Council advances Capitol View Corridor plan

A plan to correct the balance of Capitol View Corridors—protected sightlines by which one can see the building from various parts of town—moved forward at this week’s City Council meeting, the Austin Business Journal reported Friday.

The proposal to expand the number of view corridors, which have existed in Austin for 25 years, was introduced by District One representative Ora Houston. Noting that there are 23 view corridors west of IH-35 and only five east of it, Council Member Houston spoke of the idea as a way to connect all of Austin and to set right unequal distribution that took place in the past.

Downtown Austin Alliance President Dewitt Pearl expressed concern with the corridors affecting Austinites in a “negative way,” according to the Journal, especially as applied redevelopment of the Central Health Brackenridge site near 15th and Red River streets. The mixed-use development being discussed for that site would have up to 3.7 million square feet of space and buildings 30 stories high, the Journal reported.

The map below illustrates existing corridors.

The report added that one of the proposed Eastside corridors could reduce the square footage of the Brackenridge redevelopment by 25 percent, according to a Central Health representative.

Council voted approved a study of four of the proposed five Eastside corridors but put action on the Brackenridge corridor on hold, ABJ reported.

• Plan advances to create more Capitol View Corridors in Austin — with major exception [ABJ]