Future of Georgian Acres Mobility Hub still up in the air, with final updates to come this spring

Georgian Acres, a neighborhood in far Northeast Austin, is what is known as a “transit desert.” First coined in 2013 as an extension of the concept of a food desert – an area where there is a dearth of grocery stores and healthy food options – a transit desert refers to the exact conditions Georgian Acres finds itself in. It’s a roughly 2-square-mile area boxed in by U.S. Highway 183 and Interstate 35, making it hard for residents to access anything but the highways, despite the proximity of major hub North Lamar Transit Center. In 2021, UT-Austin and the Austin Transportation Department aimed to address that lack head-on with a pilot “mobility hub,” which would include a circulator van, micromobility options like e-bikes and scooters, Wi-Fi and electric vehicle charging stations. In the intervening years, however, residents have noticed a distinct lack of change to the area despite the big plans. So what does exist there, and what is to become of the mobility hub plan?

In an email to the Austin Monitor, a spokesperson for ATD wrote that no changes have been made to the infrastructure of the site since the pilot began in 2021, though minor changes are pending “related to Wi-Fi installation and route maintenance.” Existing features that were built in 2021 include solar-lighted benches, ride hailing and various charging capacities, according to the city. At the time of the project’s inception, resi­dents indicated that they wanted a bike-share system, which did eventually come to pass. As for the EV charging stations, the city says, “this proved to be beyond project logistics and funding capacity.” 

The proposed circulator van idea – two retired Capital Metro buses – was initially slated to run at intervals like a regular bus, but for the immediate neighborhood, traveling from the mobility hub to nearby destinations like the Transit Center or the closest grocery store. That idea largely fizzled, according to the city, which told the Monitor that the bus “stopped prior to the pilot completion only as a result of project funding constraints. Usage and survey data shows that it was successful in terms of community use and satisfaction, with some community members using it daily and/or hundreds of times while in operation.” 

However, per the city, ATD and Public Works are “not a transit-service provider and cannot provide this service on a permanent basis.” That raises the question: Who will? The city says “a local non-profit or organization can certainly resume the service and the site is available now for any organization interested in doing so.” At the project’s inception, the nonprofit Jail to Jobs, which is based in Georgian Acres and provides employment opportunities to youth transitioning out of the criminal justice system, was subcontracting with the city to staff the mobility hub, drive buses and maintain the bike-share and scooters. It’s unclear if Jail to Jobs would be able to run the van, but the city also noted that “The City of Austin Neighborhood Partnering Program could be a potential avenue for a neighborhood organization to pursue options as well.”

Instead, the city says, the community and UT’s input indicated that an on-demand service would be preferable. That and other updates to the project will be shared later this spring. A community meeting that will be announced soon will present the final findings of UT’s research, a discussion of the future status of the hub and an update on affordable housing site plans.  

Another potential issue with the final version of the hub is that there is an affordable housing development slated to be built directly adjacent to the property, which the city says “may require relocation of the hub due to permitting concerns. The Austin Housing Finance Corporation is currently developing its 5-year disposition strategy for this site and others across its portfolio to determine a timeline for development.” As for where the hub could be relocated to, the city says community input and “GIS analysis (will) determine where a new hub should be located and what features should be included.”

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Posted In: Transportation, District 4