming Director Meredith Bossin said. The conservancy has not yet decided what project phase will be first, but parts of the creek in Waterloo Park and near Lady Bird Lake could be the initial construction sites because of the existing activity near those two locations, Bossin said. The project's design was created by Michael Van Valkenburg Associates and Thomas Phifer & Partners, which won a 2012 design competition for their vision of the redeveloped downtown creek. "[The designers'] thought was that it would be a chain of parks, and each one then would have its own sub-identity so some could be more quiet spaces and some will be designed for more activities so that you have a range of all these different kinds of things—but it's still all connected by a trail as well," Bossin said.The long-term plan
There will be five parks created along the 1.5-mile project. Some areas, such as the two sections closest to Lady Bird Lake and the park south of Waterloo Park—known as The Refuge—will focus on providing immersive nature experiences. Other areas of the project, such as the section currently called The Narrows—an area that runs from Fourth to Seventh streets—will merge the urban characteristics of the structures surrounding the creek with the creek's nature and ecology.The Narrows will not be like San Antonio's River Walk, which includes businesses and restaurants along a man-made waterway, Bossin said.
"These public spaces, when they have a not-for-profit organization as their stewards, they just help people connect to the place in richer ways," Mullan said. "You're not just creating a place—you do that through the programming. ... I imagine Waller Creek will become a community resource, whether it's cultural programming, performances, temporary art installations or educational programming to focus on the natural and ecological systems." The project's trails and bridges have also been designed in such a way to create both north-south and east-west connectivity, Bossin said. Complicating the project is how many entities WCC must work with during each step in the redevelopment plan, said John Rigdon, the project's manager. The project will not only require a partnership with the city of Austin but also any business near or along the creek, such as Easy Tiger Bake Shop & Beer Garden on Historic Sixth Street.