Public input is now live for the Cypress & Shoal Creek Public Space Strategy

April 22, 2020  | By Shoal Creek Conservancy

Shoal Creek Conservancy and Downtown Austin Alliance begin community engagement and design process for Cypress & Shoal Creek Public Space Strategy

Austinites encouraged to participate in survey; project will  create new public spaces, and improve safety and connectivity

AUSTIN, Texas —  Shoal Creek Conservancy (SCC) is partnering with the Downtown Austin Alliance (Downtown Alliance) the City of Austin, and key community stakeholders to move the Cypress & Shoal Creek Public Space Strategy from vision to construction. The project goal is to not only to create a series of inviting public spaces, but also to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety, trail connectivity and more, along 3rd Street from Nueces to Seaholm Drive.

The project name is inspired by the historical name for 3rd Street, originally known as “Cypress Street”.

“Cypress & Shoal Creek sits at the gateway to many critical community resources and major public investments such as the Central Library, the Seaholm Power Plant redevelopment, and the Butler Hike and Bike Trail,” Dewitt Peart, president and CEO of the Downtown Austin Alliance, said. “The Downtown Austin Alliance is pleased to help move this important connectivity and multimodal transportation project closer to reality, and we look forward to hearing from the community.”

The first phase of community engagement will now be fully online due to the pandemic response and opens on April 20th and closes on May 10th. Austinites are asked to visit shoalcreek.mysocialpinpoint.com/cypress-shoal-creek to take the survey on how they currently use this area (including before social distancing guidelines were put into place), as well as opportunities to improve experiences.

A second phase of engagement will take place during June with exact dates to be announced. The final conceptual design, construction cost estimates and the phasing strategy will be produced by August.

“Making this rapidly transforming area of downtown easier and safer to navigate on foot and by bike is fundamental to ensuring everyone has access to these community resources and outdoor spaces,” Ivey Kaiser, executive director of Shoal Creek Conservancy, said. “When the Cypress & Shoal Creek vision is brought to life, it will greatly improve and reenergize this space that we all rely on for transportation, exercise, relaxation, and a connection to our city’s natural spaces.”

Improvements to the Cypress & Shoal Creek area were community-identified priorities in the 2018 Shoal Creek Trail Plan, a collective vision for the future of the 11-mile Shoal Creek Trail corridor facilitated by Shoal Creek Conservancy and guided by 75+ community stakeholder groups. These improvements include the creation of a series of public plazas along 3rd Street from Nueces to Seaholm Drive, ecological restoration, wayfinding signage, and trail and bikeway connectivity projects.

Specific project elements include:

  • Rehabilitation of the nearly century-old railroad trestle as a public park and scenic overlook.
  • Improving the public space in front of Third + Shoal and 360 Condo buildings
  • Improving the public space next to the Independent condominium
  • Improving the public space along 3rd Street adjacent to the Seaholm Residences
  • Habitat restoration and streambank stabilization from the Central Library to West Avenue
  • Creation of thoughtful connections to the Seaholm Waterfront and Republic Square
  • Construction of a new bike/pedestrian bridge spanning Shoal Creek at 3rd Street.
  • Creation of a new Shoal Creek Trail route passing under the 3rd Street bike/pedestrian bridge and trestle
  • Completing a missing link of the Lance Armstrong Bikeway between Nueces Street and Seaholm Drive
  • Creation of a bike/pedestrian pathway under the active Union Pacific rail line to connect 3rd Street to the Butler Hike and Bike Trail (known as the Bowie Street Underpass)

To take the survey and learn more, visit shoalcreek.mysocialpinpoint.com/cypress-shoal-creek.

About Shoal Creek Conservancy

SCC brings to life Austin’s 11-mile Shoal Creek corridor. We restore fishable, swimmable waters, empower the public to steward Shoal Creek, and spearhead on-the-ground improvements that make Shoal Creek and its Trail safer, more accessible, and more inspiring places to be. We envision Shoal Creek Trail and Bikeway as part of a citywide network of urban trails that makes being active a fun, easy, and daily choice for all Austinites. For more information, visit www.shoalcreekconservancy.org.

About Downtown Austin Alliance

The Downtown Austin Alliance (Downtown Alliance) works with key downtown stakeholders—property owners, residents, business owners, community organizations and government officials—to advance our collective vision for the future of downtown Austin. The Downtown Alliance is engaged in dozens of projects and issues that contribute to the safety, cleanliness, and appeal of downtown Austin to residents, employees and visitors. As a full-time advocate for downtown, the Downtown Alliance is actively engaged in planning decisions that impact the area. We also advance downtown’s vision through direct services supporting safety and cleanliness. For more information, please visit www.downtownaustin.com.

About the Cypress & Shoal Creek Project

Improvements to the Cypress & Shoal Creek area were community-identified priorities in the 2018 Shoal Creek Trail Plan. The culmination of year-long public process spearheaded by SCC in partnership with the City of Austin, the Trail Plan represents a collective vision for the future of the Shoal Creek corridor crafted by 75+ community stakeholder groups. The Trail Plan envisions a seamless, connected pathway along the entire 11-mile Shoal Creek corridor from Lady Bird Lake all the way to the Northern Walnut Creek Trail, integrating Shoal Creek into a citywide network of urban trails.