Mayor expresses opposition to amphitheater, parking garages in Zilker Park Vision Plan

Mayor Kirk Watson on Tuesday expressed strong opinions about the Zilker Park Vision Plan, particularly areas of the plan that have already caused controversy.

Watson wrote in his “Watson Wire” email that he was opposed to putting a proposed 5,000-seat amphitheater on the Great Lawn, which would replace the aging Hillside Theater.

The mayor wrote, “We’ve proven you don’t need such a thing to have amazing shows there. And we just opened a pretty cool amphitheater in downtown at Waterloo Park. Plus, we can, and should, upgrade and make improvements at the current Hillside Theatre.”

He also said he does not support putting parking garages in the park, claiming that there are better options.

Watson said in his email that City Council would discuss the plan at its Aug. 29 work session. The plan will be on its Aug. 31 agenda, when Council will hear from the public.

In addition to his concerns about certain aspects of the plan, Watson said, “It’s important to note that there is no money to pay for the proposed vision plan – and it would be very expensive at a time when Austin has several parks all over town that need significant improvements. Serious consideration needs to be given to the equity of paying for this proposal before making changes and improvements elsewhere.”

The Austin Monitor asked the principal designer of the plan, Claire Hempel of Design Workshop, about whether the current theater could be refurbished. She said that she could understand the desire to keep the theater in the same place, “but the reality is the theater cannot be upgraded from an electrical perspective,” because it is in the floodplain.

Hempel told the Monitor that the city can make some “minor improvements, maybe, but what we’re hearing from the (Parks and Recreation Department) staff and others who use the stage is a desire for future programming that can’t be accommodated at its current location.”

Neither Watson nor the five Council members who responded to the Monitor’s request for comment expressed any interest in accommodating larger audiences.

Council Member Ryan Alter told the Monitor that he thinks the theater is where it needs to be. In order to accommodate more attendees, he said, the theater may need to increase the number of shows that it puts on. Alter, who represents District 5 near the park, said that he thinks the theater can be renovated in an environmentally responsible way. He stressed the benefits of the current location, including the amount of shade provided by the tree canopy. Alter said that he thought some changes needed to be made but noted the possibility of ripple effects.

Council members Mackenzie Kelly and Leslie Pool also expressed reservations about proposed changes. Pool said that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” adding that the theater area may need better security measures. Both Kelly and Pool rejected the idea of putting parking garages in Zilker.

Kelly said she has been coming to Zilker for her entire life, and she has always known that she would have to find another place to park or take public transportation. She also opposed any outside group having control over the park. Watson made clear in his email that he would never support a change in governance; the plan does not say the city should give such duties to another entity.

Hempel said it was not part of the plan to do that, although other groups have taken responsibility for ensuring that city trails are maintained in other parks.

The plan contains proposals for rewilding, by adding more native plants and making changes to how people reach the water at the so-called Barking Springs wading area next to Barton Springs Pool. Pool said she favors those aspects of the plan, and Watson agreed, writing that part of the plan “preserves Zilker and helps us achieve our climate goals.” The idea of rewilding areas of the park has been championed in part by a coalition of the Save Our Springs Alliance, Zilker Neighborhood Association and the Barton Hills Neighborhood Association.

After Watson’s email came out, the Save Our Springs Alliance responded with a statement praising the mayor’s position and urging supporters to mark their calendars for Aug. 31.

Mayor Pro Tem Paige Ellis, whose District 8 includes the park, told the Monitor via email, “I look forward to continuing discussions with my colleagues as the Zilker Park Vision Plan makes its way to City Council. I’m committed to ensuring Zilker Metropolitan Park is accessible to everyone and that the vision plan supports the needs of all who use the park. I will only support a proposal that improves the park’s environmental protections and maintains City ownership and management.”

Council Member Zo Qadri said via email, “I’m on the record expressing my concerns about certain elements of the vision plan, but I have also been clear that this document is just that: A vision plan. None of it is binding, and none of it will be implemented until after we’ve secured funding and had more community conversations. And I agree that, as far as parks investments are concerned, we have higher priorities for the foreseeable future. However, I recognize that Zilker is a cherished public gathering space for all Austinites and I hope we can find a way to cut through the misinformation swirling around this process to help it grow and evolve with the changing city around it.”

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license.

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Posted In: City Council, Environment, Parks, District 8