The Rebekah Baines Johnson Center currently houses 250 seniors but will soon expand.[/caption]

The redevelopment of a senior living facility in East Austin will move forward after receiving rezoning approval.

The 16-story Rebekah Baines Johnson Center, also known as the Austin Geriatric Center, gained approval March 12 for mixed-use zoning, a necessary step before the facility can complete an anticipated redevelopment plan. The site currently includes 250 units for senior housing along the Lady Bird Lake shore in East Austin. The facility opened in 1972 with the help of President Lyndon B. Johnson. Redevelopment plans call for constructing two smaller buildings adjacent to the existing RBJ Center that would house 250 new affordable senior living units and 340 units of mixed-income apartments and condominiums as well as 25,000 square feet of commercial space and indoor and outdoor gathering spaces. Southwest Strategies Group, Momark Development and DMA Development Company LLC have teamed up to redevelop the area, which was zoned for multifamily use until Austin City Council approved new mixed-use zoning during its March 12 meeting. The developing team’s vision for the project was approved by the RBJ Center’s board of directors in late 2011. “We want to create an environment that captures President Johnson’s vision for a residential community for lower income seniors that encompasses health and wellness programs along with supportive services," said Diana McIver, president of DMA Development Co. “This hasn't been done in Austin before, and to be able to do it in this beautiful setting is a once in a lifetime opportunity.” The entire redevelopment area would be 18 acres, of which 9 acres would be the mixed-used residential community.