Developers Moving Pine Street Station to Make Way for Plaza Saltillo

As plans for the development of Plaza Saltillo unfold, the clearing of the 11-acre area where a new mixed-used, transit-oriented development will sit proceeds apace. As the Austin Monitor's Caleb Pritchard reported last week, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority will likely soon move a storied building that occupies part of the future development site, which runs along the rail line between East Fourth and Fifth streets six blocks east from I-35.

Pine Street Station, which the Monitor reports might have occupied the space since the 1920s, had been the home and studio space of local artist Reji Thomas, as well as the site of countless social and community events (including the HOPE Farmers Market, QueerBomb celebrations, and large SXSW parties such as  the Fader Fort) since 1979.

According to a 2014 Austin Chronicle story, Thomas was that year evicted from the building, located at 414 Waller Street, despite the fact that she had been paying Capital Metro rent on the land for years, with the understanding that she had already purchased the building from her landlord and owned it outright. (Read more about the ensuing events here.)

On Tuesday, Pritchard reports, the authority's Operations, Safety and Planning Committee unanimously voted to relocate a portion of the building to 979 Springdale Road and that the full board of directors will likely approve the recommendation on April 25, at its regular meeting.

• Capital Metro Approves Endeavor's Plan for Plaza Saltillo Development [Curbed Austin[

• Cap Metro close to packing up Pine Street Station [Austin Monitor Whispers column]

• Reji Thomas Has Left the Building [The Austin Chronicle]

• Standing for Pine Street Station [The Austin Chronicle]