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The Seaholm Waterfront project will see the redevelopment of the historic Seaholm Power Plant intake building, seen on the left, into a public venue. (Laura Figi)
Lady Bird Lake is getting a new project that will bring a new cafe, lake dock and concert venue along the water.
The Seaholm Waterfront project aims to revive a 3-acre space just south of the Seaholm Power Plant, including the historic 1950s Art Deco intake building, into a first-rate public amenity and event venue.
Austin City Council approved the project's master plan—developed by the architecture firm Studio Gang in partnership with the Austin Parks Foundation, The Trail Foundation and the Austin Parks and Recreation Department—back in 2018. After a long wait, members authorized a contract up to $3.2 million with a local construction firm earlier this month, kicking off its first phase.
This rendering maps out the three-acre, waterfront site. (Studio Gang)
Funded by General Obligation Bond and Hotel Occupancy Tax dollars, this phase will focus on ensuring the intake building is "safe and habitable for small programs and events by restoring character defining features and updating the building for code-compliant occupancy," according to the council agenda backup.
(Studio Gang)
It could soon serve as a concert venue. (Studio Gang)
The scope of work includes underwater welding, needed to seal the building's water intake pipes from Lady Bird Lake; historic window restoration; and power washing the facade to remove decades of graffiti.
The contract is set to take nearly a year to complete. Once finished, the building will be able to host events and other activities, even as the second and third phases—which will add a cafe, lake dock and historic gantry crane—get underway.
The 2018 master plan lays out the three phases of the project. (Studio Gang)
The Seaholm Waterfront project builds on the work of the Seaholm Development District, a mixed-use downtown neighborhood that includes the redeveloped Seaholm Power Plant, now used as commercial office space; the Central Library; and a series of new high rises, including the Austin Proper Hotel and the forthcoming Google office building.
The intake building redevelopment is taking a different approach, focusing on "adaptive reuse in the public interest" rather than privatization, according to the real estate news site Austin Towers.
The Seaholm Waterfront project is one of many that will change downtown Austin, including the South Central Waterfront, which includes 118 acres across the lake, and Waterloo Greenway, a forthcoming urban parks system modeled on New York City's High Line.
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(Moriah Wilson/Instagram)
Austin police have charged Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, a local cyclist, for the murder of Moriah "Mo" Wilson.
Wilson, a rising star in the gravel and mountain bike community, was found dead with gunshot wounds inside an East Austin home on the night of May 11 when she was in town for the weekend Gravel Locos race in Hico, Texas.
Police believe Wilson was having a relationship with a man Armstrong was also in a relationship with. The man, another gravel cyclist, Colin Strickland, has since issued a statement on the murder.
In his statement, he said he had a brief romantic relationship with Wilson in October 2021 before he resumed his relationship with Armstrong, but that he remained friends with Wilson. "There is no way to adequately express the regret and torture I feel about my proximity to this horrible crime. I am sorry, and I simply cannot make sense of this unfathomable tragedy.
NEW: Austin professional cyclist Colin Strickland has just released a statement about the murder of cyclist Moriah Wilson, clarifying his relationship with her and expressing “torture about my proximity to this horrible crime.” pic.twitter.com/KnIna3mWrE
— Tony Plohetski (@tplohetski) May 20, 2022
Wilson, a 25-year-old Vermont native living in Colorado, had won a slew of races becoming a fan favorite. She had just become a full-time racer this year.
Anyone with information on this crime can contact Austin police at 512-974-TIPS or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 512-472-8477.
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Kelly said the planned homeless housing hotel suffered months of damage. (Mackenzie Kelly)
Austin has added 24-hour security to the city-owned Pecan Gardens property, which will be converted into supportive housing for people exiting homelessness, after the former hotel was found with months of damage and vandalism May 5.
The building, which was broken into and stripped of copper and had people illegally sleeping inside of it, has been secured, Kelly said in a Friday press conference. Kelly said the city confirmed a measure to implement 24-hour security, including updates every 60 days until the property opens up as supportive housing.
"We cannot let this happen to any vacant city-owned property ever again," Kelly said. "This blatant act of disregard and criminal behavior will not be tolerated in our community."
The city bought the former hotel in August 2021 for $9.5 million with plans to renovate the property into a 78-unit supportive housing property. Those 55 or older that are experiencing chronic homelessness can qualify to live at the site once it is completed in late 2022-early 2023.
While the council was set to discuss a $4 million deal with Family Eldercare to begin converting the property Thursday, Kelly pulled the item for a later executive session due to security concerns. But the council did approve an item to authorize city leaders to begin negotiating other renovation contracts.
"I want to thank my colleagues for pumping the brakes on this contract and realizing that we owe the community not only an apology, but reassurance that the protection of the assets the city owns is vital to the success of achieving our intended goals," Kelly said.
When the building was found vandalized May 5, Kelly, who presides over the district containing the property, said damage included:
- Damage spanning all three floors of the building and is in nearly every room.
- The entire hotel was stripped of copper.
- Destroyed washers, dryers, air conditioners and electrical wiring.
- People sleeping at the hotel without permission.
On Tuesday, Austin’s Homeless Strategy Officer Dianna Gray apologized and said there was no security due to a delay in processing the request.
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