From 11th street and beyond, Rally Austin is blazing trails to keep the city’s arts scene alive

Plans to revitalize two acres of city-owned land on East 11th Street are finally materializing, as Austin’s Economic Development Corporation makes moves to get brand new mixed-use developments up and running by 2028.

Bound by Franklin’s Barbecue to the west and Victory Grill to the east, the project is slated to bring space for local businesses and restaurants, music and art venues, an African American Cultural Heritage facility, and over 100 units of affordable housing. Leaders of the city’s Economic Development Corporation, now rebranded as Rally Austin, joined Historic Landmark Commissioners last week for an update.

“[The project] was selected by the Urban Renewal Board to truly reflect what has been lost in that neighborhood for a long time, including Black culture, Black residents and creative workers, as well as many other East Austin residents that have been displaced,” said Chief Transactions Officer Anne Gatling Haynes. “This is a really exciting and vibrant street…and we’re trying to really make sure that the cultural history of the district is within this new project.”

Efforts to revitalize the parcels date back to the late 90’s, when Austin’s Urban Renewal Board hatched plans for reinvestment in the 11th and 12th Street corridors, which once had been a flourishing hub for local businesses and the East Austin music scene. While their enthusiasm initially bore fruit in projects like Urdy Plaza and the rehabilitation of the Haehnel Building, the effort would later lose steam, leaving most of their vision unrealized.

Now, the team at Pleasant Hill Collaborative is seeking to make a comeback, with plans to construct 13,000 square feet of commercial space and 27,000 square feet of cultural space intended to welcome back the Black business and arts scene that once defined the area. The developer also plans to partner with institutions like Huston-Tillotson University, with the goal of reserving part of the project’s 145,000 square feet of residential space for student housing.

Since forming in 2020, Rally Austin has proved itself an effective steward of Austin’s cultural revitalization efforts. As manager of the city’s Cultural Trust Fund, the group has secured long term lease and acquisition agreements for venues Hole in the Wall and Empire Control Room, and is gearing up to rehabilitate and expand city art facilities like the Museum of Human Achievement and Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex. The group is also planning a brand new gallery and studio space at the city’s Planning and Development Center, alongside a new venue and rehearsal space for the Austin Playhouse theater group.

Haynes says she hopes Rally Austin can continue to address the needs of cultural spaces in Austin’s challenging real estate market, which quickly challenged the department’s initial $19.4 million dollar budget. To that end, Haynes says they are considering bringing forth a bond proposal for the 2026 election.

“Our initial investments in arts and culture have primarily been theater spaces that are working spaces with supportive infrastructure, but we’re losing a lot of places where people do day-to-day work,” Haynes said. “So what we really wanna make sure of is that we’ve got affordable workspaces for artists and creative professionals to stay in the city.”

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