AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Planning Commission is bringing a new music venue to the Riverside development in East Austin.
The new venue will join the 109-acre River Park mixed-use development, located just east of Oracle’s headquarters, after being officially approved by Austin’s Planning Commission earlier in December.
The venue will be around 64,000-square feet and will be designed to host a mix of local and national acts, as well as community programs and special events.
The site is bounded by the Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Metro Park, East Riverside Drive, Pleasant Valley Road and Country Club Creek. The phases will be connected to a new network of pedestrian-friendly blocks and trail connections. A linear park and greenway, totaling over 30 acres, will connect Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Metro Park to the planned Riverside transit station.
Initially, the project was not well received. Residents who live in the area protested it, calling it a “Domain on Riverside.” Some also said they found out about the rezoning resolution for the development when the Austin City Council chose to move forward with it. The city council gave final approval for the rezoning in October 2019.
Shortly after the rezoning approval, the development team made an agreement with the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition to provide housing for 100 homeless people for up to five years. The agreement was in addition to the partnership’s earlier commitment to build more than 400 income-restricted affordable housing units on site.
Developers are aiming to finish the entire River Park development area within the next 10 to 20 years. According to the Austin American-Statesman, the entire project is expected to cost around $4 billion once it’s fully complete.
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