Planning staff spells out steps for preservation and coordination in 78702 and beyond

The city is preparing to move forward with a long-term planning effort that would coordinate public and cultural investments in a portion of East Austin seen as under threat of gentrification and other growth pressures. A new memo from the Planning Department issued last week responds to a 2024 City Council resolution directing staff to catalog public properties, identify historically significant private sites in the 78702 zip code.

The resolution passed unanimously by Council last April sought to address concerns over fragmentation and missed opportunities in how city assets and programs have been managed in the historically Black and Latino neighborhoods of Central East Austin. The resolution also called for possible restructuring of city boards and commissions that serve East Austin, focusing on the area bounded by Interstate 35, Martin Luther King Boulevard, Airport Boulevard, and Lady Bird Lake.

While discussing the measure last year, Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison, who represents District 1 and part of the designated area, described the initiative as a way to bring coordination, transparency, and accountability to public investment. Community advocates and cultural groups voiced support then and hoped to prevent further displacement, preserve neighborhood character, and activate neglected city-owned spaces.

In the year since, staff inventoried the programs and assets within the 78702 ZIP code, with input from a dozen departments. The memo recommends expanding the scope of the project to include the adjacent 78721 ZIP code under a unified district-level planning process to be known as the “North River/ East District Plan Area.”
Planners said this approach would align with citywide goals under Imagine Austin and mirror the structure being piloted in the Northeast Planning District.

The proposed planning area would stretch from I-35 to Ed Bluestein/US 183 and from Manor Road to Lady Bird Lake. Staff said the expanded planning effort would allow the city to coordinate land use policies, mobility infrastructure, affordable housing strategies, and preservation of cultural landmarks across neighborhoods experiencing similar pressures from growth and redevelopment​.

A series of appendices included with the memo catalog both city-owned facilities and historically significant sites including libraries such as the Willie Mae Kirk and Terrazas branches, both flagged for major upgrades to expand digital literacy and emergency response capacity. The inventory also identifies more than 50 historic properties, including the Victory Grill, Rosewood Courts, Carver Museum, and dozens of private homes with historic or cultural significance to East Austin’s Black and Latino communities​.

The report also documents city-supported housing projects with affordability requirements, public health and nutrition programs operating out of neighborhood centers, and infrastructure sites such as decommissioned lift stations and substations.

Planning staff has collected unmet capital needs and emerging priorities, such as relocating the city’s fleet maintenance hub to free up space for mixed-use redevelopment. An initial scope of work spells out likely roles for consultants on addressing issues such as land use, cultural preservation, placemaking, health equity, and coordination with the upcoming I-35 reconstruction.

Planning staff will work with the city’s pool of pre-approved consultants to develop cost estimates for the district plan, with a preliminary budget update expected by the end of this month. The city will then evaluate available funding and staffing resources before submitting a formal budget request for the 2025–2027 cycle. If approved, the full planning process is anticipated to take 18 to 21 months from launch to completion and possible Council approval.

In addition to the planning work, staff also recommend that decisions about consolidating relevant boards and commissions be addressed through a broader citywide review of governance bodies. That effort, authorized by a separate resolution, could result in the merging or elimination of boards and commissions and aims to clarify the scope and responsibilities of advisory groups across the city. Staff noted that any restructuring that affects boards tied to East Austin should be integrated into this broader governance overhaul​.

The staff response includes a draft scope of work and a catalog of city assets in the 78702 area, including library branches, community health centers, housing developments, cultural landmarks, and infrastructure sites. It also identifies programming gaps and opportunities for redevelopment or public activation. Planners said the effort will include a robust community engagement process tailored to address the area’s diverse populations and historical context.

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license.

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