AUSTIN: Green Water Treatment Plant & Seaholm Power Plant Redevelopment Update Thread

[H2O]

Originally Posted by tie_guy

This might have already been discussed/posted, but this is the first time I'm seeing this substation art wall. - cute!

http://www.austintexas.gov/sites/def...tary_small.pdf

That version is years out of date. The CMU block wall has been replaced by the vertical concrete posts seen in the above webcam photo.

[Tech House]

Originally Posted by futures

I'm actually really impressed with the design. It's high quality and very visually interesting.

Ditto, I'm very impressed and delighted to see that this is vastly superior to what I had previously imagined. This almost makes me like the substation, just for the fact that it provides an opportunity to do something downtown that isn't market-driven, and for the fact that this opportunity is not going to waste!

[Digatisdi]

So does anybody know when will the rest of the through-streets to Cesar Chavez open I'm assuming West Avenue from 2nd to CC will be the last intersection to open

If I had to guess, the order seems like it'll be:

West Avenue to 2nd Street followed by 2nd Street to Nueces and Nueces to Cesar Chavez. Then Nueces to 2nd, then 2nd to West, then West Avenue to Cesar Chavez.

Also does anybody know what the planned traffic control at the intersections are going to be? I'm assuming stoplight at Nueces but I'm hoping for one at West as well.

I'd ask Public Works or the Transportation Department but I've bugged them both a lot recently.

[brdrcksn]

http://austintexas.gov/news/new-stre...aholm-district
http://austintexas.gov/sites/default...t_Openings.pdf

Portions of West Avenue, 2nd Street and Nueces Street will open.

In early February, portions of West Avenue, 2nd Street and Nueces Street are anticipated to open to the public. West between 3rd and 2nd will initially open to local traffic only, to provide access to the Seaholm tower. The portion of West Avenue between 2nd Street and Cesar Chavez Street will remain closed temporarily for construction of the New Central Library, but is anticipated to open in at least one direction within a month or two, and will open completely in the summer or fall of 2016.

2nd Street, from San Antonio to Nueces, and Nueces from 2nd to Cesar Chavez through the former Green Water Treatment Plant are also anticipated to open in early February. 2nd Street from Nueces to West Avenue, including the new bridge over Shoal Creek, is anticipated to open by summer or fall 2016 when the New Central Library is scheduled to be substantially complete.

All street segments will incorporate Great Streets streetscape amenities in conjunction with adjacent development projects. Portions of West Avenue and 2nd Street are being designed to a new streetscape standard referred to as a ‘Festival Street’. Instead of a standard curb and gutter, the street and sidewalk will be flush with paving patterns and bollards (or posts) demarking the different areas. Many of the bollards will be able to be lowered into the ground so that the entire street will be able to operate as a pedestrian plaza when closed for a festival or other street event. The streetscapes will also incorporate ‘green infrastructure’ or planting areas that are designed to treat storm water run-off, as well as multiple public art installations.

[urbancore]

Originally Posted by Digatisdi

So does anybody know when will the rest of the through-streets to Cesar Chavez open I'm assuming West Avenue from 2nd to CC will be the last intersection to open

If I had to guess, the order seems like it'll be:

West Avenue to 2nd Street followed by 2nd Street to Nueces and Nueces to Cesar Chavez. Then Nueces to 2nd, then 2nd to West, then West Avenue to Cesar Chavez.

Also does anybody know what the planned traffic control at the intersections are going to be? I'm assuming stoplight at Nueces but I'm hoping for one at West as well.

I'd ask Public Works or the Transportation Department but I've bugged them both a lot recently.

I rode by 2nd street on Sunday and the workers stopped me from entering, and let me know that it will be open "this week". Should be soon.

[H2O]

I was just looking back at these, and I am struck by how similar the Forest City proposal is to what Trammell Crow and partners are actually building compared to their proposal.

Originally Posted by shanny

trammel crow proposal...




Forest City proposal...

[sjk]

The Long-Awaited Seaholm Waterfront Project Starts Up Its First Phase

https://austin.towers.net/the-long-a...lyn@towers.net

[chundercracker]

Anybody have any idea when Athena Health's lease on the Seaholm Power plant runs out? I seriously hope the city revisits the purposing of that building... Something like this: https://mercadodesanmiguel.es/en/ would be amazing in that spot.

[drummer]

It would be cool to have a true market in that spot, for sure.

[chundercracker]

Originally Posted by chundercracker

Anybody have any idea when Athena Health's lease on the Seaholm Power plant runs out? I seriously hope the city revisits the purposing of that building... Something like this: https://mercadodesanmiguel.es/en/ would be amazing in that spot.

Found the answer to my own question: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/d...0331xex101.htm

Looks like the lease runs out at the start of 2029 with a 5 year extension option. Really such a shame... I'd never seen photos of the interior. So much potential for a public space.

[kingkirbythe....]

The city really screwed the pooch when I turn this in to offices.

[chinchaaa]

Yea, this should have been a public market.

[StoOgE]

I saw big boi in that space when it was abandoned. It was dope and it should have been a public space.

[WestAustinite]

Originally Posted by kingkirbythe....

The city really screwed the pooch when I turn this in to offices.

100% agree with that sentiment. It could have been an awesome museum - a smaller version of the Tate Modern in London. They also screwed up by allowing the tower in front of it to be built. Would have been an amazing space combined with a museum. Lack of foresight... Hopefully they won't sell the power substation land across the street from the library.

[We vs us]

Wow, 100% yes to a museum. That would've been totally iconic.

It really is high time we get to get our cultural house in order. It's more and more urgent as our growth curve keeps tipping upwards. Not just the live music/street art piece, but allll the fine arts as well. There's seemingly so much spare tech capital lying around -- surely a savvy fundraiser could divert a few tens of millions into turning us into an iconic arts hub as well.

FWIW, I was just up in Bentonville AR not too long ago, and had a chance to see Crystal Bridges, the art museum/incubator/soon-to-be-arts college. It's an amazing, amazing resource for Arkansas and the region. Something like that -- with the right benefactors behind it -- could be transformative for Austin. And we arguably need something of that scale and importance to counterbalance what the Teslas and Oracles and Samsungs are going to continue to do to Austin's culture.

IMO, it's an urgent question that doesn't get much play at all.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by We vs us

Wow, 100% yes to a museum. That would've been totally iconic.

It really is high time we get to get our cultural house in order. It's more and more urgent as our growth curve keeps tipping upwards. Not just the live music/street art piece, but allll the fine arts as well. There's seemingly so much spare tech capital lying around -- surely a savvy fundraiser could divert a few tens of millions into turning us into an iconic arts hub as well.

FWIW, I was just up in Bentonville AR not too long ago, and had a chance to see Crystal Bridges, the art museum/incubator/soon-to-be-arts college. It's an amazing, amazing resource for Arkansas and the region. Something like that -- with the right benefactors behind it -- could be transformative for Austin. And we arguably need something of that scale and importance to counterbalance what the Teslas and Oracles and Samsungs are going to continue to do to Austin's culture.

IMO, it's an urgent question that doesn't get much play at all.

A-M-E-N
Broken record Healy here and we absolutely need all of the above yesterday. A real modern/fine art museum is so needed.

The city most definitely screwed up, but I think it was a thing of the times. Seaholm (from what I recall) had some financial issues and nearly didn't happen at all. My sense was they leased it for a quick buck and a way forward. I would bet in the 2030s it'll become one of our many museums by that time.

[beverett]

This

Originally Posted by we vs us

fwiw, i was just up in bentonville ar not too long ago, and had a chance to see crystal bridges, the art museum/incubator/soon-to-be-arts college. It's an amazing, amazing resource for arkansas and the region. Something like that -- with the right benefactors behind it -- could be transformative for austin. And we arguably need something of that scale and importance to counterbalance what the teslas and oracles and samsungs are going to continue to do to austin's culture.

Imo, it's an urgent question that doesn't get much play at all.

[The ATX]

Art museums tend to be a billionaire's legacy like the one in Arkansas. Maybe Elon will leave us something one day. Michael Dell seems content - up to now at least - with supporting Children's hospitals and medical research - more important than a museum. But damn, we really do need a world class art museum. Blanton is OK, but it's not a destination museum. Isn't there a private estate on Lake Austin that is being turned into a sculpture garden?

[We vs us]

Unlike a lot of the tech bros, Elon definitely understands the idea of leaving a legacy . . . but his legacy is space travel, and/or changing our energy infrastructure. Not so much the arts.

Eventually McConaughey is going to have to get the art museum launched, too, I guess. SOMEONE with enough clout is going to have to sit down with all of these guys and convince them it's the right thing to do.

[J78704]

Originally Posted by We vs us

Unlike a lot of the tech bros, Elon definitely understands the idea of leaving a legacy . . . but his legacy is space travel, and/or changing our energy infrastructure. Not so much the arts.

We also need world class science museums.