Curbed Austin - Austin Convention Center expansion 2019Love where you live2019-08-12T16:13:57-05:00http://austin.curbed.com/rss/stream/206929642019-08-12T16:13:57-05:002019-08-12T16:13:57-05:00City tackles convention center expansion with hotel tax rate hike
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<img alt="Exterior of seven-story glass and concrete building, photo shot from corner across the street." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/s86b5EluScu3EeqBw8plFwyyD4E=/0x0:1280x960/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65003635/AustinConventionCenter.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Austin Convention Center | John Tornow/Creative Commons</figcaption>
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<p>Council’s move could put county funds in jeopardy</p> <p id="Kk3zEZ">The Austin City Council returned to the dais after summer break in grand style, voting for a <a href="https://www.statesman.com/news/20190809/austin-city-council-raises-hotel-tax-cutting-off-county-from-millions-in-tax-dollars">hotel-tax rate increase</a> that would max out the amount allowed by the state, the <em>Austin American-Statesman</em> reported Friday. The city would devote the estimated $20 million per year the hike would garner to a planned $1.2 billion expansion of the Austin Convention Center.</p>
<p id="RrdJqA">According to the <em>Statesman</em>, the vote came on the heels of efforts by Travis County commissioners, who had a countywide vote in November to collect hotel taxes for the redevelopment of the <a href="https://austin.curbed.com/2017/12/5/16739238/austin-development-east-district-stadium-rodeo">Travis County Exposition Center</a>. Since the city increased its rate to the maximum allowable by the state, however, the county won’t be able to increase its rate within Austin city limits, the <em>Statesman</em> reported, where the size and price of hotels generate the most revenue.</p>
<p id="FPzmcZ">Shortly after the vote, travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt issued a statement urging the city to pay down its debt on a 2002 expansion of the convention center early with the new tax revenue in order to allow the county to begin collecting a 2-cent hotel tax. The city is currently scheduled to pay off that debt in 2029.</p>
<p id="vhxyeM">In late 2017, internationally renowned firm <a href="https://austin.curbed.com/2017/12/5/16739238/austin-development-east-district-stadium-rodeo">Bjarke Ingels</a> released its <a href="https://austin.curbed.com/2017/12/5/16739238/austin-development-east-district-stadium-rodeo">proposed plan</a> for redeveloping the <a href="https://austin.curbed.com/2017/12/5/16739238/austin-development-east-district-stadium-rodeo">Travis County Exposition Center and Austin Rodeo</a> site as a 1.3-million-square-foot sports and entertainment complex. The vision includes the creation of the East Austin District—with multiuse buildings for restaurants, retail, and 28,000 square feet of youth facilities around the perimeter of the area. The plan also includes a 40,000-square-foot, open-air stadium that was briefly discussed as a possible venue for new<a href="https://austin.curbed.com/2018/8/15/17695046/austin-major-league-soccer-stadium-mls-crew"> Major League Soccer team Austin FC</a>; that team will instead play in a <a href="https://austin.curbed.com/2018/8/15/17695046/austin-major-league-soccer-stadium-mls-crew">new stadiu</a>m approved by the City Council in 2018.</p>
<p id="47TGCN">As the meeting extended further into Friday morning, the council also set an election for November on two propositions that originated from petitions.</p>
<p id="lazyad-1">The city approved two ballot measures called for by a citizen petition. One will be on a proposed ordinance that would require voter approval of city leases of city-owned land to private companies. The other would reallocate spending of hotel occupancy taxes nad are spent and require voter approval for major renovation or redevelopment of the convention center.</p>
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https://austin.curbed.com/2019/8/12/20802030/austin-hotel-tax-rate-increaseCindy Widner2019-07-29T16:49:53-05:002019-07-29T16:49:53-05:00Convention center challenge moves forward
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<img alt="Exterior of seven-story glass and concrete building, photo shot from corner across the street." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JMMYL5UZ-u9grCazqpC962S3lnU=/0x0:1280x960/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64873844/AustinConventionCenter.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Austin Convention Center | John Tornow/Creative Commons</figcaption>
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<p>Petition to put plan to a citywide vote approved by city clerk</p> <p id="pbPNUF">A petition that would require a plan to <a href="https://www.kut.org/post/austin-city-clerk-oks-petition-put-convention-center-expansion-public-vote">expand and rebuild</a> the Austin Convention Center to a citywide vote has been certified by the city clerk, KUT reported Saturday. The matter will now be considered by the the Austin City Council, which <a href="https://austin.curbed.com/2019/5/24/18638700/austin-convention-center-expansion-palm-school">approved</a> the <a href="https://austin.curbed.com/2019/5/21/18634129/convention-center-expansion-palm-school-council-tovo">planned expansion</a> in May.</p>
<p id="AoOgF6">The drive was instigated by Unconventional Austin, a political action committee opposed to the expansion—or at least wants it put to a citizen vote. The ordinance proposed in the petition would require such a vote on any proposed expansion to the center projected to cost more than $20 million over four years. </p>
<p id="beWjZl">The plan approved by the City Council, which also includes the purchase of the historic Palm School a block from the center, has an estimated cost of $1.2 billion. At its August 8 meeting, the council will consider the petition and can either pass it as an ordinance or put it before the public for a vote in the November elections.</p>
<p id="2JxlGr">Unconventional Austin told KUT that the clerk had certified almost 30,000 signatures on the petition. </p>
https://austin.curbed.com/2019/7/29/20746212/austin-convention-center-expansion-petition-voteCindy Widner2019-07-17T15:17:21-05:002019-07-17T15:17:21-05:00Fairmont developer ditches plan to buy historic downtown spot
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<img alt="Two-story light brown stucco building with portico and palm tree in front" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/E6GaVKgSLEGmKTezupSxQf46W-o=/334x0:2334x1500/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64753374/Old_Palm_School_Austin_2016.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>The Palm School | By <a class="ql-link" href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Old_Palm_School_Austin_2016.jpg" target="_blank">Larry D. Moore</a>, licensed under Creative Commons</figcaption>
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<p>Financier withdraws proposal for Palm School property amid city and county negotiations</p> <p id="KZtbKz">Austin’s <a href="https://austin.curbed.com/2018/3/5/17082412/austin-fairmont-hotel-open-sxsw-biggest">Fairmont Hotel</a> opened just over a year ago, but its (literal) connection to the <a href="https://austin.curbed.com/2019/5/24/18638700/austin-convention-center-expansion-palm-school">Austin Convention Center</a> and proximity to the historic <a href="https://austin.curbed.com/2019/6/5/18654421/austin-palm-school-preservation-future-development">Palm School</a>—all located in a southeast downtown area that has seen intensive recent development—means that it is almost necessarily involved as current plans for those spaces move forward.</p>
<p id="NtiEG6">Fairmont Austin developer and financier Douglas Manchester appears to have jumped the gun on that front, though, entering the fray earlier in the week with an announcement that he planned to issue a letter of intent to <a href="https://communityimpact.com/austin/central-austin/city-county/2019/07/15/palm-school-property-subject-of-swap-proposal-intent-to-purchase-offer-from-fairmont-financier/">purchase land around the Palm School</a> for potential commercial development, according to a Monday <em>Community Impact</em> story. The property in question is located next to the Fairmont and does not include Palm Park, which is owned by the city.</p>
<aside id="2F6l6T"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Historic Palm School preservation gets thumbs-up from county","url":"https://austin.curbed.com/2019/6/5/18654421/austin-palm-school-preservation-future-development"},{"title":"Convention center expansion plan moves forward at city","url":"https://austin.curbed.com/2019/5/24/18638700/austin-convention-center-expansion-palm-school"},{"title":"Peek inside Fairmont Austin, opened just in time for SXSW","url":"https://austin.curbed.com/2018/3/5/17082412/austin-fairmont-hotel-open-sxsw-biggest"}]}'></div></aside><p id="4xyPvN">A day later, Manchester sent Travis County commissioners a letter reading that he will not, in fact, be making an offer to buy the land, which, along with the Palm School building, is owned by the county. His intent, he wrote, was to work with commissioners to “offer a meaningful solution to ensure the Palm School’s long-term viability, while simultaneously helping taxpayers realize the maximum financial benefit from the site’s surrounding land.” </p>
<h5 id="7VpTdH">Possible Palm School plans</h5>
<p id="2ZLbI7">Opened in 1892, the Palm School served a primarily Latino elementary-aged students for 84 years prior to its closure in 1976. County health services have occupied the building for the past several years but plan to move its offices there by late 2021.</p>
<p id="r2VHEQ">Recent momentum to <a href="https://austin.curbed.com/2019/5/24/18638700/austin-convention-center-expansion-palm-school">rebuild and expan</a>d the Austin Convention Center, which is across the street from both the hotel and the former school, focused public attention on the Palm School property. Austin City Council members have asked the county to consider selling the property to the city, not selling it all, or donating it as a public park. The Palm School building is a designated city of Austin historic landmark.</p>
<p id="r5WENV">For its part, the county wants to get the most benefit out of its valuable real estate, which was recently appraised at $53 million, while making sure its cultural and physical history is maintained. The Commissioners Court last month approved restrictive covenants that would help protect and preserve the property’s legacy and public use. They require that the building be preserved in perpetuity be designated a state historic landmark. A buyer would need to restore the school within three years of purchase, and no new construction could occur until restoration is completed. In addition, 80% of the space on the property that can be occupied must be dedicated to cultural heritage or community use, and the main area must be open and available to the public.</p>
<aside id="CyFYz0"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"austin-curbed"}'></div></aside><p id="7c948O">An area on the southern part of the property that includes the probable footprint of the original school is marked for preservation, and a strip of land that connects the building to the Waller Creek trail would also be preserved. The remaining 40 percent of the property—presumably included in the land Manchester announced his non-intent to purchase—could be developed for other purposes.</p>
<h5 id="8cfSoP">City-county land swap proposed</h5>
<p id="93O8JF">In addition to approving restrictive covenants, the county has proposed a <a href="https://communityimpact.com/austin/central-austin/city-county/2019/07/15/palm-school-property-subject-of-swap-proposal-intent-to-purchase-offer-from-fairmont-financier/">land swap</a> with the city, Community Impact reported Monday. In a July 4 letter to the Austin City Council and manager, County Judge Sarah Eckhardt that the county swap ownership of Palm School for that of the former HealthSouth physical rehabilitation facility on Red River Street just south of University Medical Center Brackenridge; the Travis County Exposition Center; and a portion of unclaimed local hotel occupancy tax that is already available to the county.</p>
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https://austin.curbed.com/2019/7/17/20698109/austin-developer-downtown-fairmont-convention-center-palmCindy Widner2019-06-05T17:06:01-05:002019-06-05T17:06:01-05:00Historic Palm School preservation gets thumbs-up from county
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<figcaption>The Palm School building | Creative Commons license</figcaption>
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<p>Leaders are still undecided about what to do with the valuable property surrounding Downtown building</p> <p id="hOe1Nr">The Travis County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to take measures to <a href="https://www.statesman.com/news/20190604/county-votes-to-protect-palm-school-still-undecided-on-sale">protect the historic Palm School building</a>, the Austin American-Statesman reported Wednesday, approving deed restrictions to ensure its ongoing existence and maintenance.</p>
<p id="LHUh3q">Located on the corner of East Cesar Chavez Street and the I-35 frontage road about a block from the Austin Convention Center, the building has been part of recently reinvigorated Austin City Council conversations about <a href="https://austin.curbed.com/2019/5/24/18638700/austin-convention-center-expansion-palm-school">rebuilding the convention center</a>. The city is currently considering a plan that calls for the preservation of the Palm School and incorporation of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, the Rainey Street historic district, and Waller Creek Park into the renovation.</p>
<aside id="W5Yvk8"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Convention center expansion plan moves forward at city","url":"https://austin.curbed.com/2019/5/24/18638700/austin-convention-center-expansion-palm-school"},{"title":"Convention center expansion plan picks up steam ","url":"https://austin.curbed.com/2019/5/21/18634129/convention-center-expansion-palm-school-council-tovo"}]}'></div></aside><p id="foKmKh">Opened in 1892, the Palm School served a primarily Latino elementary-aged students for 84 years prior to its closure in 1976. County health services have occupied the building for the past several years but plan to move its offices there by late 2021.</p>
<p id="wYKmLD">Activists have been urging the county since 2016 to preserve the former elementary school, which opened in 1892 and served East Austin, especially Latino students, for 84 years. The site, at the intersection of Cesar Chavez Street and Interstate 35, has housed county health services in recent years. The county plans to move those offices by late 2021.</p>
<p id="RE0wXt">The Commissioners Court vote Tuesday approves in principle restrictive covenants proposed by staff members based on the staff’s map, created after a community survey. An area on the southern part of the property, where the map shows the footprint of the original school, is the area marked for preservation. </p>
<aside id="Ln0669"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"austin-curbed"}'></div></aside><p id="8X2JGr">A strip of land that connects the building to the Waller Creek trail would also be preserved, while 40 percent of the property could be developed for other purposes. The restrictive covenants also dictate that the school be restored within three years and that no new construction can occur until restoration is completed. In addition, they require the preservation of the building in perpetuity and its designation as a state historic landmark if approved.</p>
<p id="Jy6GXo">While the city of Austin has expressed interest in purchasing the Palm School property (and even suggested that the county donate it for use as a public park), county commissioners have not decided how they’ll proceed in dealing with the extremely valuable property around the school building. Staff members at the meeting outlined options including listing the site for sale with the deed restrictions, negotiating a transfer of the land to the city, or start the process to decide how the site will figure into the development and change in southeastern downtown. County leaders have also noted that private development of the valuable land could fund the school’s restoration and county health programs.</p>
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https://austin.curbed.com/2019/6/5/18654421/austin-palm-school-preservation-future-developmentCindy Widner2019-05-24T12:01:07-05:002019-05-24T12:01:07-05:00Convention center expansion plan moves forward at city
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<img alt="Exterior of seven-story glass and concrete building, photo shot from corner across the street." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zjqDRkMwOI5rvGvUQVOkQibQ2N4=/0x0:1280x960/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63893524/AustinConventionCenter.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Austin Convention Center | John Tornow/Creative Commons</figcaption>
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<p>Vision includes preservation of county-owned Palm School</p> <p id="ngxLkm">The Austin City Council on Thursday <a href="https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2019/05/council-oks-palm-school-convention-center-ideas/">unanimously approved</a> a proposal to move forward on a <a href="https://austin.curbed.com/2019/5/21/18634129/convention-center-expansion-palm-school-council-tovo">plan to expand the Austin Convention Center</a>, the Austin Monitor reported Friday.</p>
<p id="9872Ln">The resolution directs city staff to begin gathering information needed to move forward with a plan that would include demolition, rebuilding, and expansion of the current convention center. </p>
<p id="quhO1V">It also calls for the preservation of the historic Palm School nearby and seeks to incorporate the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, the Rainey Street historic district, and Waller Creek Park into the renovation.</p>
<aside id="w1tum7"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Convention center expansion plan picks up steam ","url":"https://austin.curbed.com/2019/5/21/18634129/convention-center-expansion-palm-school-council-tovo"}]}'></div></aside><p id="VAIfoB">The resolution represents a turnaround for Councilmember Kathie Tovo, whose 27-page proposal was adopted with revisions at Thursday’s meeting. Tovo was initially skeptical toward the idea but shifted her position to support an option—called Scenario 5—recently presented to the council in a study by the Center for Sustainable Development at the University of Texas School of Architecture.</p>
<p id="3U2XsS">The ultimate fate of the county-owned Palm School—an elementary school that served a primarily Latino community in a segregated Austin for 84 years prior to its closure in 1976—is still up in the air. According to the Monitor, Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt said it would consider selling or leasing the property to the city but does not intend to donate it. The Monitor also reported that Precinct 4 Commissioner Margaret Gómez sent a letter to City Manager Spencer Cronk after the council’s vote; it expressed interest in negotiating with the city on a purchase and noted that the Commissioners Court will be discussing restrictive covenants on the property at its June 4 meeting.</p>
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https://austin.curbed.com/2019/5/24/18638700/austin-convention-center-expansion-palm-schoolCindy Widner2019-05-21T11:56:02-05:002019-05-21T11:56:02-05:00Convention center expansion plan picks up steam
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<img alt="Interior glass and steel two-story convention center with escaltor" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lHcos4wA8lhSLPq_7wxqNiurQz8=/0x0:2048x1536/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63873449/AustinconventioncenterCreativeCommons.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Austin Convention Center | <a class="ql-link" href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Austinconventioncenter.JPG/2048px-Austinconventioncenter.JPG" target="_blank">Creative Commons</a></figcaption>
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<p>Council renews interest in $1.15 billion project</p> <p id="nCIRcB">A plan to rebuild and expand the Austin Convention Center might be back on the table after gaining renewed City Council support, the <em>Austin American-Statesman</em> reported Monday. </p>
<p id="xyIKKD">Councilmember Kathie Tovo, who represents the district where the convention center is located, took a significant shift in position when she included a declaration that the council “desires to begin the process to expand the Austin Convention Center” in her proposal regarding the historic Palm School building. </p>
<h5 id="G7HRHn">The Palm School</h5>
<p id="bOOXPQ">Located a block from the convention center, the county-owned Palm School has been the subject of recent city discussion. It was an elementary school that served a primarily Latino community for 84 years prior to its closure in 1976. Historic preservationists and Latino groups have objected to sale of the property, which the county has considered.</p>
<p id="tr60Vy">Tovo’s proposal also instructs city staff to investigate a plan that would make the school a public space and incorporate it with the convention center and other nearby Downtown projects.</p>
<h5 id="vMQ75c">Plans to expand</h5>
<p id="oJrOvB">Tovo notably refused to commit to an expansion plan during her campaign for re-election in November, drawing the ire of the Austin Hotel & Lodging Association. The councilmember said that a recent study by the Center for Sustainable Development at the University of Texas School of Architecture convinced her to support the expansion—but only an option in the study called Scenario 5, the details of which the <em>Statesman</em> compiled from the initial report:</p>
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<p id="3p13AA"><strong>Phase 1</strong></p>
<p id="fZN8IW">• Adds 545,000 square feet; costs the city $725 million; generates $30 million in private development.</p>
<p id="YkGVOG">• Existing convention center remains in operation during construction.</p>
<p id="BR7hlr">• Consolidation of western parcels into one large parcel.</p>
<p id="T24BBv">• Pedestrian extension to Second and Third streets.</p>
<p id="q5ZUh1">• Retail along principal streets.</p>
<p id="kuuja8">• Below-grade service and parking.</p>
<p id="NYFEDv">• Semi-public park on roof.</p>
<p id="ifkewI"><strong>Phase 2</strong></p>
<p id="miPKYc">• Adds an additional 515,000 square feet; costs the city $1.15 billion; generates $485 million in private development.</p>
<p id="1bnsDG">• New pedestrian promenade at Neches Street.</p>
<p id="85W4ty">• Convention center has new orientation toward the Waller Creek Corridor.</p>
<p id="ZoC9Bi">• One block for new public event space.</p>
<p id="bbG4g6">• One block for public-private partnership opportunity.</p>
<p id="5Q0Om5">• New public pavilion on the park.</p>
<p id="lyfZk7">• Below-grade service and parking.</p>
<p id="bejUO7"><strong>Note:</strong> Details taken from report compiled for the city of Austin by the Center for Sustainable Development at the University of Texas School of Architecture</p>
</blockquote>
<p id="39dtVB">Under Scenario 5, the existing convention center would be demolished and rebuilt in its current location. The plan includes improving its orientation to Waller Creek and the preservation of the Palm School. </p>
<aside id="9SjpMx"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"austin-curbed"}'></div></aside><p id="1I4HvC">Renewed momentum</p>
<p id="UhKhMR">While detractors question the economic benefits of the project, Tovo’s proposal gives new life to the idea of expanding the convention center, which the <em>Statesman</em> notes was a crucial part of the “Downtown Puzzle” plan Mayor Steve Adler introduced in 2017. While that plan stalled out in the City Council, the combination of the UT study, Tovo’s shift, and the election of two new councilmembers who took office in January (Natasha Harper-Madison and Paige Ellis) could coalesce in a way that reignites momentum for the project. </p>
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https://austin.curbed.com/2019/5/21/18634129/convention-center-expansion-palm-school-council-tovoCindy Widner