featured in Towers | The City’s Long-Awaited St. John Housing Plan Polishes Up Its Park

Rendering above: Lemmo Architecture and Design

The City of Austin is making strides in redeveloping a 19-acre land assembly in the historic St. John neighborhood. This project has been a long time coming, with the site—originally purchased in 2008 and 2013—sitting vacant for years. However, the wait is almost over as the city moves forward with plans to transform this area into a vibrant mixed-use development.

The redevelopment will include 526 multifamily residences, with 50% of these units dedicated to affordable housing. In addition to housing, the project will feature community-focused commercial areas and publicly accessible open spaces. The design also expands the existing St. John Pocket Park, nearly tripling its size to create a larger recreational area complete with walking trails and a splash pad.

The project has seen several iterations, with the most recent design reflecting a more thoughtful and inspired layout. The new design emphasizes pedestrian access, relocates retail buildings away from highway frontage, and enhances the connection to the park space at the rear of the site.

This effort is a testament to what can be achieved through collaboration between community organizers, city officials, developers, and consulting teams. Council Member José “Chito” Vela of District 4 praised the project as a shining example of how diverse stakeholders can work together on a financially viable and locally beneficial development that will serve as a neighborhood amenity for current and future Austinites.

As the project works through the permitting process, it’s expected to break ground as early as next year. Meanwhile, the city is finalizing the design of the public park space, with public input being actively solicited.

Stay tuned for more updates on this development, and if you want to dive deeper into the details, finish reading the full article on Towers here.