Development Update

New waterfront development unveiled for Austin's Seaholm district

The Seaholm Intake building is transforming — but first, the City of Austin needs your feedback.

Photo courtesy of The City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department

A historic facility on Lady Bird Lake is getting the attention it deserves. On Monday, May 15, representatives from City of Austin Parks & Recreation Department, Austin Parks Foundation, and The Trail Foundation announced a collaborative effort to redevelop the iconic Seaholm Intake building.

Dubbed the Seaholm Waterfront, the area includes three acres of downtown parkland located on the lake. The city has tapped Studio Gang, an acclaimed architecture firm based out of Chicago and New York City, to spearhead the project.

"We're excited to help unlock the potential of this historic building, nested in an incredible system of parks and trails, along one of the great downtown waterfronts in the United States," says Gia Biagi, principal of urbanism at Studio Gang, in a release. "We're looking forward to working in partnership with the city and its citizens to activate this important public asset."

Studio Gang's first step will be to get feedback from the community through a series of public and shareholder meetings through the fall. From there, Studio Gang and its local partners — Ten Eyck Landscape Architects, Datum Engineering, and Urban Design Group — will explore potential ideas and programming for the space. Austin Parks Foundation and The Trail Foundation will fund the project to the tune of $450,000.

The Seaholm Power Plant, including the Intake Building, was constructed in the 1950s and provided the city with electricity until 1989. The Art Deco facility was decommissioned seven years later, and remained unused until Seaholm Power, LLC broke ground on the development.

The Seaholm Waterfront is just the latest phase in the revamp of the entire district, which has already given us big-name openings like Boiler Nine Bar + Grill, Trader Joe's, True Food Kitchen, and the Seaholm Residences. In-progress additions include Austin's new central library, The Independent, Austin Proper, and the former GreenWater Treatment Plant.

parks downtown

Fun times in the city

Austin lets loose as the 6th most fun American city in 2024

Photo by Ismael Quintanilla III

Free Week is serenading Austin from January 5-6. (Pictured: Blue Tongue at Free Week 2023)

Austin is showing off its fun-loving side in WalletHub's new ranking of the top 10 most fun cities in America in 2024.

The annual report ranked Austin No. 6 this year, moving the city up one spot from its 2023 ranking as No. 7.

WalletHub's experts compared 182 U.S. cities across 65 metrics to determine the level of "fun" for each city. The metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

According to the study's findings, Austin performed the best in the overall nightlife and parties category (No. 7), and ranked No. 18 for its "entertainment and recreation" rank. That may be especially alluring for Gen Zers, who move to new cities like Austin based on its vast entertainment opportunities, dining destinations, and more.

Austin performed the worst in the overall cost category, but it technically only ranked No. 50 out of all 182 cities, which demonstrates just how affordable Austin is in comparison to the rest of the country. However, this category mostly compares flat costs rather than affordability based on local cost of living. Austin might be a lot more fun to people visiting from cities with much higher incomes than it is to locals.

Potential Austinites should do their research before deciding to move here, rather than basing their decision on short trips and vacations. But we won't blame them for wanting to live in one of the best cities in the world.

"The top cities offer affordable options for year-round fun for their residents, which is good for residents’ wallets and their mental health," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo in the report.

Houston (No. 9) was the only other Texas city to earn a spot in the top 10 most fun U.S. cities list, moving up 10 spots from its rank as No. 19 in 2023.

Other fun-filled Texas cities that made it in the top 100 are San Antonio (No. 25), Dallas (No. 31), El Paso (No. 53), Fort Worth (No. 55), Plano (No. 78), Arlington (No. 79), and Corpus Christi (No. 99).

The top 10 most fun U.S. cities are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 9 – Houston, Texas
No. 10 – New York City, New York

Cities were evaluated based on the number of attractions per capita, nightlife activities per capita, the average prices for eating at a restaurant or buying a movie ticket, and more. Data was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Trust for Public Land, and the Council for Community and Economic Research, among others.

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