Episcopal Church hatches development plan

Today, the Episcopal Church announced that it is seeking a development partner for the parking lot located at Seventh and Trinity streets downtown. The block, which is owned by the church, has the potential for over 600,000 square feet of developable space, though part of the block is within the Capitol View Corridor, which limits development height to 75 feet in some parts, according to a press release about the move. That statement also read, in part, “The Episcopal Church’s vision includes office, residential, and retail uses with generous parking – a vision that would provide space for the Archives of The Episcopal Church. The Church looks forward to an enhanced Archives facility being part of the development as a place Episcopalians gather to learn from, reflect on, and build upon their heritage stretching back to this country’s foundation and beyond that to the English Reformation.” The Episcopal Church will be represented by the Rev. Canon Lang Lowrey III as asset manager, and Clinton Sayers II and Paul Byars with Sayers & Associates as real estate brokers. “We welcome proposals from those in the development community who appreciate that the path to The Episcopal Church’s Archives must come out of this transaction,” said Lowrey in the press release. “This property sits at the crux of three distinct districts: Austin’s creative scene with the Red River District and East Austin, its burgeoning medical district to the north and the tech and hospitality anchors downtown already provides,” he continued. “We believe that the Trinity Block promises the largest development opportunity in downtown.”