In Austin, Texas, the Economic Development Department is recommending that City Council spend the next budget year focusing on putting four pieces of city-owned property into higher use with mixtures of housing, commercial space, parklands and more.
An August 3, 2018 memo detailed the department’s efforts since April to shift to a “portfolio approach” in selecting the city properties that can be used to address persistent issues such as food scarcity, economic opportunity and availability of affordable housing.
That shift followed a March 2018 council work session presentation where staff highlighted 12 city-owned properties and solicited feedback on how to move forward with development efforts, since Council members and members of various boards and commissions have pushed for more than a year to make those spaces into greater community assets.
The four parcels singled out for due diligence on title, utilities and other issues before opening a request for proposal process are:
- An Austin Energy parcel at Justin Lane and Ryan Drive;
- The former Home Depot property on East St. Johns Avenue;
- A parcel at Bolm Road near Airport Boulevard; and
- An Austin Energy property on Grove Boulevard just south of East Riverside Drive
There is currently no timeline for redevelopment of those four properties.
Image via Google Maps.