1999: The Urban Renewal Plan

The Urban Renewal Plan was designed to cover two areas: East 11th Street from the highway to Rosewood and East 12th Street from the highway to Poquito St., one block past Chicon St., where Sam’s BBQ is. East 11th was designated an entertainment and shopping hub. East 12th was envisioned as a street of small businesses, offices, and new and existing single-family homes. The city was able to draw down federal loan financing from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development thanks to the plan and created what was called the Tri-Party Agreement.

The “parties” of the Tri-Party Agreement were the City, the ARA, and the Urban Renewal Board, a dormant agency revived for purposes of the agreement and held the title on the properties on East 11th and 12th, had eminent domain authority to get more, and was run by the city. The agency had been used in the 1960s and 1970s to take entire blocks of land from residents in East Austin to create parks, schools, hospitals, and more. That displacement, called “urban removal” by those forced to sell their homes at unfair prices, was something city leaders stressed would not happen again.

The Urban Renewal Plan was finally completed and adopted at the end of 1999

Interesting Fact: The gateway arch received an exemption from the Capitol View Corridor: under state law, redevelopment on 11th Street below an elevation of 600 feet pursuant to the East 11th and 12th Streets Redevelopment Program is exempt from complying with the view corridors (Texas Government Code § 3151.003(2)).

2003: The Arnold Bakery located at 1010 East 11th Street was a beloved community spot for fresh baked goods and donuts. The building had fallen into disrepair and the Austin Revitalization Authority purchased the building as part of the redevelopment plan. ARA sold the historic landmark to a graphic design business at a below-market price on the condition that it be restored according to the Secretary of the Interior’s historic preservation standards within 12 months. The project was completed in 2003.