Nice Day for a Walk in the Park

Waller Creek will transform into Austin's 'Central Park' under ambitious $355 million plan

A comment made by Mayor Steve Adler during an Austin City Council work session is shining new light on Waller Creek's revitalization project. If additional funding is approved later this month by Austin City Council, supporters (and Adler) believe this stretch of downtown greenspace may end up being the crown jewel of Austin.

As previously announced, the project would create a chain of four parks running from Waterloo Park at 15th Street between Trinity and Red River to the delta where Waller Creek merges into Lady Bird Lake. "When we talk about this project, nature, community, and culture are the three pillars," said Melissa Ayala, community engagement manager at Waller Creek Conservancy.

In total, 35 acres of public land would be redeveloped, complete with an amphitheater, an extension of the Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, ecological restorations, and a new connection between Waterloo Park and Symphony Square (something that Creek Show 2018 attendees will get a sneak peek of in November).

"I'm not sure that anything that city council does will be remembered in 100 years, other than what will be our equivalent of Central Park," Adler mused during the council's session. But before Austin gets our Central Park, that $355 million hinges on three things — including the public's input.

Like most things to do with finances and taxes, this story can be confusing. After the groundbreaking last year, the Austin City Council tasked the Waller Creek Conservancy with finding a way to fund the multimillion-dollar project. On May 8, the City of Austin deputy chief financial officer Greg Canally, Waller Creek Conservancy CEO Peter Mullan, and interim assistant city manager Sara Hensely gave city council a 35-minute presentation in which they responded to this task with a new plan.

In total, $245 million of both public and private funding would be used to construct and build the parks, through things like the public tax increment reinvestment zone (known as TIRZ No. 17) and private donations.

The other $110 million is estimated for long-term maintenance. "[It's] made up of a combination of private funding sources, including philanthropic donations we raise; earned revenue from concessions/sales within the parks; and from property owners via a Public Improvement District, or PID, in collaboration with the Downtown Austin Alliance," said Ayala.

But first, the city council must approve TIRZ No. 17, set to expire in 2028, and extend it to 2041. (Still with me?) Before that, the council will host a public hearing — tentatively scheduled for May 24 — to hear citizen feedback.

In essence, the project would be a unique private-public partnership similar to New York City's High Line, which Mullan also worked on during his tenure as executive vice president for the nonprofit Friends of the High Line.

If funded, the project should be completed in seven to 10 years, according to Ayala. She said she didn't want to speculate on what the future holds if the extension is denied, but did add, "We want to pursue this [project] holistically." When asked the same question during the May 8 session, Mullan also demurred, saying only that he would be "heartbroken" if the funding didn't go through.

If Adler and mayor pro tem Kathy Tovo's reactions during the session are any indication, the tax increment extension is likely to happen. The two joined council members Ora Houston and Sabino Renteria earlier this week in penning an Austin-American Statesmanop-ed in which the four laid out their support for the revitalization plan and attempted to distance the Waller Creek Conservancy from the Waller Creek tunnel.

In February, it was revealed that the $116 million tunnel was improperly built. In response, the city withheld millions of dollars in payment which in turn caused the contractor to counter sue the city. "We are committed and continuing with our project, and our plan has not been impacted," explained Ayala, who also pointed out the conservancy is not part of the litigation. (It doesn't help matters that everything is named for Waller Creek.)

For now, that plan includes public projects like Creek Show and this weekend's Field Day on May 12, a free day of activities like a yoga class and cooking demonstration, as well as a step performance by Campbell Elementary students. It's this kind of programming — and promise — that the conservancy wants to continue. "What we envision for these parks are really active spaces where the community can come to visit spontaneously, but also [to enjoy] thoughtful programs," said Ayala.

The Arc Bridge.

Courtesy of Waller Creek Conservancy

The Arc Bridge.

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Be Free

Free Week is ready to rock again with new City of Austin funding

Photo courtesy of Red River Cultural District / Renee Dominguez

Chancla Fight Club performs at Valhalla during a previous Free Week Festival.

The Red River Cultural District (RRCD)'s Free Week music festival is back, and perhaps better than ever after some newly secured funding from the City of Austin.

On January 3 and 4, this admission-free winter music festival will bring Austinites back-to-back performances from dozens of local musicians, spanning over 20 venues, restaurants, bars, and food trucks in the Red River area.

Free Week, which began in Austin over 20 years ago, was nearly canceled earlier in 2024 due to lack of funding. But thanks to a decision made on November 7 — after a long and hard-fought battle between RRCD and City Council — Free Week and RRCD's other popular festival Hot Summer Nights are saved for the foreseeable future.

Here's what happened, according to RRCD interim Executive Director Nicole Klepadlo.

Back in 2023, RRCD — a few blocks featuring a high concentration of popular music venues and other nightlife destinations — started pleading its case for funding with the City of Austin. At the time organizers were hoping for a cultural funding grant to help support their donation-based summer festival, Hot Summer Nights. Unfortunately it was declined and still, today, Klepadlo is not really sure why.

"We were just kind of perplexed," she says.

So, they needed to pivot. In January of 2024, they presented their case to the City of Austin's Boards and Commissions, essentially requesting funding for the district as a whole, which would ultimately support their festivals. After some back-and-forth negotiating and even rejections early in the year, finally, on November 7, the RRCD's advocacy paid off.

"We received $150,000 annually for up to four years for cultural district funding," says Klepadlo. "It will largely go to supporting Free Week and Hot Summer Nights. But it will also go to an economic analysis. One of the things people kept saying is 'What is the economic impact of your district?' So this will help leverage us for other future funding opportunities through brands or donors."

It's not just about urgent needs, now. RRCD is also planning to start work on a new "cultural history project" showcasing the area's lasting value to locals.

"We want to start diving into the musical heritage of the Red River Cultural District and start telling the stories," says Klepadlo. "Many of these venues were different venues than they are today; we've had a lot of musicians who got their start here back in the 70s."

Some of the venues and businesses involved in the RRCD include the Waterloo Amphitheater, Mohawk, Cheer Up Charlies, Stubbs, Valhalla, The 13th Floor, Elysium, Empire Control Room and Garage, Creek and Cave, Chess Club, Swan Dive, Barbarella, Flamingo Cantina, various food trucks, restaurants, and groups like the German Texas Heritage Society, the First Baptist Church, and the Austin Symphony. All told, there are about 40 businesses that are engaged on a regular basis.

Of course, it wasn't always like this. After a wave of venue closures back in 2015, a group of music venue representatives, small businesses, and members of cultural institutions all got together for one of Klepadlo's "favorite meetings" at The Mohawk.

"Back then there were over 12 independent live music venues, so there was a lot of competition," she says. "But we were all sitting around this table at Mohawk realizing, 'We've got to band together.' And that has morphed into forging this unified voice and collective, that has really ended up identifying the needs for this particular place. Not just for locals, but for jobs and tourism."

A meeting at Mohawk back in 2015 helped form what the RRCD is today.Photo from redriverculturaldistrict.org.

Another of the RRCD's hopes is that it can keep the vibe of the area intact going forward, even through the fast development is sweeping across the east side of downtown. Organizers want to collaborate with the city to make sure the district stays there (and stays cool) for years to come.

When asked if there might be something the RRCD could do to prevent venues from getting bulldozed and replaced by condos or something, Klepadlo replies, "We wish."

Right now RRCD hasn't gotten the traction or support it'd like in order to ensure that future development in the area honors what the district is all about. But Klepadlo is hopeful.

"This funding gives me hope that as we start to think about what happens to the eastern part of downtown, there will be a Red River Cultural District that looks like it does today; only more vibrant," she says. "I'm really excited to see where things go from here."

Aside from this new funding from the City of Austin, this year's Free Week is also supported by sponsors and partners like Airbnb, Austin Chronicle, KUTX 98.9 FM, Downtown Austin Alliance, The Moody Center’s Red River Rising, and many more.

The music lineup for Free Week will be revealed soon, as well as a new lineup of food and drink promotions. CultureMap will share updates as they're available.

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