Austin Tries A Waterfront High Rise (Again)

"Today's City Council is comparatively more engaged with urban planning, especially promoting Downtown density. And in 2007, after seeing redeveloped areas such as the 2nd Street District, local developers now better understand the economic benefits to their projects of larger-scale urban planning, notes city planner Michael Knox. This month, ROMA is embarking on a Downtown Master Plan, to be completed by year's end; the intention is to develop binding new development standards that can be incorporated into code and thus given the force of law. With multiple large-scale Town Lake projects in the city approvals pipeline, many see a pressing need – once again – for a cohesive, perhaps New Urbanist, plan to guide redevelopment of the privately owned land along Town Lake. In this climate, suddenly the ROMA study and recommendations are of fresh interest to developers, city planners, council members, and the city boards and commissions that grant variances to developers. "It would certainly be worth going back to the ROMA study or something like it," said Knox of the South Shore Central area. As he sees the challenge today: 'What are the trade-offs for getting better development, and preserving the corridor, but not at the expense of no development?' "