The Urban Transportation Commission has voted to support the proposed transformation of most of the downtown portion of Congress Avenue, turning much of the street into a pedestrian- and multimodal-focused corridor and removing almost all vehicular traffic. The recommendation to City Council was approved at the commission’s meeting earlier this week. The Congress Avenue Urban […]
Congress Avenue
Congress Avenue is the central-most road in downtown Austin. It runs from the Texas State Capitol to Lady Bird Lake, where it turns into South Congress Avenue. It is also a historic district first listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Posted inRoads
Ambitious proposal for Congress Avenue includes pedestrian plazas, bike lanes
At its meeting last week, City Council’s Mobility Committee learned the details of a proposed ambitious redesign and reconstruction plan for Congress Avenue, which would convert the avenue into a more pedestrian-focused area over a number of possible phases. The project could fully transform Congress Avenue from Riverside Drive to 11th Street, creating pedestrian plazas, […]
Posted inPlanning
Effort to reimagine Congress Avenue hits design benchmark
The city’s Downtown Commission heard an update on the Congress Avenue redesign project at its regular meeting last week. The Congress Avenue Urban Design Initiative is a partnership between the city of Austin and the Downtown Austin Alliance to reimagine the stretch between Riverside Drive and 11th Street known as the “Main Street of Texas.” […]
Posted inEnvironment
Environmental commissioners want to preserve Congress Avenue trees
At its regular meeting this month, members of the city’s Environmental Commission urged planners to prioritize saving as many trees as possible in the reimagining of Congress Avenue. The questions came after a staff briefing on the Congress Avenue Urban Design Initiative. This is the first time the commission had heard an update on the […]
Posted inPreservation
Landmark commission makes no exceptions for sign standards on Congress Avenue
Austin-based health care provider Curative will have to rethink its storefront design thanks to the Historic Landmark Commission, which unanimously voted last week to reject signage for the startup’s flagship clinic on Congress Avenue. The rejected proposal would have rendered Curative’s logo in 72 square feet of halo-lit white vinyl lettering on the lowermost facade […]
Posted inPreservation
Dilapidated Congress Avenue buildings move one step closer to reconstruction
After a yearslong saga, the owner of three run-down buildings at 907, 909 and 911 Congress Avenue will finally be able to reconstruct the buildings’ facades. On Sept. 14, the Planning Commission overruled a decision by the Historic Landmark Commission prohibiting facade reconstruction for 909 Congress, paving the way for all three buildings to be […]
Posted inPreservation
Landmark commission denies Congress building owner’s request for mural
Last month, the Historic Landmark Commission discussed a proposal to install an eye-catching, soccer-themed mural at 506 Congress Ave. The mural, which would have been completed by the artist Ruben Sánchez, was noteworthy because it would be located near the Robinson-Rosner Building and the Scarbrough Building in the Congress Avenue Historic District. At the time, […]
Posted inPreservation
Landmark commission postpones decision on Congress mural
A building at 506 Congress Ave., just a few blocks from the Texas Capitol, could soon be the site of a new mural – but not before additional review. A proposal to paint a mural with a soccer motif on the facade of the building was the topic of discussion at the Historic Landmark Commission’s […]
Posted inRoads
New changes to Congress Avenue mark step toward permanent street redesign
Austin Transportation is installing the first of many temporary safety and mobility additions to Congress Avenue this week as the interim step toward the city’s complete redesign project launched in 2017. During the four- to six-week phased installation process, the city plans to add dedicated right-turn lanes, shorter pedestrian crosswalks, protected pedestrian intersections, simplified lanes […]
Posted inTransportation
More walkable Congress Avenue vision gaining traction
An innovative framework meant to help reinvigorate Congress Avenue downtown has earned the favor of the Urban Transportation Commission. The framework was developed by the Pedestrian Advisory Council in May as a way to allow experimentation with pedestrian-friendly policies through trial and error. “We don’t know what the future holds,” PAC Vice Chair Adam Greenfield […]
Posted inPreservation
Three Congress storefronts will soon be dismantled
For over a decade, three properties at 907, 909 and 911 Congress Ave. have stood vacant as they awaited a plan to restore their original facades. In September of 2006, two of the properties were approved for dismantling, but now the owner, Dalton Wallace, has approached the Historic Landmark Commission to ask that all three […]
Posted inAustin
Ciclovia on hold while parking proposal creates controversy on Congress Avenue
The dream of shutting down Congress Avenue for a daylong bicycle festival is in a state of suspended animation. City Council made a step toward the idea just over a year ago when it voted on a resolution directing the city manager to explore the potential costs related to the event known as a Ciclovia. […]