Blocks 16 & 18

Facilitating the transformative equitable development of two key parcels on East 11th Street— East Austin’s historic center of the African American Heritage Cultural District.

 The Austin Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) has been engaged by the Urban Renewal Board of the City of Austin to facilitate real estate transaction support on key parcels within the Urban Renewal District. The development of ‘Blocks 16 and 18’ has been under discussion since 1999 and once developed, these parcels are intended to complete the vision for the district as a significant mixed-use vibrant gateway between East Austin and Downtown imbued with the cultural identity of the historic African American Cultural Heritage District. The development of these blocks will complement surrounding neighborhoods within the historic Six Square District. The work builds on many years of engagement and planning efforts (1999, 2012, 2019, and recent Urban Renewal Plan/NCCD alignment work, as well as the process in 2022 and 2023 leading up to the Request for Proposal process now underway).

A Request for Proposal (RFP) was launched in August 2023, after a nine-month pre-development process that included community engagement, site planning analysis and financial analysis to assure a market feasible project. The RFP was structured into two phases—the first phase focused on development team qualifications and vision, and the second phase focused on project details and financials, and developer’s ability to execute these projects and assure community objectives as stated in the RFP.

UPDATE 7.18.24: City of Austin Council Approves Developer Selection, Urban Renewal Agency recommendation. Next steps will be announced soon. Please sign up on the mailing list or attend a monthly public Urban Renewal Board meeting.

This meeting was an opportunity for the development teams advancing through Phase II to showcase their respective proposals, reflecting the progress and refinements made since Phase One. The presentation aimed to address feedback received from the first phase, outline detailed execution strategies, and discuss the anticipated community impact. This interaction with the Urban Renewal Board was crucial, as their recommendations will influence the Austin City Council's decisions on the project's future. Below find the two recorded presentations:

PHASE 1 RFP UPDATE 1/22/2024: Advancing Teams, Public Presentations & Community Feedback Survey

After concluding Phase I of the Request for Proposals (RFP), the Urban Renewal Agency and the AEDC are advancing two development teams to the Phase 2 process.  Phase I was focused on team composition, development program,  and vision, and Phase II will be focused on financial proposals as well as project execution strategies.  Both teams will be evaluated on evaluation criteria as published in a Phase II RFP document that will be distributed shortly.

Below, please find a video update by AEDC to describe where we are in the process, and what is to come. Additionally, both development teams were asked to summarize their proposals and visions in the video presentations and slide decks below. The current videos provide a glimpse, and your comments are crucial in shaping the final proposals. We invite you to share your thoughts in the survey (button below).

Your input will be shared with the teams, facilitating a more comprehensive response in Phase 2 of the RFP. Please note, that there will be future opportunities for the public to interact with developers and explore their visions. Updates on the mechanics of this will be shared on this site as we move into Phase 2, slated to commence in February 2024.

 Please see all prior videos/presentations and reports at the bottom of this page in the drop down menus.

Community Update Phase 1 Results

Slide Deck

Team Principals: Austin Revitalization Authority & Legacy Commercial Real Estate

Team Principals: Servitas & Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation

Make your voice heard! Click the button below to access the Community Voice Survey. Respond based on the videos above and the accompanying slide decks, available for a response from January 22nd to January 31st, 2024.**

** Extended through February 9th

Survey Closed

Questions ?

Send an email to Anne@austinedc.org.

RFP Phase I & II Project Page

*The Drawing above is conceptual and serves illustrative purposes only

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