TOWN LAKE PARK COMPREHENSIVE PLAN EXHIBIT "A*

Transcription

1 TOWN LAKE PARK COMPREHENSVE PLAN EXHBT "A*

2 Frank C. Cooksey Mayor John Trevno, Jr. Mayor Pro Ttm Councl Members MaxNofzger Smoot Carl-Mtchell Sally Shpman George Humphrey Charles E. Urdy 1 Austn Cty Councl 1 1 John Ware Actng Cty Manager Lbby Watson Aartrtant Cty Manager Charles Jordan Dfroctar, Parks mot Rocroaton DtpartaMUt ato ^r A report of a study conducted by: Johnson, Johnson ft Roy/roc. and Lawrence W. Speck Assocates, nc. wth Glass Envronmental Consultants, nc. Halcyon Ltd. Project for Publc Spaces, nc. Dr. Sandra Rosenbloom Brochure Desgn by SmthTaylor Desgn, Dallas, Texas 4?B& gssr The Chy of Aate <JOM not dhcmnab en the bmm of cugoq. no, color, mttoul offn, gender, t t or hmfup MnuMMo or MOCM to, or MMDMC or CMfnoymMt n, t pfo nab or CUVM. robmm or qmttna ouy b* dbcdedtoejohn Kstter. Gty of Auta PARD. P.O. Box OS«, AM**. TMH 7S767. (phone: 312/ )

3 ntroducton 4 Baselne Stuaton 7 Land Use 7 Natural Features 10 Vsual Features ; 13 Park Character 13 Park Use 15 Water Qualty and Hydrology 18 Transportaton ssues \ 20 Economc Stakeholder Analyss 23 Concluson ; 26 Plan Concept 28 A Vson for Town Lake Park 28 Fve Park Types 29 Parkland Expansons 35 Land Use 38 Urban Desgn 40 Plan Descrpton 43 MOPAC to Drake Brdge South Shore: An Overvew 43 Austn Nature Center and Zlker Botancal Garden 48 McBeth Recreaton Center 50 Central Zlker 50 Barton Sprngs Pool Area 52 The Pecan Gardens 55 Audtorum Shores ; 58 North Shore: Lamar Boulevard to Shoal Creek 65 West Austn and Lamar Beach 65 Drake Brdge to nterstate 35 South Shore: Drake Brdge to E. Bouldn Creek 57 Twn Creeks Park 59 TOWN LAKE COMPREHENSVE PLAN CONTENTS

4 nterstate 35 to The Basn The Norwood Estate 69 North Shore: Raney Street Area 70 The Urban Waterfront 71 South Shore 75 The Basn.75 North Shore: Festval Beach/Festa Gardens 77 Longhom Dam to Montopols Brdge Colorado Rver Park/Kreg Feld 81 The East Preserve 87 _ Tom Mller Dam to MOPAC Elers Park/Deep Eddy ; 87 The West Preserve 89 Crculaton 91 mplementaton Program 95 Organzatonal Structure 96 Fundng Programs 98 Phasng...Z...'.'1...l. References...109

5 TOWN LAKE COMPREHENSVE PLAN ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Preparaton of the "Town Lake Comprehensve Plan" would not have been possble wthout the cooperaton and assstance of many. t s very much a product of teamwork and reflects contrbutons made by many departments, agences, busness organzatons, neghborhood assocatons, groups and ndvduals through sector meetngs, neghborhood dscussons, organzatonal meetngs, ndvdual conversatons and publc meetngs. Whle t s nfeasble to lst all of them here, the Consultant Team wshes to recognze the AustnPlan sectors wthn the Corrdor, the Waterfront Plannng Advsory Board, the Downtown Commsson, and the neghborhood assocatons who gave consderable tme and effort to the Plan's preparaton and revew. We wsh to express specal thanks to the Parks and Recreaton Department, ts Board, Drector, Staff and the Town Lake Coordnator for ther nvaluable gudance "and patent cooperaton throughout the entre study process. Johnson Johnson & Roy/nc. Lawrence W. Speck Assocates 5 December 1987

6 NTRODUCTON The Town Lake Comprehensve Plan s a contnuaton of a longstandng effort on the part of the ctzens of Austn to enhance and develop scenc parks and waterways n the heart of ther cty. Ths plannng effort s ntended to extend the nsghtful and successful vsons of many generatons of Austntes who have seen the Colorado Rver and Town Lake as a powerful nurturng feature for the cty. The ste of Austn was selected n 1839 for ts "front upon the Colorado Rver". The Edwn Waller plan whch followed that selecton orented the cty strongly to the rver, wth the spne of Congress Avenue lnkng the Captol on ts hll above wth the scenc and mportant rver below. Austn's dentty as the "Rver Cty" acknowledges the mportance of ths physcal symbol to the lfe of the communty. Yet, because the Colorado s unnavgable, Austn's utlzaton of the rver has never been commercally orented. The rver's prme attractons have always been scenc. For more than half a century Austntes have nvested an mpressve quantty of energy and resources n mantanng and mprovng ms outstandng natural feature whch s ther hertage. Begnnng wth the donaton of Zlker Park n the early 1930's, Austn has made a commtment to creatng a happy marrage of rver and parklands n the heart of the cty. The frst generaton of ths effort centered on the mportant confluence of Barton Creek and the Colorado Rver and ncluded the creaton of B arton Sprngs Pool, extensve clearng for pcnc and recreaton spaces, and constructon of buldngs, amphtheaters, outlooks, retanng walls, paths, and park furnture throughout Zlker Park. Stone for constructon by the Cvlan Conservaton Corps was quarred n the park, ncludng the ste of the present Austn Nature Center west of MOPAC. The Zlker clubhouse, the rfle range and the overlook at the far western edge of Zlker Park are remnants of ths era, as are the many crumbled runs of pcnc areas spread among the underbrush that now pervades the area. The second generaton of enhancement of the Town Lake area contrbuted a seres of mportant engneerng mprovements ntated n the 1950s and culmnated by the completon of Longhom Dam n Pror to that tme the Colorado Rver was serously flood-prone. Mud-flats along ts banks could not be developed because of seasonally fluctuatng water levels and the threat

7 of floods. Day quarres along the rver's edge had been allowed to mar ts natural beauty. At great expense and after much nvestment of cvc effort, Longhorn Dam contaned and created Town Lake -- a stable, scenc body of water whose banks could be mproved wth some dependablty aganst catastrophc destructon by flood. A thrd generaton of Town Lake actvsm took on the task of enhancng those newly created banks. n the 1960s and early 1970s ctzens lke Roberta Crenshaw, Jeanette Fsh, and Lady Brd Johnson spearheaded a movement whch created the Hke and Bke Tral along Town Lake, planted thousands of trees and shrubs and nstalled extensve park furnshngs. The marshallng of both publc and prvate funds for ths effort s partcularly mpressve as s the legacy we enjoy today of flowerng peaches and crapemyrdes whch have become a sgnature element for the dstrct. t s dffcult to magne Austn wthout such mportant symbols of the cty as Barton Sprngs Pool, the Hke and Bke Tral and Town Lake tself. And yet, wthout the dedcaton and nvestment of these three generatons, none of these mportant "natural" amentes of Austn would exst. Whle the potental for Town Lake Park was contrbuted by Mother Nature, many of the features Austntes treasure most today were acheved only through consderable cvc nvestment of energy and resources. Unfortunately, over the last decade that nvestment has dwndled notceable. Recent years have not seen the same knd of vsonary leap forward for Town Lake whch marked the past three generatons. The cty has grown enormously over the past ten years and the use of Town Lake and ts adjacent parklands has multpled agan and agan durng the perod. Whle publc support for the parks and Town Lake has remaned strong, no new ambtous programs have been forwarded to take ths valuable resource the next step n ts enhancement. n 1985 the Town Lake Task Force was establshed by the Cty Councl of Austn to address the ssue of mprovements to Town Lake. The Task Force ntated a broad new vew of the area whch, when developed, was to be an agenda for ths generaton's contrbuton to Town Lake. For the frst tme, the Task Force envsoned the whole of Town Lake, from Tom Mller Dam on the west to Montopols Brdge on the east, as a collecton of waterways and open spaces whch could become a Town Lake Park system. The product of ther effort, Town Lake Corrdor Study, dentfed communty goals and stated polces for future development and appearance of the waterfront.

8 A specfc Acton Prorty stated wthn Town Lake Corrdor Study called for "a long range comprehensve plan for the Corrdor addressng both the natve edge and water edge." Respondng n May, 1986, the Cty through ts Parks and Recreaton Department (PARD) retaned Johnson Johnson & Roy/nc. and Lawrence W. Speck Assocates, nc. to prepare the Town Lake Comprehensve Plan. Other members of the team ncluded Halcyon, Ltd., Project for Publc Spaces, nc., Dr. Sandra Rosenbloom and Glass Envronmental Consultants, nc. The report that follows s the result of an eghteen month perod of creatve plannng and desgn through an ntensve communty partcpaton process. Well over one hundred neghborhood meetngs, ntervews, group dscussons and consultatons have provded valuable nput nto the Plan. n addton, four cty-wde publc meetngs were held to receve deas, revew recommendatons and verfy decsons. The product gves new sgnfcance to Town Lake's role n Austn's future; t s an nterpretaton of the communty's aspratons nto a physcal plan and strategy to gude publc and prvate actons along ths exceptonal resource. The Plan s presented n several parts. The frst, Baselne Stuaton, establshes the bass of the Plan through descrptons of the natural and cultural envronment that exsts n the Corrdor and patterns of present park usage together wth economc perceptons and ctzen atttudes toward future development. The orgnal reports and raw data from whch these conclusons are drawn are contaned n a separate appendx volume, as are numerous techncal memorandums produced throughout the study. The second part, Plan Concept, presents gudng prncples and the desgn concept for Town Lake Park, whch combnes features selected from several optons. Recommendatons pertanng to parkland expanson, land use and urban desgn for areas adjacent to the park are also stated. The physcal plan for Town Lake Park s descrbed n detal n the thrd secton, Plan Descrpton, and a strategy for ts mplementaton s outlned n the fourth and fnal part, mplementaton Strategy.

9 BASELNE STUATON Land Use A wde range of vared land uses occur wthn the Town Lake Corrdor exhbtng varyng degrees of compatblty wth each other and surroundng uses. The Corrdor contans a total of approxmately 1900 acres. Dedcated parkland - land whch must be used for park purposes and whch cannot be sold, leased, traded or alenated wthout a publc referendum - makes up the largest sngle category of use, wth approxmately 815 acres occurrng adjacent to the lake. The largest and most heavly used park s Zlker Park on the south shore, whch ncludes the Austn Nature Center and thfe Zlker Botancal Gardens. Other large contguous park areas nclude Lamar Beach, Butler Shores, Audtorum Shores, Festval Beach, and Kreg Feld. Between these larger parks, a number of smaller parcels form an ncomplete lnkage system of smaller waterfront parks. The Corrdor s anchored wth parkland at ts east and west ends, respectvely, by Colorado Rver Park and Red Bud sle. Several major centers of recreatonal and socal actvty occur wthn the parklands, ncludng the Zlker Clubhouse, Deep Eddy Swmmng Pool, Barton Sprngs Swmmng Pool, and Festa Gardens. Three major publc utlty stes - Seaholm Power Plant, Green Water Treatment Plant and the Holly Street Power Plant - have been recently dedcated as parkland and are slated for park use when ther current uses end. The parks wthn the study area proper are lnked to the larger context of the cty's neghborhoods and extended park system by lnear greenbelt parks assocated wth Shoal, Waller, Barton, Johnson, and Blunn Creeks. The Hke and Bke Tral whch lnks these greenbelts wth Town Lake provdes access to much of the lake's parklands. ts potental as a recreatonal experence s lmted, however, by major gaps n the system, most notably from the Austn Amercan-Statesman ste to Kasuba Beach, and by a lmted number of lake crossngs. Publcly owned lands whch are not dedcated parkland comprse approxmately 180 acres of the study area. Many of these stes present opportuntes for enhancng ther relatonshps to adjacent parkland or for redevelopment wth a more sympathetc vew towards waterfront park com-

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12 patblty. These stes nclude Austn Hgh School, Cty Street and Brdge Yard, Rebekah Banes Johnson Resdental and Health Center (EMS Admnstraton), Martn Junor Hgh School, and the LCRA offces near Tom Mller Dam. nsttutonal uses comprse 246 acres of the study area. The hghly scenc and envronmentally senstve shorelne owned by the Unversty of Texas s currently naccessble to the general publc. These lands, part of a larger parcel known as the Brackenrdge Tract, are currently used by the Unversty for marred student housng and for the Unversty of Texas Brackenrdge Research Center. Publc access to ths shorelne could provde opportuntes for nature study and for vewng the most scenc reaches of the lake. Another sgnfcant nsttutonal faclty s the YMCA, a recreatonally-orented nsttuton that s partcularly compatble wth adjacent parklands. Offce and commercal uses make up 198 acres of the study area. The commercal core of Austn, ncludng the southern end of the Central Busness Dstrct, exerts a profound vsual mpact on the heart of Town Lake and provdes a sgnfcant number of daytme park users. Perhaps the greatest vsual mpact on the Corrdor s produced by a number of hgh-rse hotels near the shore n the commercal dstrct, ncludng the Sheraton Crest nn, the Hyatt Hotel, the Four Seasons Hotel and the Holday nn. Occupyng 96 acres of the study area, lght ndustral uses occur prmarly n the urban core and east of Longhorn Dam. The most sgnfcant of these are the Austn Amercan-Statesman on the south shore, a number of underutlzed ndustral stes mmedately below Longhorn Dam on the north shore and the new Superor Dary ste near Montopols Brdge. Scattered throughout the study area are 353 acres of resdental uses, ncludng sngle famly, mult-famly and traler parks. The Raney Street neghborhood s an hstorc dstrct whose unque character and proxm- ty to Town Lake and the CBD gve t specal potental for redevelopment and/or re vtalzaton. Traler parks occupy the "pecan groves", a stand of 400-plus magnfcent pecan trees strategcally located between the Zlker Park/Barton Creek area and the 54 acre Palmer Audtorum ste. Along Stratford Drve, large homes overlookng Town Lake have a sgnfcant vsual mpact on the scenc Balcones rock clffs. Across the lake, Unversty of Texas marred student housng s sted on the north shore. The Towers of Town Lake and the Rebekah Banes Johnson Resdental Center are two hgh rse resdental buldngs on the north shore. Nearby, the East Aus-

13 tn resdental area shares a common boundary wth parkland for several blocks. Numerous apartment complexes are located along the south shore between the Austn Amercan Statesman ste and Kasuba Beach, near the northernmost frnge of the Travs Heghts neghborhood along East Rversde Drve. n addton to these specfc areas, exstng neghborhoods surround the Town Lake Corrdor, and opportuntes to provde more resdental development - especally affordable housng - are beng sought by neghborhood organzatons and plannng advocates n East Austn and the Central Busness Dstrct. Natural Features Town Lake occurs wthn the transton of two major dstnct physographc zones. Those lands west of a lne whch runs roughly along Lamar Boulevard occur n the Edwards Plateau, a hlly regon whose domnant landscape characterstcs nclude thck, predomnantly natve vegetaton, dramatc topography, thn, poor sols and exposed rock. Those lands east of the lne occur n the Gulf Coastal Plan, characterzed by broad, gentle slopes, deeper sols and (wthn the Corrdor) predomnantly ntroduced vegetaton. Addtonally, the rver bottoms east of Longhom Dam (the Colorado Rver zone) exhbt a thrd dstnct landscape mage, due prmarly to the fact that here the rver s free flowng. Ths specal area s characterzed by natve rparan vegetaton, sleep-bluffs, gravel shoals and clear, shallow water. Natural landscape features domnate the character of much of the Edwards Plateau and Colorado Rver zones at the western and eastern ends of the study area, respectvely. A comprehensve lstng of natural resources found wthn the study area s ncluded n the Town Lake Corrdor Study. Many of the Corrdor's natural features, however, are partcularly noteworthy wth regard to park and land use plannng decsons and urban desgn alternatves, and are descrbed n the followng paragraphs. Nne major creeks connect wth Town Lake and the Colorado Rver wthn the study area, sx of whch carry greenbelt status and are accessble by trals. Barton Creek s an ecologcally sgnfcant canyon accessed by an eght mle nature tral and greenbelt. Blunn Creek, the most ecologcally ntact of the urban creeks, forms the structure of a lnear park wth recreaton and tral facltes. East and West Bouldn Creeks, two hghly urbanzed creeks, prmarly serve dranage functons. Wthn the Austn Nature Center, Dry Creek exhbts an nterestng escarpment. Across Town Lake n 10

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15 wth a marsh at ts mouth, Johnson Creek s an urbanzed greenbelt furnshed wth a Hke and Bke Tral. The model for the cty's greenbelt system, Shoal Creek, extends from Town Lake to 38th Street. East of downtown, a walkway along Waller Creek extends to Waterloo Park and Symphony Square. Country Club Creek occurs below Longhom Dam n the Colorado Rver zone of the study area. The sze, relatve solaton and scenc surroundngs of Red Bud sle, an sland at the far west end of the Corrdor, make t a unque recreatonal resource to be protected and enhanced. Nearby, the Balcones rock clffs extend from Tom Mller Dam to Zlker Park along the lake's south shore, representng an nvaluable scenc resource worthy of protecton. The clffs are lsted on an nventory of Sgnfcant Natural Areas of Texas by the Texas Parks and Wldlfe Department. Some shallow caves occur near the north end of the clffs. Many areas of sgnfcant vegetaton occur throughout the Corrdor. The heavest concentratons of vegetaton are found west of MOPAC, wth a well-preserved forest of the pecan-elm assocaton occurrng on the Unversty of Texas' Brackenrdge Research Center. Very large cypress trees occur along the shorelne, wth partcularly noteworthy specmens n and near Zlker Park. The "pecan groves" area and the concentraton of hardwoods n the Raney Street neghborhood represent sgnfcant stands of urban vegetaton worthy of preservaton. Shorelne vegetaton, partcularly at the eght creek confluences, serves mportant ecologcal functons such as shorelne stablzaton and waterfowl nestng habtat, and should receve specal attenton durng consderaton of desgn alternatves. Sgnfcant urban wldlfe habtats wthn the Corrdor nclude the Unversty of Texas Brackenrdge Research Center, the small marsh at the mouth of Johnson Creek, and the "natural" Colorado Rver zone downstream from Longhom Dam. These areas present opportuntes for the establshment of preservaton zones. The Colorado Rver zone between Longhom Dam and Montopols Brdge s characterzed by clear shallow waters, coves, slands, sand and gravel bars and steep lmestone bluffs. Much of ths area s hghly scenc and provdes excellent wldlfe foragng. t should also be consdered for preservaton. 12

16 Vsual Features The great dversty of land uses and landscape features wthn the study area produces a truly vared vsual context. The largely natural character of the west end and the Montopols area stand n stark contrast to the urbanzed zone fronlshoal Creek to Between these two extremes are transtonal zones, generally soft n character and whch reflect the mages of the vared land uses along the shorelne, ncludng large areas of passve parkland. The most sgnfcant vsual ssues wthn these zones relate to vews of Town Lake, or lack thereof, and vews to the State Captol. Vews to the lake from ts surroundng parks vary from unrestrcted to severely lmted. Broad, open vews of the lake are offered along Festval Beach, Waller Beach, Audtorum Shores, and much of the Lamar Beach/Shoal Creek area. Conversely, vews to the lake are almost completely blocked by shorelne vegetaton at Elers Park, Zlker Park, Butler Shores and at several gazebos, presumably bult for lake vewng. Many opportuntes exst to create a pleasng vsual relatonshp wth the lake through selectve clearng of volunteer growth, greatly enhancng the aesthetc experence offered by these areas. Lnear vews of the lake are very good from the sx vehcular brdges and Longhorn Dam. Of partcular note s the strong vsual relatonshp between the Congress Avenue brdge and the Cty Street and Brdge Yard area near Waller Creek. Ths ste offers an opportunty to provde a specal archtectural termnus for the western end of the vsual axs created by Town Lake's longest reach. Also noteworthy are the exceptonal vews from the pedestran brdge beneath MOPAC and the panoramc vews from the shorelne across the wde lake area west of Longhom Dam. Vews to the State Captol Buldng are abundant wthn the study area. Seven vewlnes are protected by ordnance, fve others are not. The strongest vsual axs wthn the study area s Congress Avenue, connectng the captol wth Town Lake. Exceptonal captol/skylne vews concde wth unque park development opportuntes at the Norwood Tract and Colorado Rver Park. Park Character The approxmately 815 acres of parkland wthn the Corrdor represent a very wde range of landscape character, from the largely natural character of Red Bud sle to the more urban charac- 13

17 ter of East Shoal Beach, to the tradtonal metropoltan park character of Zlker Park. The parks and ther surroundngs boast several areas of exceptonal scenc qualty, ncludng the ruggedly beautful reach west of MOPAC, Barton Creek and the Barton Sprngs Pool area, the downtown lakefront near Buford Tower, the Norwood Tract and the lower Colorado Rver zone near Montopols Brdge. Durng the sprng, much of the lakefront s awash wth color from flowerng peach trees, whle seasonal color beds near downtown and wldflower trals concentrated n the Lamar Beach area add beauty and seasonal nterest to these areas. Between these vsual "hgh ponts" are long stretches of passve open space occasonally punctuated by gazebos, landngs, benches and other facltes. These areas are generally pleasant and pastoral n character, yet prmarly sngular n use and vsually monotonous. The domnance of these stretches of unremarkable park development led one local archtect ntervewed to descrbe Town Lake Park as havng the qualty of "too much sameness". The parks themselves currently bear lttle resemblance to a contnuous, unfed system of waterfront parks, havng been largely developed and mantaned over the years as ndvdual enttes. n addton, the parklands host a number of muncpal offces and other facltes whch have lttle or no relatonshp to the parks, contrbutng to an overall sense of ambguty. These nclude PARD offces and mantenance yards, fre department offces and tranng center, and an anmal shelter. These facltes, though publc n a techncal sense, house day-to-day operatons whch are nether parkland nor waterfront dependent, and n ths sense ntrude upon hghly przed waterfront parkland. Large areas of prvately owned land along Town Lake nterrupt the contnuty of the shorelne parks and contrbute to the lack of a consstent mage on the lakefront, as s evdenced by ctzens confessng confuson as to whch areas of lakefront are publc and whch are not. Such areas extend from Tom Mller Dam to Elcrs Park and Austn Nature Center, from South Frst Street to Kasuba Beach on the south shore, and downstream from Longhom Dam. Lack of a consstent park mage s evdenced by the fact that many people n Austn are not aware that varous parts of the park, such as Festval Beach or Elers Park, are part of the Town Lake Park system. The lack of a consstent mage may relate to several factors. One s sgnage. Some of the sgns n the park say Town Lake, others do not. Another factor s the desgn of the park structures. Because many of the buldngs, gazebos, and other structures were bult at dfferent tmes wth 14

18 no consstent desgn or style, they appear to be separate unts rather than part of an overall scheme. Ths s also true wth the brdges that span Town Lake. Treated smlarly, the brdges could vsually help to establsh a more unfed mage for the park. The ntal nventory of the Town Lake Corrdor uncovered numerous valuable and scenc peces of land whch are desgnated as parkland but whch are underutlzed gven ther amenty and the overuse of other park areas. The northern frontage of Town Lake from Austn Hgh School to Lamar Boulevard, for example, s a prme pece of lakefront whch s currently lttle apprecated or used. Occuped by sngular-use playng felds and the Austn Humane Socety Anmal Shelter, ths s potentally one of the most beautful areas along the lake. ts nearness to downtown and west Austn neghborhoods adds potental as does the adjacent locaton of the YMCA. Reducng the role of Frst Street as a major traffc carrer would gve even greater promse for ths area n the future. Smlarly, the stretch of parkland between Barton Sprngs Pool and Robert E. Lee Road s also underutlzed. Adjacent to the most beautful and well-developed part of Zlker Park, t s domnated by barren ball felds and dsorganzed parkng. Numerous other areas wthn the Corrdor provde smlar opportuntes for dramatc redevelopment, ncludng Butler Shores, Kasuba Beach, and Festval Beach. Park Use The character of a park, to a great extent, s determned by the people who use t. By understandng how a park s used before t s redesgned or mprovements made, park planners and managers can avod repeatng past desgn and management mstakes and can optmze use n the future. Wthn the context of prevous studes and as pan of the analyss needed to develop a comprehensve plan for the park, nformaton concernng the people who currently use and manage Town Lake Park was collected durng June and July of 1986, and was supplemented by data collected durng January and February n order to understand how dfferent areas n the park were used, the locaton of people n the park was recorded at several dfferent tmes of day and week. The age, gender, race and sze of group was also recorded to defne more clearly what type of people use the park. To understand what people do n the park, the type of actvty they were engaged n was ob- 15

19 served and recorded; the use of the lake tself was based on boat rental fgures. n order to understand park users' perceptons about the park and to dentfy problems and needed mprovements, short ntervews wth park users were conducted. PARD staff concerns were also dentfed. n workshop sessons wth the Town Lake Management, Techncal and Ex-Offco Teams, ssues such as vehcle and pedestran crculaton, securty, landscape and buldng mantenance, programs and events, and nformaton and sgnage were dscussed. All data concernng park use was collected n a cooperatve effort between the consultng team, Urban Park Rangers, and PARD project staff. Together these observatons, whch are recorded n detal n the appendx volume of the Plan, provded a good understandng of who uses the park, what areas are or axe not used, and what types of actvtes people pursue n the park. The typcal park user could be descrbed as a whte, young adult male. Forty-eght percent of the park users were between the ages of 18 and 34,26% were 35 to 65 and 16% were 6 to 17 years old. Only 3% were over 65 and 7% were under 6 years of age. Only 29% of the park users were female. (Research has shown that women are more partcular about the publc spaces they use, largely due to heghtened concerns over safety and the avalablty of washrooms). Overall 48% of those observed were whte, 31% were Hspanc and 13% were Black. The majorty of people who use Town Lake Park durng summer months are n areas surroundng the pools at Barton Sprngs and Deep Eddy. For example, on a typcal weekend afternoon at 3:00 PM, there are 2,300 to 3,300 people at the two pools, whch consttutes approxmately 80% to 85% of the people who are n the park overall at that tme. Wthn the rest of the park, certan areas are consstently more heavly used that others. These nclude the shorelne along the lower Colorado Rver (where people fsh) and under the MOPAC brdge (a stagng area for joggers). The least used areas n the park are the Kasuba Beach area, the north shore of the lake between the MOPAC brdge ard the Frst Street brdge, and the shorelne adjacent to Zlker Park. The numbers of people who use the Hke and Bke Tral account for over half the use of the park overall. The most heavly used sectons of the Hke and Bke Tral are from the MOPAC brdge to the Frst Street brdge on both sdes of the lake. These sectons, at tmes, had up to ten 16

20 tmes as many people usng them as dd the other sectons. Ffty-seven percent of the tral users were ^ joggng, 35% were walkng or strollng. Ten percent were on bcycles, most of whom seemed to use the tral as a route to and from school rather than for recreatonal rdng. n the rest of the park (excludng the pools), relaxng (sttng, socalzng, sunbathng) was the most common actvty (19%), and fshng was second (13%). Other actvtes ncluded snackng or pcnckng (8%) and playng (4%, whch ncludes both chldren and adults). Although the use of the Hke andbke Tral s heavest before 9:00 AM and after 5:00 PM, use of the other park areas vares lttle over the course of the day. The Hke and Bke Tral s used as heavly on weekends as on weekdays. n the rest of the park, there are nearly twce as many people on weekends as on weekdays. Ths ncreased weekend use was especally apparent n EUers Park, along the shores of the lower Colorado Rver and on the lake. For example, there are typcally 40 to 50 canoes rented at Zlker Park on a weekday, whle 375 to 400 are rented on a typcal weekend. Durng wnter months, user numbers well sgnfcantly durng sunny perods; freezng or near freezng temperatures do not hnder actve users f the sky s clear by early mornng. After dark users tend to be trysters, strollers and transents seekng food and shelter. ( Problems that were dentfed by park users concerned mantenance and management ssues (ltter, tral condtons, restroom mantenance), desgn ssues (nadequate parkng, not enough restrooms and trash cans, poor lghtng at nght) and conflcts wth other park users (mostly transents and dogs). The major mprovements that people suggested concerned a varety of desgn mprovements - prmarly that more restrooms and trash cans were needed. Other suggestons concerned mantenance ssues such as the need to pck up lner more often and for better tral mantenance. A complete lst of reported problems and suggested mprovements s lsted n the appendx volume of the Plan. Analyss of the park use data revealed several major ssues and led to a number of recommendatons for ther resoluton. For example, whle areas such as Barton Sprngs n Zlker Park and Deep Eddy n Flers Park are centers of actvty, there are few other areas that provde the combna- ton of servces and amentes that attract a broad range of people to use them. Currently few chldren or older people use the park. Many park areas are or are perceved to be naccessble due to factors such as the lack of conve- nent parkng and boat landng areas. Overgrown underbrush has vsual- 17

21 * ly obscured many parts of the lake from the shore and the tral. People feel unsafe usng areas n the park that are solated from publc vew. n order to reduce the overcrowdng of some park areas, encourage use n other areas, and to attract chldren and older people to the park, addtonal actvty centers n a few specfc areas should be developed. Potental stes for these actvty centers are areas that already have some actvty but lack the full range of servces and amentes to attract people on a regular bass. Audtorum Shores, Festval Beach, Buford Tower and South Lakeshore are examples. The Hke and Bke Tral, whch s one of the most heavly used facltes n the park, s too narrow n many places to accommodate joggers, bkers, and walkers. n addton, the tral s not contnuous, partcularly where t ntersects the brdges that cross Town Lake. n other areas, cty and park roads nhbt people from crossng between areas n the park, or between adjacent neghborhoods and the park. The tral should be dvded n some areas so that there s one path for bkes and another for walkng and joggng. Contnuous loops for both should be developed wth easy access onto and over all brdges. Better stagng areas should be developed for joggers, and underbrush along solated trals should be selectvely cleared. The brdges that span the lake should be redesgned to have wder pedestran sdewalks, decoratve ralngs and pedestran lghtng fxtures. Few ctes n the country have an urban park of the sze and stature of Town Lake Park. Even fewer have a program desgned to meet the ntensve management needs that such a park requres. ssues such as securty, mantenance, the plannng of programs and events, traffc and parkng, concesson management and marketng and the provson of adequate sgnage and nformaton all requre contnuous management and fundng. n order to more effectvely mplement the recommendatons that wll be made as part of the comprehensve plan, a separate park admnstrator's offce should be establshed to manage Town Lake Park. Water Qualty and Hydrology Town Lake s a rverne reservor wth a surface area of approxmately 500 acres and an average depth of seven feet. As the lowermost lnk n a chan of seven Hghland Lakes, the water qualty and flow regme s strongly nfluenced by releases from upstream lakes. An annual average 18

22 flow of 1376 cubc feet per second (cfs) s released from Lake Austn nto Town Lake. At ths rate of nflow, the average retenton tme of water n Town Lake s approxmately two days. J The other prncpal sources of nflow to Town Lake are nne creeks whch dran an area of 162 square mles. The largest trbutary, Barton Creek, has a dranage area of 125 square mles, 77% of the total dranage area assocated wth creeks. Whle Barton Creek s predomnantly rural at ths tme, the remanng eght creeks dran areas whch are predomnantly urbanzed. The largest s Shoal Creek wth a dranage area of 13 square mles, at least twce as large as the dranage area of any of the other urban creeks. The annual average nflow from trbutary creeks s estmated to be 112 cfs, approxmately 8% of the total annual nflow to Town Lake. Categores of potentally desrable uses nvestgated for Town Lake ncluded fshng, noncontact recreaton (recreatonal pursuts not nvolvng a sgnfcant rsk of water ngeston, such as fshng and boatng), contact recreaton (actvtes nvolvng a sgnfcant rsk of water ngeston, such as swmmng and water skng), drnkng water supply, and power plant coolng. Several groups of water qualty parameters were dentfed as beng mportant to mantanng the ablty of the lake to support these uses. Control of pathogenc contamnants and toxc materals s mportant n waters used for contact recreaton and water supply because of potental publc health effects. Hgh levels of degradable organcs can decrease dssolved oxygen levels and adversely mpact aquatc lfe and thereby affect the use of the lake for fshng. Excessve concentratons of norganc salts can nterfere wth the use of the waters for ndustral purposes. Control of nutrents and solds s mportant n mantanng the use of the lake for noncontact recreaton, snce excessve levels of these parameters can create aesthetcally objectonable condtons. The water qualty evaluatons n ths report were conducted n July of 1986; detaled fndngs and raw data are ncluded n the appendx volume of the Plan. The evaluatons are based on prevous studes and hstorcal data collected by a number of agences and organzatons. A detaled evaluaton of ths data was conducted to document hstorcal and exstng water qualty characterstcs of Town Lake and of the Colorado Rver mmedately below Longhorn Dam. The data were analyzed to determne the exstence of any sgnfcant trends wth regard to depth, base flow versus wet weather condtons, seasonal fluctuatons, spatal varatons, and changes over tme. No trends related to depth were dentfed, and none would be expected gven the 19

23 shallow depth of Town Lake and the short retenton tme. Analyss of base flow versus wet weather condtons reflected the mpact of storm events on the qualty of the lake. Concentratons of runoffgenerated pollutants such as phosphorus, suspended solds, and fecal coltform were somewhat hgher n wet weather condtons; however, these relatonshps were much more pronounced n the trbutares than n Town Lake tself. The trbutares also exhbted ncreased concentratons of bochemcal oxygen demand (BOD) and ntrogen durng wet weather condtons. Seasonal fluctuatons were most notceable n the counts of fecal colform. Counts tend to be hghest n the sprng and fall durng the two peak ranfall seasons n ths regon. Spatal trends n colform counts were observed n relaton to the locaton of the montorng staton. Lower colform counts occurred n the upstream portons of the lake, above the confluence of Barton and Shoal creeks wth Town Lake. No other parameters exhbted sgnfcant spatal trends. A possble trend was dentfed for decreasng dssolved oxygen concentratons over tme. However, not enough data were avalable to confrm ths observaton. Water qualty analyss ndcated that Town Lake s sutable for all of the potentally -desrable uses except contact recreaton. Crtera for fecal colform counts were exceeded, partcularly at downstream statons durng the warmer months of the year. He study dentfed no lmtatons at the tme for uses of the lake waters for fshng, noncontact recreaton, drnkng water supply and ndustral actvtes, though ongong studes are beng conducted by others. Transportaton ssues Overvew Land uses and ther relatve denstes have a profound mpact on the capacty of a transportaton system to serve ts users effcently. Smlarly, publc uses of park land and one's percepton of that use as a postve or negatve experence s greatly nfluenced by the manner n whch people move to and through the area n prvate vehcles, on publc transportaton, as bcyclsts or as pedestrans. Major streets and hghways provde an organzng 'skeleton* or nfrastructure for 20

24 development. They create strong edges but can also obstruct pedestran movement and the effcent use of outdoor space. The transportaton nfrastructure servng the Town Lake Corrdor dsplays all of these characterstcs. t provdes the means by whch most Austntes experence the Corrdor most often. Town Lake s crossed no less that seven tmes wthn the study area by north/south vehcular arterals ncludng Red Bud Tral, MOPAC Loop 1, Lamar Boulevard, South Frst Street on Drake Brdge, Congress Avenue, nterstate Hghway 35, and Pleasant Valley Road over Longhom Dam. Also, the Montopols Brdge carres U.S. Hghway 183 over the Colorado Rver at the east end of the study area. Major east/west roadways roughly defne the northern lmts of the study area ncludng Lake Austn Boulevard, West 3rd Street, Holly Street, Wllow Street, and East 5th Street. Other major roadways north of the lake nclude West and East Frst Street and park roads such as Festval Beach Drve. Major roadways south of the lake nclude Stratford Drve, Barton Sprngs Road, West Rversde Drve, East Rversde Drve and South Lakeshore Boulevard. n addton to major vehcular ways, the study area s served by the Town Lake Hke and Bke Tral system, a major pedestran and bcycle faclty whose effectveness s lmted by major gaps n the system and brdge crossngs that are too few and/or too narrow. Publc transt n the study area ncludes Captol Metro bus servce and the 'Dllo', a motorzed trolley. Whle no ral transt currently exsts, Austnplan Sector One has proposed a lght ral corrdor through ther dstrct along Guadalupe Street and across the Drake Street Brdge. nterest was also expressed by some Austnplan sectors adjacent to the lake n a wheeled shuttle system to serve all of Town Lake Park. Key ssues Wthn ths larger context, a number of key ssues focus upon more localzed aspects of the transportaton system, such as ndvdual streets or ntersectons. Some are beng addressed n detal as parts of ongong studes by others; all have a drect nfluence on land use plannng and desgn n the Town Lake Corrdor.

25 The frst key ssue s the dvson of Zlker Park by Barton Sprngs Road. The porton of Barton Sprngs Road whch bsects Zlker Park currently serves as the only major east/west connecton south of the lake between MOPAC and the downtown brdges. t also s the prmary access to attractons such as the Barton Sprngs Pool, Zlker Botancal Gardens and numerous sports felds and pcnc stes. Va Stratford Drve whch t ntersects at the heart of the park, t provdes access to the Austn Nature Center and the pedestran brdge beneath MOPAC. Presently, no safe means exst for pedestrans to safely cross Barton Sprngs Road at any pont wthn Zlker Park. Experencng the park's full range of opportuntes on foot can be a rsky, f not lfe-threatenng, proposton. The park s dstnctly dvded by the road nto northern and southern 'sub-parks', and park users are forced to resort to ther automobles as the safest means of movng from one to the other. Ths creates more vehcular traffc n the park, resultng n yet more vehcle^pedestran conflct. Well-desgned gradeseparated crossngs over Barton Sprngs Road would allevate ths conflct and allow the full potental of Zlker Park to be realzed. Another key ssue nvolves the ntersecton of Rversde Drve and Barton Sprngs Road, known locally as the 'X*. Ths juncture s at the heart of a confusng seres of ntersectons produced by South Frst Street, Congress Avenue, Rversde Drve and Barton Sprngs Road. The resultng fve skewed ntersectons and the vsual clutter assocated wth the surroundng commercal development can be descrbed as chaotc at best. The 'X* arguably serves the postve functon of nterruptng what mght otherwse be a contnuous east/west route between 1-35 and MOPAC Boulevard n the proxmty of several resdental areas. Ths dscontnuty mght be accommodated wthout ts attendant dsorentaton and vsual chaos through better drectonal sgnage, desgn controls on prvate sgnage, and street tree plantng. A thrd key ssue nvolves the need to provde better physcal and vsual access to Town Lake through a more contnuous park road system around the lake. A major gap occurs south of the Colorado Rver east of Longhom Dam. On the north, vstas from Red Bluff Street would add a new dmenson to experencng the valley. Vsual contact wth the lake from Lake Austn Boulevard and East Rversde Drve would enhance people's awareness of the park. Between downtown and East Austn, mproved connectons from East Frst Street to Festval Beach Drve and Canadan Street would elmnate conflct between park users and neghborhood resdents. 22

26 n addton to these key ssues, a number of transportaton related actvtes are currently beng planned, dscussed, or are underway n the Town Lake Corrdor and wll requre contnued coordnaton. A detaled lst and dscusson of these appears n the appendx volume of the Plan. Economc Stakeholder Analyss Ths analyss represents the frst step toward developng an outlook, a strategy, and tools that wll lead toward an economcally feasble and poltcally acceptable revtalzaton strategy for the Town Lake Corrdor. Successful preservaton and development must earn the support of key stakeholder groups and attract ther drect partcpaton. The ablty to capture the study area's potental ultmately requres a development strategy that promotes mult-sector stakeholder partnershps/nteractons, s comprehensve n ts scope, and allows all partcpants to share n both the rsks and rewards. The catalyst for partnershps s based on dentfyng areas of mutual nterest, and then targetng "doable" projects that enjoy market support and nterested, publc/prvate nvestment coaltons. Accordngly, nformaton was gathered through ntervews to dentfy problems to be addressed, resources that each party could brng to bear on those problems, and structures needed for partnershp ntatves. The ssues surroundng preservaton and development of Town Lake are both vared and complex. Physcally, Town Lake extends through such a large porton of Austn that a number of sub-zone users and nterest groups can legtmately clam a porton of the study area as ther "turf'. The Corrdor contans several neghborhoods rangng from affluent to underprvleged. The dmenson and vsual sweep of the lake make t one of the most recognzable and mportant "mage gvers" to the entre cty of Austn. Yet, ts mage s greatly fragmented by ndvdual nterests related to ndvdual areas of the lake, rather than as parts of a greater whole. As one stakeholder sad, 'Town Lake s Austn's center, but the lake tself has no symbolc or functonal focus." The sngle pont of consensus among all stakeholders ntervewed was that Town Lake's future s crtcal to the qualty of lfe n Austn. Beyond that, wdely dvergent opnons were expressed as to how best enhance, protect, and preserve the Town Lake Corrdor as the heart of the communty. Major ssues dentfed n the ntervews, conducted n the summer of 1986, related to pro-development vs. ant-development sentments, the role that the Cty of Austn should play as a partner n development, the need for more downtown housng, Austn's development clmate, the 23

27 J. sgnfcance of the proposed conventon center and ts ste, and the need for more anmaton of Town Lake wth "people places". Dstnctons wthn these ssues are ndcatve of the lack of a sngle, clear communty vson for Town Lake. The stakeholder analyss suggests that n place of a unfed communty vson there are many ste-specfc or sngle-ssue vsons concernng Town Lake, that all of these vsons do not agree, and that the polcy and plannng drectons determned by the Cty of Austn n the near future wll set the course for the entre Town Lake Corrdor. How, where, and whether Town Lake should be developed at all s central to all the other ssues. Opnons about stes n the central porton of the study area, from the Lamar Boulevard brdge to the 1-35 brdge, are the most polarzed. Whle some desre concentrated mxed-use development on both shores, others seek to mantan and expand Town Lake Parkland as a greenbelt runnng through the cty wth an emphass on nature and wldlfe conservaton. Both groups beleve ther goals are the correct ones for the symbolc center of Town Lake, and both seem to beleve the other represents an extremst poston. The two groups are n substantal agreement about other parts of Town Lake's development. The Cty of Austn regards Town Lake as ts urban centerpece and a major contrbutor to the cty's qualty of lfe, and sees the need to mprove recreatonal, cultural, scenc and economc opportuntes n the Corrdor. Several ssues concern the Cty. Zonng, land uses and urban desgn need to be more senstve to ecologcal, recreatonal and sococultural needs of the waterfront. The ncreased pace and scale of development n the recent past has created access, traffc and parkng-related problems that requre resoluton n context wth potental land use changes n the Corrdor. The qult-lke pattern of land ownershp n the Corrdor has created a conflctng assortment of land uses and led to recent efforts by the cty to gan addtonal control of strategc stes. The nconsstent level of water qualty, consdered a threat to Town Lake's scenc and recreatonal values, wll requre addtonal effort to nsure that development standards and runoff controls are envronmentally suffcent. The cty's ablty and wllngness to commt ts resources toward these ends wll greatly affect the formaton and feasblty of the mprovement strategy. Downtown-orented housng for professonals, employees, and students was perceved to be a strong need by almost all sectors ntervewed. Neghborhood group representatves called for 24

28 affordable housng on or near Town Lake. Preservaton of the Raney Street neghborhood as a resdental hstorc dstrct for low-to-moderate ncome persons was also dscussed as more desrable than hgh densty development on that ste. Housng adjacent to downtown was vewed as a hghly desrable use to mprove the safety and securty along Town Lake and to help make downtown a 24- hour envronment. n addton to the potental employee and student markets, the growng elderly populaton and empry-nesters were mentoned as logcal resdents who would support retal/restaurant/servce busnesses, and would aval themselves of the cultural and recreatonal facltes along the lake. The slow-down of Austn's recent explosve growth wll have an mpact on the Cty's ablty to attract prvate sector partcpaton n Town Lake's development, although some beleve that the slower pace wll encourage better projects. Overall, the prvate sector's perspectve of Town Lake's development and enhancement potental s ambvalent, rangng from negatve to optmstc, provded certan actons, such as ste clearance and constructon of nfrastructure mprovements n selected areas, were taken by the Cty. n the absence of an overall, coherent strategy supported by a Cty/communty coalton, land owners thought that the area on both sdes of Town Lake was too volatle poltcally and too unstable economcally. A large mxed-use project, such as the proposed conventon center, wth a crtcal mass capable of generatng development momentum was supported as an approprate waterfront land use. An offcally adopted plan would provde what several land owners called "a sense of confdence and predctablty" for the area and would facltate greater prvate nterest n t. The dea that Austn's arts/cultural/museum facltes should be centralzed n a dstrct along both sdes of Town Lake s wdely shared. Possble new facltes suggested nclude. a chldrens' museum, aquarum, planetarum, scence museum, educatonal/learnng center, performng arts pavlon, amphtheater, Mexcan-Amercan hertage center, rverwalk along Shoal Creek, festval retal project or museum n the Seaholm Power Plant buldng, and a Texas Musc Museum. Some expressed doubt that so many cultural facltes are possble anywhere n Austn, gven the populaton, the lack of major corporatons whch would subsdze so many projects, and ncreasng demands on Cty funds. Although deas vared about where and how many of these facltes would be placed along Town Lake, there was consensus that recreatonal uses other than Hke and Bke Trals, pcnckng, and open spaces are needed and that the logcal area for the groupng s wthn the central zone of the Corrdor. Several people thought that rowng would be a pleasant attracton for vewers on both shores of Town Lake. 25

29 ^ Al major stakeholder groups feel that an essental prerequste for enhancement n the qualty of the Town Lake Corrdor s to have more land placed under the aegs of PARD. Recent efforts and ntatves to assemble addtonal land s regarded as a way to protect the Cty *s and publc's optons for the future. The majorty of the stakeholders, partcularly the Cty and the prvate sector, contended that the Town Lake Corrdor warrants beng a specal plannng dstrct wth an ndependent commsson. n order to prevent poltcal groups or potentally volatle ssues from hnderng prospectve mprovements and enhancement programs, the comprehensve plannng process must contnue to nvolve neghborhood groups and ncorporate ther concerns nto the development strategy. Concluson Austntcs rghtfully regard Town Lake as the "heart and soul" of Austn, a rbbon of scenc beauty, quet pleasure and recreatonal opportunty n the heart of ther cty. As such t s a major contrbutor to the cty's qualty of lfe, but one wth potental yet to be fully realzed. Whle there s apparent dsagreement as to the best means to realze ths potental n specfc areas, there appears to be a surprsng degree of consensus on some broader ssues. These areas of consensus, combned wth the consultant's fndngs through the nventory and analyss process and the vsons and ambtons of the communty for what Town Lake can be, form a sold foundaton for the formulaton of a conceptual plan. t s generally felt, for example, that a key to enhancement of the qualty of the Town Lake Corrdor s the dedcaton of more parkland n strategc areas. Presently, the Town Lake parklands and the mage of the total Corrdor suffer from a lack of contnuty and an nconsstent character. Parklands are surrounded and nterrupted by a mx of land uses of varyng compatblty and are occasonally ntruded upon by publc uses whose relatonshps to the parks are dubous at best. The resultng ambguous character of the parkland s magnfed by the lack of a strong desgn ethc n the development of the parks themselves. Ths s evdenced by a lack of defned entrances, edges, and park road treatments, as well as by the lack of a consstent desgn vocabulary for the park's archtecture, path systems, shorelne treatments, furnture tems and plant materal. Exstng amentes, t s felt, should be enhanced and expanded, ncludng Hke and Bke Tral extensons and crossngs, addtonal concessons and more shade. More vtalty should be gven 26

30 J. to the parks wth addtonal "people places" ncludng cultural arts and museum facltes. Shorelne actvtes and access to the water, especally n the central, downtown zone of the Corrdor, are also desred. t s generally felt that current land uses do not reflect the fullest potental of the Corrdor, that new development should be scaled for human use and create a postve synergy between t and adjacent parklands. Opportuntes to enhance the relatonshp of exstng compatble land uses to the parks should be captalzed upon. Housng, especally for moderate to low ncome famles, should be consdered for future development. Whle major roadways through parklands serve a postve functon n provdng a pleasant vsual experence for motorsts, heavy crosstown traffc through parks should be dscouraged, and major pedestran/vehcular conflcts should be resolved. Roadways and pedestran paths should make the lake more accessble physcally and vsually, and the possblty of a shuttle transt system for Town Lake parklands should be explored. Protecton of Town Lake's water qualty and the unque envronmental and vsual features of the valley should be paramount n the evaluaton of development and conservaton alternatves. Fnally, and perhaps most mportantly, contnued dalogue of publc partcpaton and feedback throughout the plannng and desgn process s crucal to the Plan's credblty and relevance, and to enhance ts chances for ultmate acceptance and successful mplementaton. f 27

31 J. PLAN CONCEPT A Vson for Town Lake Park nput from both neghborhood and busness sources emphaszed the need to mantan a domnant parklke sensblty through the Town Lake Corrdor. The Town Lake Comprehensve Plan recognzes and embraces these vews as a sprngboard for a new vson of Town Lake Park, Town Lake, at the heart of the cty, should project beauty, serenty, and naturalness. t should be the garden focus of more ntensvely developed dstrcts whch adjon t. There are very few ctes n the Unted States whch have such an opportunty to reman "green" n ther core, and there are very few ctes for whom such a strong physcal gesture would be more n keepng wth the sentments of the populaton. Ths, of course, should not preclude extensve actvty of varyng ntenstes along the Town Lake frontage. Cultural, recreatonal, and even commercal events should enlven the Corrdor, but they can and should be njected at a densty and wth a desgn senstvty that always keeps them n a park settng. A concet faclty can be a large, obtrusve buldng surrounded by parkng or t can be nestled nto the topography, veled n vegetaton, and served by parkng out of the publc vew. A museum can be monumental, domnatng, and urban n character, or t can be gently set lke a jewel n the natural landscape. A ballfeld cluster can be smply an effcent faclty domnated vsually by sgns, lght standards, and bleachers, or t can be nterwoven wth vegetaton and topography so as not only to provde addtonal shade and amenty to partcpants but also to reduce vsual ntruson nto the landscape. Buldngs and other physcal gestures n the Town Lake Corrdor must be made ntegral and sympathetc wth the landscape. Prvate development adjacent to Town Lake parklands should also take vsual cues from the natural envronment. Buldng massng should demur to open spaces, avodng clashes of scale. Buldng materals, colors, and textures should be sympathetc to landscape materals, colors, and textures. Compatble functons, especally those relatng to recreaton and publc servce actvtes, should be orented toward parklands and open spaces. 28

32 The goal of both publc and prvate development should be to create contnuty n the entre Corrdor area so that the lake frontage from Tom Mller Dam to Montopols Brdge seems lke one great park, gently nhabted to greater or lesser degrees by both publc and prvate actvtes. Wthn the dstrct there should be great varatons from almost totally undsturbed and natural to an urbane and refned park character. The "green" qualty should, however, always be domnant. Desgn wll be the paramount ssue n accomplshng these goals; desgn of both publc and prvate mprovement, desgn of both landscape and buldng elements. Structures placed along Town Lake should not be generc n character. nsofar as s possble, they should be partcular to Austn and Town Lake. The sort of bench or lght standard whch mght be approprate n an urban plaza would not be approprate n Town Lake Park. There should be a dstnctveness whch gves a specal sense of place and cohesveness to the Corrdor parklands. Fve Park Types The rch dversty of envronmental and cultural condtons surroundng Town Lake suggest that ths vson of Town Lake Park could be not one, but many parks, offerng a very wde range of actvtes and experences. Ths concept s strengthened by the dversty of the needs, aspratons and vsons of Austntes for Town Lake: * The desre to mantan a more natural character n the lake's unspoled areas; to preserve the best of ts natural features. ' To provde, where approprate, for neghborhood cultural expresson and recreatonal needs. " To better accommodate exstng uses wthn the parks whle provdng a rcher array of actvtes and experences for all age groups, nterests and abltes. * To accommodate cultural actvtes and events n the beautful settng of the Town Lake parklands. 29

33 * * To create a mutually benefcal, synergstc relatonshp between Town Lake and the downtown area. n response to these ssues and natural condtons, fve park types are proposed to occur along Town Lake. Each of them makes a specal contrbuton toward the range of actvtes whch should occur n ths, the rchest and most extensve urban open space n the cty. Each type also carres wth t physcal mplcatons whch wll keep the Town Lake dstrct vared and dverse n character. The Preserve - The lowest densty park type s reserved for large areas of natural topography and natve vegetaton where human actvty s lmted, and the near total retenton of natural landscape s approprate. Because Town Lake s man-made and the mpoundment of the Colorado Rver has, n tself, altered the natural landscape, preservaton as an dea cannot be appled compulsvely. There are, however, sgnfcant areas n the study dstrct whch mert preservaton or restoraton of more natural condtons. The clffs and bluffs whch rse from Town Lake, for example, eloquently bespeak the tme-formed geology of the regon. Occasonal sprngs can be found emanatng from ther lmestone strata. These natural edges form a dramatc and approprate backdrop for the water course tself. solated pockets of land such as Red Bud sle and the north shore of the free-flowng Colorado Rver just west of Montopols Brdge offer opportuntes for dstrcts apart from the cty whch surrounds them, wld areas n strong contrast to the tamed urban landscape. These areas should reman domnated by tangles of natve vegetaton. Ther rugged rock outcroppngs should not be softened for human use. They should stand as remnders of the physcal character that was here before human settlement. Preserve dstrcts should nurture both vegetaton and wldlfe whch cannot occur n more "cvlzed" areas of Town Lake Park. Natve grasses and undergrowth would be encouraged. Anmal habtats, partcularly waterfowl nestng areas, would be protected. Ths noton of preservaton does not preclude human use n the Preserve dstrcts, but mples restrctons on that use. Nature trals mght be ntroduced but would lkely be elevated or other- 30

34 * wse desgned to be as unobtrusve as possble. Numbers of users would be lmted and perhaps even controlled by adjacent nterpretve facltes, addng an educatonal dmenson to the Preserve. Austntes are proud of the beauty of the central Texas Hll Country whch ther cty occupes. The growth of the cty has, perhaps necessarly, compromsed some of that natural beauty. t s mportant, however, to keep some small areas sacrosanct to mantan remnders of the natve beauty of the regon. The Neghborhood Park - The second park type s n response to Town Lake Park's proxmtes to a number of the cty's longstandng resdental neghborhoods. Town Lake Park should be seen as belongng to the whole cty, but t should also transform tself occasonally to become an adjunct and transton to the neghborhoods whch border t. The people who lve n Montopols, East Austn, Travs Heghts, the Barton Sprngs areas, Old West Austn and Tarrytown should be able to stake a specal clam to portons of Town Lake Park. These park areas would nclude neghborhood orented amentes such as nformal ball felds and courts, places for brthday partes, church pcncs, festvals, and other such neghborhood gatherngs. There should be playgrounds, strollng paths and pcnc pavlons. Actvtes should be able to be nformal and casual a pck-up game of basketball as opposed to tournament play. Access to these parks should not preclude use by outsders but should be clearly orented to neghborhood users. Neghborhood Parks should be somewhat tucked away. Ther scale should be ntmate, wth ther emphass on ndvduals and small groups rather than on massve gatherngs. Austn s proud of ts fne neghborhoods. The neghborhoods adjacent to Town Lake are among the strongest and most lvable n the cty. The Neghborhood Parks wthn Town Lake Park should both draw character from those neghborhoods and also gve back amentes whch could strengthen and help mantan ther desrablty for the future. The Communty Park - The largest quantty of land n Town Lake Park wll be devoted to Communty Parks, dstrcts wth tradtonal park actvtes orented to the entre Austn communty. Ths park type s a focal element n most great ctes, both n Amerca and abroad. 31

35 The Communty Park s the great outdoor lvng room of the cty. t s a focus for recreaton and outdoor actvty. t s a place for large-scale sports and games, a place for joggng, walkng, strollng and exercse. The scale of the Communty Park, necessarly large to accommodate larger groups of people, requres extensve contguous areas. The Communty Park s domnantly a green place, although the demands of sports, recreaton, pcnckng, and other gatherngs requre durable surface treatment. t s, therefore, largely planned and landscaped rather than smply natural. Colorful and lavsh gardens can often accent ts beauty. The Communty Park requres servces such as restrooms, food kosks, securty control and recreaton concessons, and good management s a key to ther success. The best example of a Communty Park n Austn currently s Zlker Park. ts mxture of sports, recreaton, pcnckng, nformal gatherngs and specal happenngs such as a rde on the tran or the annual Chrstmas tree exemplfy the knds of thngs that should happen n a Communty Park. Enhancng and extendng Communty Parks n Town Lake Park would help reduce overuse, would gve greater geographcal dstrbuton and easer accessblty and would provde a much greater range of places and events. The Cultural Park - Many great ctes have found a compatblty between cultural nsttutons such as museums, theaters and concert halls, and the gracousness of a natural park settng. Places to vew art or theater or to hear musc have a smlar pace and ambance as places for strollng, pcnckng, and enjoyng nature. Groups have been establshed n Austn to plan futures for a number of cultural nsttutons, ncludng the Botancal Gardens, Chldren's Museum, Scence Museum, Dscovery Hall, Planetarum and Musc Museum, whch would greatly enhance the qualty of lfe n the cty. The Cultural Park would be a home for these actvtes. The Cultural Park must be, predomnantly, a park. t s a green space frst and foremost. The facltes whch nhabt t must have an archtectural character compatble wth and perhaps even subservent to the park. The Kmball Museum n Fort Worth serves as an excellent example of a sgnfcant cultural nsttuton whch complements and enhances ts park-lke surroundngs. Whereas the Communty Park s largely orented toward recreaton and would be generally nformal n charac- 32

36 ter, the Cultural Park would be a queter, probably somewhat more axal or formal place. There mght be reflectng pools, alles of trees, gardens and amphtheaters that mght appear too structured n the Communty Park. The defnton of "cultural" should extend beyond nsttutons and nclude places for eatng and talkng, and nformal as well as formal muscal entertanment. There should be actvtes for chldren as well as adults. He Cultural Park should be a garden of actve delghts wth places to see and experence, thngs to do and watch. The Urban Waterfront - The fnal park type whch should fnd approprate applcaton n Town Lake Park deals wth the juxtaposton of cty and open space. The Urban Waterfront would be the pont at whch hgh densty urban development meets greenery and lake. There s an appealng tenson n many ctes between hard and soft, dense and sparse, man-made and natural where hgh densty development stands n contrast to soft, lush natural spaces. The Urban Waterfront of Town Lake Park should revel n these contrasts. t should be notably green and parklke n contrast to the buldngs and streets of the cty tself but capable of handlng very heavy use because of ts closeness to a large number of users. The Urban Waterfront should contan promenades and overlooks and be scenc and well kept. t should have some lmted areas for group actvtes but should be largely avalable for casual actvtes lke walkng, lunchng n the park, sttng and readng a newspaper. The Urban Waterfront s a sprngboard for makng the ambance of Town Lake Park permeate the cty. Through the creeks and tree-lned streets, the softness and gracousness of Town Lake Park should extend nto downtown. Landscape and water features deep wthn the cty should sgnal a connecton to Town Lake, drawng partcularly on actvty centers such as East Sxth Street and makng the obvous connectons between these centers and Town Lake Park. The, locatons of the fve park zones wthn the Corrdor are dctated to a large degree by the Corrdor's dverse envronmental condtons, landscape characters and exstng development patterns. n most cases, dstnct boundares do not exst between adjacent zones, so that ther characters mght blend to a degree, each borrowng from the other as approprate. Wthn the framework

37 wa CU a f OH 4) u c03 T3 C OJO c X UJ o oo op '<u 2 0) B e D r- C O U <L> OH '::',* :: -e D M "^ «j^.,. H

38 of the fve pack zones, more specfc recommendatons and deas are developed nto a master plan for Town Lake Park. Parkland Expansons n several locatons around the permeter of Town Lake, expanson of the exstng parkland wll facltate the ntroducton of new actvtes, provde contnuty to the park and provde space at crtcal locatons for specfc park needs. The largest addton to Town Lake Park recommended n the Comprehensve Plan s a 210 acre expanson of the exstng Colorado Rver Park westward to Kreg Feld and southward from the south shore of the Colorado Rver to an algnment proposed for South Lakeshore Boulevard between Pleasant Valley Road and Montopols Drve. Predomnantly floodplan, the proposed addton specfcally ncludes suffcent land above the floodplan to accommodate constructon of permanent structures and mprovements. The combned area wll fll the need for a large, metropoltan-scale park at the east end of the Corrdor. The second largest land area recommended for ncluson n Town Lake Park s the zone north of Barton Sprngs Road between Barton Creek and the Mssour Pacfc Ralroad brdge. Called Pecan Gardens n the Plan, the acquston s ntended to be developed as a Tyol Gardens-lke famly entertanment center whch wll physcally and functonally complement the recreatonal facltes of Zlker Park and the proposed cultural actvty of Audtorum Shores. Portons of ths area, Butler Shores and PARD headquarters, are already parkland; others lke Zachary Scott Theater Center are Cty-owned propertes. Because commercal actvty, such as dnng and entertanment, s ntegral to the Pecan Gardens concept, the pattern of publc ownershp need not nclude prvate land where ts development s compatble wth the overall concept. Specfcally, parcels abuttng the ntersecton of Barton Sprngs Road and South Lanar Boulevard and some frontage propertes to the west along Barton Sprngs Road offer opportunty for prvate enterprse to beneft mutually wth publc development n mmedate proxmty to each other. The lmted depth of developable land south of Barton Sprngs Road, the desre to protect the vegetated slopes rsng from the road, and the opportunty to extend the landscape character of Zlker Park eastward along the roadway suggest the ncorporaton nto the park area of avalable parcels south of Barton Sprngs Road. 35

39 j. The several creeks enterng Town Lake have a specal sgnfcance to the urban form of Austn. Mostof them (Shoal, Waller, Johnson, West Bouldn) meet the lake as parkland. Because East Bouldn and Blunn Creeks do not currently enjoy ths status, the Plan recommends the acquston of lands about ther mouths. Ther close proxmty to each other further suggests combnng ther expresson on Town Lake nto a sngle land parcel to serve n part as a Neghborhood Park for the resdental areas lnked to t va the creek corrdors. Lnear extensons of parkland along the lake's south shore west of East Bouldn Creek to Audtorum Shores and east of Blunn Creek to Kasuba Beach wll provde contnuty of publc access and completon of the tral systems. Segments are already n place at the Hyatt Hotel and Austn Amercan Statesman; others can be n the form of dedcated easements or parkland acquston. Smlarly on the north shore, an easement along the floodplan of the Unversty of Texas' Brackenrdge Tract wll make possble the ntroducton of a nature tral connecton between Elers Park and Red Bud sle. A parallel parkway setback on the south sde of Lake Austn Boulevard s recommended for a hke-and-bke route. Pedestran connectons between the two trals are also suggested along natural landscape corrdors. Expanson of Elers Park to Lake Austn Boulevard wll sgnfcantly ncrease the vsblty of the park facltes to the publc. Together wth the ncluson nto the park of contguous Ctyowned property presently used for mantenance operatons, the addtonal land wll accommodate needs for more parkng and recreatonal facltes. Another Cty-owned mantenance operaton, the Street and Brdge Yard n the Raney Street area, wll be better used as parkland than for ts present functon. The ste's stuaton hgh above Town Lake at the eastern end of ts longest reach offers dramatc vews and unparalleled opportunty for a publc cultural/recreatonal use. ncluson of one-half block of lower Raney Street, already cleared of homes, wll round out the parkland's borders and enhance ts access to the surroundng neghborhood. A separate parcel nearby, bounded by Lambe Street, Rver Ave. and the 1-35 servce road s recommended to be publc open space to enhance the vsual qualty of the freeway access nto downtown. 36

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41 One recreatonal experence rare n Town Lake Park s the ablty to enjoy wde panoramc vstas of the Colorado Rver Valley and perceve ts regonal scale and character. A vantage pont affordng ths opportunty s located along the south sde of Red Bluff Street. Acquston of avalable parcels for parkland wll enable the development of overlooks and pcnc facltes. A walkng tral wll gve access down to the proposed Preserve dstrct on the valley floor. One parcel currently Cty-owned and housng PARD mantenance functons s suggested for possble dsposable to ad the acquston of more favorable propertes. ts locaton at the southwest ntersecton of Pleasant Valley Road and S. Lakeshore Boulevard suggests ts approprateness for provdng parkng needed n ths area for park users. f accommodated here, however, safe pedestran crossngs across two heavly traffcked streets wll need to be provded. Land Use n addton to parcels recommended to be acqured for parkland use, several areas are recommended for future new uses. All of them are contguous to the park and are proposed for uses that can better beneft from ths adjacency. The area generally bounded by Pleasant Valley Road, East Frst Street, Shady Lane and the top of the bluffs along the north sde of the Colorado Rver s a dramatc ste borderng proposed parkland and offerng panoramc vews of the Colorado Rver Valley. These attrbutes make t an excellent canddate for parksde mult-famly lvng, a use whch Austnplan sector representatves and neghborhood groups have targeted as necessary and desrable for East Austn. Smlar use s proposed north of East Frst Street to East Second east of Lnden and to East Ffth between Sprngdale and Spencer. Convenence retal to serve the neghborhood s proposed at the southeast corner of East Frst Street and Pleasant Valley Road. The unque locaton of the Raney Street neghborhood, enjoyng proxmty to downtown and Town Lake and shaded wth mature trees, deserves specal senstvty n ts future plannng. Careful redevelopment nto mxed uses, featurng small scale shops and offces combned wth resdental lvng, s recommended. Commercal use along the neghborhood's north and east edges wll reman and, at a smaller, more ntmate scale, should anmate the edge of Waller Creek. Once 38

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43 substantal redevelopment has been accomplshed, the addton of a cultural/recreatonal center on adjacent parkland wll form a compatble neghbor. The exstng Cty-owned parcel at the southwest comer of Pleasant Valley Road and S. Lakeshore Drve, f not converted from PARD mantenance center to parkng facltes for park vstors, s suggested to be a retal comer backed up wth mult-famly resdental smlar n scale to the surroundng neghborhood. Urban Desgn Town Lake Park s an ntegral part of the larger communty, a central feature whose nfluence wll, approprately, extend beyond ts permeter. Several gudelnes are proposed to enhance ts relatonshp wth adjacent land uses, and to frmly ft Town Lake Park nto ts urban context. Nne creeks emptyng nto Town Lake wthn the Corrdor offer excellent opportunty to extend the park deep nto the neghborhoods that surround t. The effectveness of ths type of extenson s already evdent along the green valleys of Barton Creek, Blunn Creek, Johnson Creek and reaches of Shoal and Waller Creeks. Future development along the creeks should buld on these examples and utlze the natural features as amentes. Development along lower Shoal, Waller and E. Bouldn Creeks, for example, should nclude ground floor restaurant/retal actvtes that open up to the creek envronment and provde as much publc assessblty to t as s feasble. Urban resdental development, a prorty land use, should capture the creek character to enhance the qualty of lfe of ts resdents. Smlarly, wherever prvate lands abut Town Lake Park, ther development should feature the aesthetc advantages of the relatonshp and realze the opportuntes t affords. The park and contguous development should respond fully to each other and form an effectve bond of shared values. Wherever possble, the nterface should be open, allowng physcal and/or vsual access between the two, each a good neghbor to the other. Servce areas and parkng lots must be effectvely screened from park vews wth plant materal or fencng facng the park. Parkng structures should not front on the park unless ther ground floor provdes amentes to park users, such as recreaton or refreshment, and/or ther desgn ncorporates specal archtectural or landscape features that complement the park envronment. Runoff of surface dranage from parkng areas must be contaned on- 40

44 ste and not allowed to enter the parkland wthout effectve fltraton. Ste and securty lghtng must not spll over nto park property and sources of parkng garage lghtng should not be vsble from wthn Town Lake Park. Noses orgnatng on adjacent propertes should be lmted to levels that wll not ntrude on people's enjoyment of the parfclands. Sgnage addressng the park should be lmted to the name of on-ste ndvdual enterprses offerng servces or products drectly relevant to the use and enjoyment of the park. The park and publc lands must recprocate and, smlarly, be good neghbors to prvate development. Servce yards, parkng, lghtng and nose assocated wth park actvtes and operatons should meet smlar crtera to mtgate potental detrmental mpacts upon adjacent prvate development. Town Lake Park should also nfluence off-ste publc urban desgn, partcularly n relaton to the Urban Waterfront and downtown. Frst Street, between Shoal and Waller Creeks, should be landscaped as a promenade wth wde sdewalks, large shade trees and specal lghtng and furnture on both the north and south sdes. Overlook belvederes should extend toward Town Lake on the south. At the head of Drake Brdge, the block bordered by Guadalupe/Lavaca and Frst/Second Streets should be a cty square, landscaped so as to extend the park nto the cty and form a green keystone, lockng the two together. Along Guadalupe and Trnty Streets, a specal streetscape character should be ntroduced so as to extend Town Lake Park's nfluence deep nto downtown, connectng wth Republc Square and Wooldrdge Park on the west and wth Brush Square on the east. The brdges that cross Town Lake, partcularly the Congress Avenue, Drake and Larnar Street brdges, should be retroftted wth wder pedestran sdewalks and overlooks. Specal lghtng standards should be nstalled to extend ther urban desgn qualty and the sgnfcance of Town Lake nto the evenng hours. 41

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47 J» r PLAN DESCRPTON Mopac to Drake Brdge South Shore - An Overvew The prncple of maxmzng benefts of separate resources through ther complementary combnaton forms the bass of the concept of "packagng" Zlker Park wth the proposed Pecan Gardens and the 54 acre/audtorum Shores parcel. Each adds value to the others through ther nterrelatonshp. Zlker Park s orented to recreatonal pursuts and features the outstandng attracton of Barton Sprngs Pool. The park also ncludes the nterpretve facltes of the Austn Nature Center and Zlker Botancal Garden. These wll be complemented and renforced n Town Lake Park by museums and cultural facltes to be clustered near Palmer Audtorum. The Tvol Gardens-lke famly entertanment and dnng garden proposed to be ntroduced at the Pecan Gardens wll add yet another dmenson of recreatonal experence. n concet, they wll offer a unque opportunty for the ctzens of Austn to sample recreatonal and cultural experences of sngular or rchly vared natures - all wthn the heart of ther communty. To strengthen these nterrelatonshps, the Town Lake Comprehensve Plan addresses crculaton and parkng for ths area systematcally. Parkng structures are ntroduced at each end of the combned area n two locatons: under the MOPAC brdge on the west and encrclng Palmer Audtorum on the east. Both facltes are ntended to provde park-and-rde access to downtown durng the offce day and serve recreatonal, cultural and entertanment actvty n the park durng the evenng and on weekends. To complement the park envronment, they are desgned to be terraced and landscaped to produce a "hangng garden" effect. Addtonal parkng s accommodated n structures at the Pecan Gardens and, n small numbers for emergency, convenence and moblty-mpared needs, on surface lots at each major faclty. ) A wheeled shuttle transt system, or tram, s proposed to travel over desgnated routes wthn the park to lnk the parkng structures to major recreatonal, cultural and entertanment destnatons. The tram tself wll add stll another dmenson to the park experence, provdng comf ort- 43

48 r^r,,-v-j <D PQ Q a 44

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50 able, scenc transt between destnatons as dstant as the Austn Nature Center, Barton Sprngs Pool and Audtorum Shores. t wll substantally reduce the need for adjacent parkng at popular attractons, and ts nterface wth "Dllo" and Captal Metro bus servce wll make publc transt a vable means of gettng to the park. Fnally, whle possbly requrng addtonal tme and presentng some nconvenence n reachng specfc park stes, the tram wth ts supportng systems wll protect the landscape qualty of the park from otherwse nevtable oblteraton by paved surfaces to satsfy everncreasng demands for parkng. Barton Sprngs Road provdes vehcle access to all of the proposed parkng structures and major facltes at Audtorum Shores, Pecan Gardens and Zlker Park. ts route through Zlker Park has hstorcally endangered pedestrans movng between the north and south sectons of the park. After dscardng removal alternatves because of the lack of east/west arterals south of Town Lake, the Plan addressed ths serous problem n three ways. By replacng many scattered parkng lots wth the proposed parkng structures and tram servce, the need to cross the road on foot from avalable parkng to another destnaton s reduced. By elmnatng all curb cuts for Barton Sprngs Road wthn Zlker Park, the confuson of traffc turns and crossngs s mnmzed and the safety of occasonal pedestran movement across the road s thereby enhanced. Thrdly, by ntroducng a graceful brdge over Barton Sprngs Road west of Barton Creek, a safe crossng of pedestrans, bcyclsts and the tram s provded. Desgned to blend wth the contour and landscape of the ste, the proposed brdge s vewed as a dramatc gateway to Zlker Park for west bound traffc and to central cty Austn for those travelng east. A smlar pedestran/tram brdge s proposed to span Lamar Boulevard near Town Lake, lnkng the Pecan Gardens wth Audtorum Shores. Exstng drves wthn Zlker Park north of Barton Sprngs Road are proposed to be removed n favor of more pedestran actvty and a greener landscape. The entrance to the Zlker Botancal Garden from Barton Sprngs Road s moved westward, almost to MOP AC. Except for vstas to be enjoyed whle drvng through Zlker Park on B arton Sprngs Road, auto traffc n the park s restrcted to a loop n the park's southern half. Comprsed of exstng road segments wth access/egress va Columbus Drve from the MOPAC servce roads, the loop presents the most wooded and rollng terran for park rdes and offers table-sde parkng for pcnckers. Along ts crcumference, t provdes access to McBeth Recreaton Center, Barton Sprngs Pool and soccer felds. Short vehcular drves penetrate the Pecan Gardens and Audtorum Shores as well. 45

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52 The park roads, the tramway and some segments of the path system are ntended to double as bcycle routes through Zlker Park, Pecan Gardens and Audtorum Shores. The exercse tral, a proposed modfcaton of the Hke and Bke Tral system, travels through Zlker Park to Audtorum Shores on ts route between MOPAC and Longhom Dam. t remans, generally, n ts present confguraton. The fnal component wthn the herarchcal crculaton system s an extensve pattern of strollng paths whch wll wander through the entre park. Always shaped to the surface of the earth, algned so as to present nterestng and attractve vstas, and provded wth abundant tree shade and park furnshngs, the pathways wll offer park strollers opportuntes to get "out of the fast lane" away from the joggers and bcyclsts. Austn Nature Center and Zlker Botancal Garden Projected ncreases n use planned for the Austn Nature Center and Zlker Botancal Garden create the opportunty for an actvty anchor n the northwest quadrant of Zlker Park. Mutual benefts can be derved from the sharng of a combned entrance drve and parkng facltes. The Town Lake Comprehensve Plan proposes no alteraton of the recently completed Master Plan for the Austn Nature Center, rather, t endorses and ncorporates ts general recommendatons. Just as the new buldngs currently under constructon at the Nature Center wll reorent that faclty toward Town Lake wth vehcular access from parkng under MOPAC, the Botancal Garden wll be smlarly reorented to an entry pont at the northwest comer of ts ste. A new road between Barton Sprngs Road and the northern parkng area under MOPAC wll be the major vehcular entry to parkng for both the Nature Center and the Botancal Garden. ts constructon wll allow the closng of both the exstng park road north of the Botancal Garden and the exstng entrance drve, removng two very dangerous ntersectons on Barton Sprngs Road. n addton, the Botancal Garden wll gan a more gracous and ntegral connecton to Town Lake. f 48

53 The secured, most ntensvely developed portons of the Botancal Garden wll nhabt the hgher ground, wth all major structures related to the gardens located there. The flatter, more open area along Town Lake wll be utlzed for exhbts that do not requre fenced securty. Because ths area was prevously flled haphazardly wth organc materal, t s less sutable for permanent, captal-ntensve development. As everywhere along Town Lake, large structures should be avoded near the water's edge. The exstng Garden Center buldng wll be retaned along wth ts senstvely sted parkng area. ts access wll be reorented, from Barton Sprngs Road to the new drve parallel to MOPAC. The use of the exstng buldng wll be mantaned largely for garden club functons. The xerscape garden, Japanese garden, and rose garden wll functon as a core from whch others can grow. The exstng parkng area beneath MOPAC wll be redeveloped nto a more effcent and attractve faclty. Should future parkng needs warrant, a second level of parkng s proposed to be constructed beneath the brdge between Stratmore Drve and the lake. The two levels combned wll accommodate 600 cars. Lke a smlar structure proposed to park 1200 vehcles beneath MOPAC at Columbus Drve, ths structure s desgned to be terraced and landscaped to complement ts surroundngs. Ths actvty anchor n the northwest comer of Zlker Park wll gan vtalty, not only from the Nature Center and Botancal Garden, but also from several concessons. A boat concesson wll gve recreatonal water access to the western part of Town Lake wth ts scenc bluffs and sprngs. Lmted food concessons, perhaps n conjuncton wth the Botancal Garden, wll be located n a scenc spot wth vews to Town Lake, downtown and the gardens. A water-tax wll stop here and lnk ths actvty node to several others along the lake. Ths area wll also be an entry pont for the tram system that wll connect to all parts of Zlker Park, the Pecan Gardens and the Cultural Park at Audtorum Shores. Also, the Zlker Eagle's tran route wll be extended to connect wth the tram staton to gve an alternate, kd-orented connecton between ths actvty center and Barton Sprngs Pool. f 49

54 McBeth Recreaton Center Located on a wooded hlltop n the southernmost regons of Zlker Fade, McBeth Recreaton Center s a specalzed faclty for moblty-mpared persons. ts remoteness wll be mtgated somewhat through ts proxmty to the new park entrance and parkng facltes proposed at Columbus Drve n the Plan. ncreased vsblty through selectve clearng and drectonal sgnage and accessblty va tram wll ntegrate the Center more fully nto Zlker Park and enhance ts sgnfcance wthn the larger Town Lake Park system. mprovements proposed for McBeth Recreaton Center nclude a covered swmmng pool, more on-ste parkng (restrcted to the handcapped) a wheelchar accessble playscape and an outdoor basketball court. The pool structure, playscape and basketball court are to be sted on the edges of the exstng lawn area, savng ths open space for ts passve recreatonal and scenc value. A hardsurfaced tral system wth grades and surfaces desgned to accommodate wheelchar athletes wll weave through the dense woods and along a dramatc rock outcroppng. The tral wll also facltate wheelchar access to and from Barton Sprngs Pool. Central Zlker Wth the Austn Nature Center, Zlker Botancal Garden, McBeth Recreaton Center and Barton Sprngs Pool as a rng of actvtes around ts edges, Central Zlker s more open and less ntensely developed than ts permeter. Generally focused to the north upon Town Lake, the area s bsected by Barton Sprngs Road but unted vsually through ts landscape and physcally by the proposed pedestran/tram brdge. Wthn ts southern segment, pcnckng, sght-seeng and strollng are the predomnant actvtes. These lesure actvtes are especally suted to the rollng terran and heavy woods and are less threatenng than other uses mght be to the natural envronment featured here. Open felds for soccer flank the south and north sdes of Barton Sprngs Road as t travels through Zlker Park. Other outdoor "rooms" formed by the proposed tree massng provde unstructured open space necessary to accommodate any number of pleasurable passve socal and recreatonal actvtes wthn ther scenc meadows and wooded edges. Some, such as the one mmedately 50

55 03 Pk S O.a W) 2 *-» 00 51

56 J. north of the rock outcroppng n the north central zone of Zlker Park, wll act as outdoor theatres for occasonal low-amplfcaton concerts and plays. A portable stage wth acoustcal shell that s easly erected and dsmantled s proposed to be moved to stes such as ths, Audtorum Shores and others throughout Town Lake Park to extend the cultural/entertanment programs along ts entre corrdor and to avod turf deteroraton from overuse of any sngle locaton. The Hllsde Theatre's accommodatng topography, solar orentaton, tall shade trees and locaton n one of the most scenc areas of Zlker Park have all helped to produce a tradton of outdoor theatrcal performances on ths ste chershed by many Austntes. The Plan recommends ts renovaton wth more accommodatng stage and support spaces, makng t one of many avalable outdoor performance stes. The Zlker Eagle Ralroad, long a favorte attracton for chldren, s proposed to reman, though wth an extended route and mnor algnment revsons. To elmnate the potental hazard that exsts where the tran travels through the chldren's playscape, the Plan proposes to reroute the tracks to a parallel route mmedately east of ther present locaton, skrtng the east edge of the playscape, proposed restaurant and lawn/court game areas. Passng under the proposed pedestran/tram brdge and through ts exstng crossng beneath Barton Sprngs Road, t wll contnue northward along ts present algnment and eventually termnate at the parkng structure proposed below MOPAC at Town Lake. Ths revsed algnment wll offer extensve vews of Town Lake and the Austn skylne to the tran's rders whle retanng ts fortutous relatonshps to the exstng playscape, concessons, and Barton Sprngs Pool. The plateau of the Central Zlker area contnues northward to the shore of Town Lake, approachng t at an elevaton 35 feet above the water. Whle physcal access to the shore s lmted to Lou Neff Pont, vsual access s afforded wth vstas to and over the lake from wthn the park as well as from trals parallelng the water's edge at ths hgher elevaton. Occasonal overlooks are sted at opportune locatons for panoramc vewng. Barton Sprngs Pool Area Hstorcally the most frequented ste n Zlker Park, Barton Sprngs Pool s a rare and exctng recreatonal attracton. ts cool, sprng-fed water offers welcome relef from Austn's warm 52

57 V summer temperatures. Senstvely sted n the creek valley among stone ledges and pecan trees that characterze central Texas* Hll Country, perhaps ts only shortcomng s ts lmted sze. The pool's popularty exceeds ts capacty both for swmmng and "raftng" n the water and for pool-sde sunbathng and people-watchng on shore. Whle envronmental factors preclude expanson of the pool tself, an unfenced sunnng lawn s proposed to be extended downstream from the pool along the north shore of the creek. A pedestran/tram brdge at the far end of the expanded lawn wll lnk the two sdes together and facltate addtonal access to the pool area from the east sde of the creek. The arrval area to the Bathhouse s proposed to reman n ts basc exstng confguraton but enhanced n ts character. The forecourt between the buldng and the concesson stand wll be partally surfaced wth stone, furnshed wth seatng, lghtng and sgnage elements, and shaded wth addtonal tree cover. A small restaurant concesson featurng an outdoor dnng terrace wth vews to the sunnng lawn and Barton Creek s suggested to occupy the present caretaker's home north of the pool. Openng ths structure and ts mmedate surroundngs to publc actvty wll better utlze ts attractve qualtes and ntroduce alternatve food servce for vstors. The exstng playscape mmedately adjacent to the proposed restaurant s to be retroftted wth new, mproved and safer apparatus. New lawn/court games such as sand volleyball, horseshoes, and outdoor table tenns wll occupy the open space on the opposte, north, sde of the buldng. The exstng mantenance faclty whch presently occupes ths ste s proposed to be relocated from the heart of the park to parkland mmedately west of MOPAC and south of Rollngwood Drve. A promenade formed by a dramatc, formal alle' of exstng pecan trees extends northeastward from the proposed restaurant and separates the lawn/court game area on one sde from the new sunnng lawn along Barton Creek on the other. Lned wth benches and outdoor game tables, ts termnus s the sprngboard for the proposed pedestran/tram brdge over Barton Sprngs Road, the Zlker tram turnaround and a new brdge across the creek. The Group Pcnc area wll reman n ts present locaton, wth some tables repostoned to accommodate the realgnment of the Zlker Eagle tracks. The canoe concesson wll be near at hand as well. The new brdge wll provde access for pedestrans, bcyclsts and the park tram to the land area east of the creek. Vewed from the opposte drecton, t wll open up access to the remander of Zlker Park from new entrance facltes consstng of reorganzed parkng, the tram turnaround and a redesgned pool entrance. The restored Sunken Gardens are to be ncorporated n the entrance desgn as a feature wth lush plantngs, seatng and 53

58 ;

59 ^ strollng paths. Most of the remanng land area east of Barton Sprngs Pool s desgnated n the Plan as a Neghborhood Park for the B arton Hlls/Zlker resdents. As such, t wll be redesgned as scenc «open space wth wooded edges and outftted wth facltes for famly pcnckng, chldrens' play and feld recreaton. The Pecan Gardens One of the most ambtous and exctng new proposals n the Comprehensve Plan nvolves extensve redevelopment of the area bounded by Barton Creek on the west, Town Lake on the north, Lamar Boulevard on de east, and Barton Sprngs Road on the south. Located at the confluence of the two most scenc waterways n the study area and at the ntersecton of north-south and east-west vehcular arteres, ths dstrct offers unque and mportant opportuntes. The presence of what s commonly referred to as the "Pecan Grove", an extensve, mature grd of beautful pecan trees, adds addtonal mpetus for careful development here. The area s currently a mxture of publc and prvate land uses. Publc uses n the area nclude Butler Shores, (one of the most beautful stretches of lake frontage n the Corrdor), Zachary Scott Theatre, PARD headquarters, a transportaton department mantenance faclty and several sports felds. Left to market forces, the area wll be sgnfcantly redeveloped n the next economc cycle. The Town Lake Comprehensve Plan proposes to combne publc goals wth prvate enterprse to the mutual beneft of both through the establshment of a master plan and jont publc/prvate development of the Pecan Gardens. Ths proposal has three major goals. One s to establsh a crtcal connecton between Zlker Park to the west of the dstrct and the newly dedcated 54 acres of parkland and Audtorum Shores to the east. Ths connecton wll establsh a two-mle long lakesde park on the south shore of Town Lake and brng together a broad range of park types (from Preserve to Cultural Park) and park actvtes (from hkng and nature trals to museums and performance places). The seres of parks, all nterconnected by trams, bke paths and pedestran trals, wll provde the mx of recreatonal resources that have proven to be mportant and valuable assets n the other lvable Amercan ctes. The second goal of the Pecan Gardens s to establsh an area close to Town Lake where festve, ntensve actvty can occur wthout adversely mpactng the serenty and beauty of park areas 55

60 already treasured by Austntes. Although n de publc partcpaton phases of the study many ctzens advocated the presence of restaurants, places for regular entertanment and famly-orented amusements n the Corrdor, exstng park land was almost unversally deemed napproprate for these purposes. The Pecan Gardens area already has a good start at addressng such needs. Zachary Scott Theatre offers the only permanent performance stage currently n the Corrdor. The theatre's plans for expandng exstng facltes present opportuntes for extendng ther nfluence. There are already a large number of exstng establshments n the area. Although most of these have no supportve relatonshps to each other or to the park, several could, wth mnor alteraton, become an early core for the new concept. More than any other area n the Corrdor, ths one offers opportuntes for the vtal spontaneous eatng/entertanment/amusement dstrct that many ctzens have envsoned. The thrd goal of the Pecan Gardens s to preserve the exstng pecan groves, to make them more avalable for publc enjoyment and to encourage compatble prvate development n ths mportant stretch of Town Lake frontage. Pecan trees are a characterstc and hghly-valued natural feature of Austn. Tls grove, one of the most extensve and beautful n the regon, would take decades to replcate. Along wth the regular row of pecan trees that borders Barton Sprngs Road to the east (near Palmer Audtorum) and to the west (through part of Zlker Park), these unform pecan stands wll offer a dstnctve sgnature for Town Lake Park. When strpped of the compettve vsual nose around them, they wll gve Barton Sprngs Road a strong park-lke character and wll extend that character n an approprate gesture north toward Town Lake. Wth the pecan groves as ts central vsual focus, the Pecan Gardens wll be a collecton of eatng establshments rangng from fne restaurants to nformal eateres, 8-10 specalty shops, 2-3 exhbton spaces, 20 or so amusement/entertanment features and partcpatory educaton areas especally for chldren. Several performance places accommodatng musc, dance and theatre range n sze from 250 seats to a 2500 seat outdoor concert faclty. The settng of the Pecan Gardens wll be landscape-domnated wth lagoons and floral dsplays whch, along wth the grand promenades between the rows of pecan trees, wll gve a lush and lvely feelng to the place. A major ceremonal axs wll extend from a "front door" on Barton Sprngs Road through the Pecan Gardens to a water-tax stop on Town Lake. Eateres, performance places and museums wll surround the central pecan grove. Except for the Parks and Recreaton Buldng and the exstng Zachary Scott Theatre, most of the buldngs n the Pecan Gardens wll be held back from the lake frontage, allowng the natural bank to make a transton from the lvely Pecan Gardens to the 56

61 C/2 g o c s <u l-h cd S r 57

62 more peaceful lake edge. The Zachary Scott Theatre wll reman and possbly expand on ts exstng ste. Assumng the possble future relocaton of PARD offces to a muncpal offce complex or other publc faclty, the Parks and Recreaton Buldng would become a canddate for adaptve reuse as a cultural faclty. Parkng for the Pecan Gardens wll be located at southeast and southwest comers of the parcel (ntally on grade, eventually n parkng structures) wth access off both Barton Sprngs Road and Lamar Boulevard, The Pecan Gardens wll play an mportant part n extenang the role of Town Lake Park to evenng and nghttme uses as well as daytme ones. Dramatc and festve lghtng partcularly emphaszng the pecan trees wll make t as beautful at nght as t s durng the day. The Pecan Gardens wll become an mportant attracton n Austn's developng toursm ndustry as well as a popular attracton for ts own ctzens. There are no comparable developments n Texas that mx a scenc envronment, entertanment, restaurants and famly-orented nsttutons n ths way. The San Antono Rver Walk contans scenc and restaurant elements but has always been constraned by ts downtown locaton n addng other potentally complementary elements. Sx Flags Over Texas and Astroworld address the famly-orented amusement elements of ths proposal wth some entertanment, but ther solaton and ther overtly commercal rather than publc character agan put them n a dfferent category. The nature of the Pecan Gardens s desgned to reflect a partcular qualty of Austn as a cty. ts focus on the pecan groves, ts lmted scale, ts ntegraton wth adjacent parks and Town Lake, and ts orentaton to musc and performance wll all make the Pecan Gardens unque to Austn. t wll provde a partcular amenty that vstors cannot fnd n ther own home towns and that wll evoke specal memores of Austn. Audtorum Shores Audtorum Shores, ncludng the recently dedcated 54 acres of contguous parkland, s proposed to be a focus of Austn's cultural and nterpretve facltes. Ths Cultural Park s envsoned as a settng for the placement of ndvdual nsttutons unted n ther goals to enrch the cultural resources of the communty. t wll also accommodate outdoor assembles for specal events, such as the tradtonal Fourth of July concert and smlar gatherngs. Removal of the deterorated retanng walls and ther replacement wth new topsol and rrgaton wll mprove the ste's ablty to accommodate occasonal large crowds wthout extensve turf damage. To mtgate potental mpacts 58

63 * J upon adjacent neghborhoods, enforceable polces regardng specal events wll need to restrct parkng on resdental streets, lmt nose levels through acoustc technology, set acceptable curfew tmes and provde neghborhood securty. Palmer Audtorum, the area's most vsble feature, wll complement the cultural focus wth performances, shows and events. ts parkng, currently spread over most of the landscape, wll be collected and accommodated n a gracefully terraced and rchly landscaped structure surroundng all but the lake sde of the audtorum. Rversde Drve s proposed to be vacated and ts algnment abandoned through the ste. The present road wll termnate nto the new parkng structure. Whle a traffc mpact analyss of ths mprovement s recommended, prelmnary ndcatons from the Cty's transportaton department reveal no major concerns wth the change. The open lawn that welcomes the lake envronment up to the audtorum wll be renovated and ts exstng oak-lned edges renforced wth addtonal plantngs. Stes for future museums and/or theatres are suggested on the west sde of the Cultural Park, n an area currently occuped by the Colseum and Dougherty Art Center. A park road lnks the stes together, provdng convenence parkng, and contnues under the ralroad brdge to addtonal stes facng Lamar Boulevard. Between the cultural nsttutons and Palmer Audtorum, a lagoon s ntroduced to enhance the museum settngs, afford addtonal recreatonal opportunty and mtgate the ste *s mcro clmate. As mportantly, the lagoon wll extend the vsual percepton of Town Lake nearer to Barton Sprngs Road to ncorporate ts sgnfcance nto vews of downtown's skylne from ths sgnfcant artery. The lagoon's curng form s desgned to gve the vsual mpresson of a much larger body of water. t s crossed twce by lghted brdges, graceful and refned n ther desgn character. One of the brdges s proposed to ncorporate the East Bouldn Creek flood bypass structure nto ts structural desgn, usng ths potentally formdable ste constrant to advantage. Portons of the lagoon area adjacent to the museums are ntended to exhbt ntmate landscape detals, such as colorful plantng beds and fnely crafted pavng detals, not found anywhere else n Town Lake Park but frequently assocated wth cultural park character. A wde promenade formed by an alle' of trees west of the lagoon renforces the park's more formal character, formng a strong vsual axs termnated by a large sculptural fountan east of the lagoon. The fountan also serves as a dramatc vsual focal pont for vstors enterng the park from the proposed parkng structure at Palmer Audtorum. 59

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65 Pror to any sgnfcant park development of the 54 acres around Palmer Audtorum, the approxmately 2000 on-grade parkng spaces whch currently domnate the ste must be replaced. Parkng accommodatons of ths scale are necessary to servce the audtorum and are currently wellutlzed for park-and-rde and for Audtorum Shores specal events parkng as well. The Plan envsons ths parkng faclty, the subject of a separate schematc desgn study, as one of two major parkng anchors whch would be served by trams, gvng access to the large park system whch wll stretch from South Frst Street to MOPAC wth a mnmum of ntermedate on-ste parkng. The parkng faclty s desgned to acheve constructon economy, vsual unobtrusveness, and ease of access from the multple functons t must serve. A relatvely hgh water table and occuped easements across the ste make an underground faclty uneconomcal and nfeasble. The enormous bulk of the requred space would create an unfortunate vsual ntruson nto the new park f confgured as a conventonal mult-story rectlnear garage. The proposed soluton complments the geometry of the audtorum and blends wth exstng topography to create a structure whch not only mnmzes ts own mpact but whch also softens the scale of Palmer Audtorum n relaton to the park. The new faclty wraps rngs of parkng around three-quarters of the full crcle of the audtorum. The remanng one-quarter of the buldng's face s open to vews of Audtorum Shores, Town Lake and downtown. A court at the exstng podum level flls the 80 foot wde space between the garage and audtorum. The arc of mature trees rngng the north and east sdes of the buldng wll reman to occupy the center of the court whch wll be avalable for outdoor dsplay, receptons and events. Parkng s located on four levels. The lowest level at about the same grade as the exstng surface parkng contans three concentrc rngs of double-loaded parkng lanes. All of the rngs are covered and are lt and ventlated by contnuous lght wells at the permeter. Ths level, entered from Barton Sprngs Road, also accommodates a double heght servce access leadng to an exstng loadng area whch has been enlarged sgnfcantly to allow more space for servce vehcle turn-around and parkng of tall or overszed equpment. Covered bus and "Dllo" access and drop-off areas are n the double-heght porton of ths level as well. 61

66 The second level of the faclty lkewse has three concentrc rngs of polkng, two covered and one open. Entered drectly from both Barton Sprngs Road and South Frst Street, ts grade s approxmately the same as the exstng podum around the audtorum. Ths level accommodates a double heght servce access whch leads to the extng stage loadng dock and connects to the court between the parkng structure and the audtorum to facltate the dsplay of very large tems such as boats or cars. The thrd level of parkng s terraced back from the lower two and contans only two rngs of parkng ~ one covered and one open. The fourth level contnues that pattern of terracng wth one uncovered rng of parkng. Four star/elevator cores brng pedestrans down from the thrd and fourth levels to the courtyard where they can convenently enter the audtorum or move through the courtyard to events on Audtorum Shores. Vehcular movement through the faclty s all two-way wth contnuous access to all parkng spaces from each of the entrances and all other parkng spaces. There are no "dead-end" parkng areas. Vertcal transtons are made va ramps wth 5% grades. From the exteror the faclty wll be a "non-buldng". The frst level wll be tucked behnd an earth berm whch wll extend exstng topographcal condtons. The upper levels, as they terrace back, wll be sheathed n a web of vegetaton to create a "hangng gardens" effect surroundng and softenng the audtorum. Wth a mnmum of sol area, an automatcally regulated waterng system, and a carefully selected plant materal, the structure wll be more "park" than "parkng garage" n appearance. n addton, the vned trellses wll shade parked cars from Austn's hot summer sun. Ths proposal converts a potentally obtrusve ste necessty nto a feature whch wll actually enhance the character of the park. The new structure and ts vegetaton wll be a vsually exctng element wth terraces gvng rchness to the ground plan and flowerng vnes addng color and seasonal varablty. The mpact of the large, unreleved vertcal surfaces of Palmer Audtorum (especally the massve brck fly-loft) wll be sgnfcantly mtgated. 62

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69 The avalablty of convenent, pleasantly lt and pedestran-scaled parkng n the mdst of the park wll make the park tself more avalable, not only for park users, but also for use by commuters usng park-and-rde facltes. North Shore: Lamar Boulevard to Shoal Creek The Cty-owned power generaton faclty offers two long-range potentals for ncreased recreatonal/socal actvty n the Town Lake Corrdor when ts power generaton functons are replaced through the constructon of new plants n other locatons. The man buldng, a formdable structure, encloses large-volumed spaces adaptable to other, more publcly-accessble uses. Large enough to accommodate a festval market, food market, museum or theatre, ts nearness to downtown and to Town Lake suggest that t be converted nto an actvty center complementary to the area. n the event that the ralroad s eventually abandoned, utlzaton of the ralroad brdges to gan pedestran/tram access to and from the cultural, entertanment and recreatonal actvtes on the south sde of Town Lake wll warrant nvestgaton. Addtonally, the buldng south of W. Frst Street that houses the coolng water ntake for the power plant s deally stuated for converson to lakesde dnng. Ste lmtatons wll requre valet or remote parkng served by specal transt. f parkng were to be located at the man power plant across the street, a sgnalzed pedestran crossng wll be needed. A water tax stop wll gve addtonal access. Adaptve reuse of the power plant and ntake structures for cultural/entertanment and dnng facltes wll potentally encourage compatble prvate development along the lower reach of Shoal Creek as t approaches Town Lake. deally, development of ths zone of downtown wll nclude resdental lvng. West Austn and Lamar Beach The marshy outlet of Johnson Creek mmedately east of the MOPAC brdge creates a desrable habtat for wldlfe that s worthy of preservaton. Accordngly, the path system wll be mantaned close to the hgh school access drve to avod any conflct or mpact. 65

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71 The open, fat felds of Austn Hgh School and ther shallow elevaton above the lake level suggest ther approprateness for occasonal, off school season events, such as neghborhood bazaars or arts and crafts fars orented to actvty on the lake. The lakesde tself wll be enhanced wth addtonal landscapng and possbly provded wth a boat rental concesson. n antcpaton of an alternatve access route to downtown from MOPAC, the Plan assumes no sgnfcant ncrease n traffc volumes, and no pavement wdenng, of W. Frst Street. t recommends ts dsengagement from MOPAC n favor of an alternatve route. f connected solely to Lake Austn Boulevard, W. Frst Street then functons as a secondary access and as part of the crcumferental park road around Town Lake. Assumng these future condtons and, further, that safe pedestran access from West Austn neghborhoods wll be ncorporated nto the alternatve access road's constructon, that porton of Town Lake Park north of W. Frst Street wll be largely devoted to Neghborhood Park use. ts actual development wll need to awat the sutable replacement of exstng ball felds n a new locaton and relocaton of the Austn Humane Socety Anmal Shelter. An off-stream lagoon, smlar n sze to the one at Festval Beach, wll provde opportuntes for fshng and model-boat salng and wll buffer Neghborhood Park actvtes from the street traffc and the lakesde Communty Park mmedately to the south on Lamar Beach. Canals connectng both ends of the lagoon to Town Lake wll facltate water qualty and cleansng acton. The YMCA just west of Lamar Boulevard offers recreatonal facltes and actvtes that are very complementary to the park. ntegraton of the two through a major "front yard" open space, strong path system connectons and the careful locaton of convenences that can serve both consttuents, such as food concessons and communty bulletn boards, wll enhance ths fortutous relatonshp. Drake Brdge to nterstate 35 South Shore/Drake Brdge to E. Bouldn Creek Contnuty of publc access along the shores of Town Lake wll requre the acquston of easements or publc ownershp of propertes along the shorelne. Certan propertes, most notably 67

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73 the Hyatt Hotel and the Austn Amercan Statesman, have provded for the Hke and Bke Tral to contnue along the lakesde. The Hyatt Hotel has also responded to ts frontage on a publc resource by provdng facltes and amentes for passers-by. Boatng concessons n the vcnty add to the lfe and vtalty of the waterfront. n areas where publc access s not already accommodated, publc easements or ownershp should be secured n the future. n addton to the embankment along the lake's edge, a nomnal dmenson of ffty feet back from the edge of the embankment s recommended to accommodate the exercse tral and strollng paths. Detaled on-ste observaton may vary the dmensons accordng to natural and bult features. Occasonal rest stops and overlooks wll punctuate the path algnment and landscapng wll enhance ts character. Access between the path and adjacent prvate development s encouraged. Twn Creeks Park The proxmty of. Bouldn Creek and Blunn Creek as they enter Town Lake lend specal sgnfcance to the land area between them. Blunn Creek s already a crculaton condut leadng resdents to Town Lake from neghborhoods sharng ts upstream park system. t requres only a functonal pedestran underpass at Rversde Drve and a termnus at the lake's edge to realze ts full potental. Parallel mprovement of E. Bouldn Creek south of Rversde Drve, perhaps more commercally developed wth creeksde pato dnng and comparable development, wll serve neghborhoods further west. Ther merged juncture at Town Lake s an approprate focus for publc parkland. mprovements wll nclude provson for neghborhood pcnckng, recreaton and play and substantal landscapng. Norwood Estate Recently acqured by the Cty of Austn for use as parkland, the Norwood Estate occupes a promontory whch offers one of the most dramatc vews of Town Lake and downtown Austn avalable n the cty. Located at the crtcal ntersecton of Town Lake and H-35, the ste s one of the most vsble n the Corrdor. 69

74 The house, bult by one of Austn's most promnent ctzens of the 1920's, orgnally stood toward the center of ts grounds, surrounded by gardens over-lookng the swmmng pool below and to the east. Although not old enough to qualfy as "hstorc", t s a fne example of the bungalow style whch was prevalent n Austn n the early part of the century. Several years ago, the house was moved to the permeter of the ste and has not been used snce. A group of ctzens n the adjacent Travs Heghts neghborhood has begun a movement to rase funds to move the house back to ts orgnal ste and to rehabltate t. The Town Lake Comprehensve Plan supports ts relocaton and rehabltaton as a small meetng/gatherng faclty much lke the popular Zlker Clubhouse. Actvtes wll be lmted to those that can be accommodated n the modest szed space of the house and adjonng porches and terraces. Lmted parkng for such gatherngs wll be located unobtrusvely among the large trees n a low draw to the east of the pool. The pool tself wll also be rehabltated. Fed by natural warm sprngs, the pool could be an attractve amenty for general publc use, but ts hgh vsblty and accessblty create the potental for sgnfcant overuse. Opportuntes wll be sought to open the pool for lmted use only «perhaps for off-season swmmers, senors or for therapeutc swmmng. n any event, ts scenc qualtes wll contrbute to the character of the grounds. Fencng and other accommodatons necessary to make the prvate pool usable for more publc purposes wll be complementary or unobtrusve. The development of the Norwood Estate wll restore the qualtes of the orgnal estate ~ ts spacousness, ts grace and ts orentaton to the water and the cty. Although ts locaton adjacent to the hghest traffc carrer n Austn may tempt more ntense usage, acknowledgment of the ste's small sze and ts vulnerable scale must preval. ts development must mantan compatblty wth the adjacent resdental neghborhood and avod extensve vehcular access. North Shore: Raney Street Area The Raney Street neghborhood has been the focus of consderable attenton n the past decade, most notably for efforts to preserve ts hstorc character and ts Mexcan-Amercan legacy. Despte these consderable efforts, ths once-thrvng neghborhood has experenced physcal deteroraton. Only 36 houses, fewer than half of whch are owner-occuped, reman n the negh- 70

75 borhood today. South of Rver Street, the land s vrtually vacant except for large stands of mature pecan trees. Sgnfcantly, the Raney Street Neghborhood Assocaton has recently abandoned ts preservaton stance n favor of redevelopment at a hgher ntensty. The Town Lake Comprehensve Plan endorses ths poston and recommends careful redevelopment nto mxed uses featurng small scale shops and offces combned wth resdental lvng. Commercal actvty should anmate the edge of Waller Creek, and the mature trees that shade the neghborhood should be protected so that they contnue to domnate the character of the area. All the land south of Rver Street s proposed to be acqured and dedcated as parkland to protect ts pecan forest and enhance the neghborhood. Smlarly, the Cty's Street and Brdge Yard wll be better used as parkland than for ts present functon. The ste's stuaton hgh above Town Lake offers dramatc vstas up the rver. After the neghborhood redevelopment patterns are establshed, a cultural faclty n the park wll expand ths ste's unque assets. A faclty that mght proft from ts relatonshp to Sxth Street, a short dstance away, by way of Waller Creek, and from the splendd vews up the lake to the west would be most approprate. A park road lnkng Red Rver Street, lower Raney Street and Waterfront Street contnung under wll take full advantage of the dramatc vews and add to the pleasure of a scenc park drve. The Urban Waterfront Orgnally conceved to be the captol cty of Texas from perspectves vewed from the Colorado Rver near what would become Congress Avenue, downtown Austn's relatonshp to the water deserves specal sgnfcance. The Cty's hstory, both n the past and more recently, has produced notable urban desgn features worthy of menton and emulaton. Buford Tower's landmark stature lends a specal qualty to the edge of downtown as t meets the waterfront. Nearby, publc ownershp of the "square" at the head of Drake Brdge offers the cty the potental to "receve" Town Lake Park and, through t, the broader communty n a welcomng gesture wth strong landscape 71

76 desgn and an archtectural or sculptural focal pont. mmedately west of Congress Avenue, the streetscape character on the north sde of W. Frst Street extends the landscape/pedestran values of the park across the traffc artery and effectvely knts the vsual character of downtown and parkland together. The dramatc, cvc scale of the Congress Avenue streetscape mprovements further forge ths lnkage. On the east sde of Congress Avenue the ntegraton of prvate development wth publc use, resultng n added publc lakesde amentes, serves as an example of the concept of jont publc/prvate partnershps that deserves contnued applcaton and refnement. Buldng on these assets, the Plan proposes a sngular urban character for that porton of the lakefront between Shoal Creek and Waller Creek. Frst Street throughout ths reach s vewed as a cvc promenade flanked wth wde tree-shaded sdewalks on both sdes and furnshed wth specal lghtng, pavement and furnture. A smlar though more modest streetscape character wll penetrate perpendcularly nto downtown along Guadalupe and Trnty Streets. The sdewalk on the south (park) sde of the Frst Street Promenade wll be punctuated wth belvederes, sem-crcular pedestran terraces extendng nto the parkland at ts upper (Frst Street) level and bordered wth low stone walls topped wth ornamental ron ralngs and ornate lghtng fxtures. The largest of the belvederes wll wrap around Bufod Tower, creatng a major gatherng place and overlook, and descend va curvng stone steps on ether sde to a lower promenade along the water. Other starway connectons between the two levels are at the northern brdgeheads of S. Frst Street and Congress Avenue. These wll be more generous n ther dmenson wth broad treads and shallow rsers ftted nto the hllsde; ther desgn and orentaton wll encourage sttng, lunchng and small gatherngs. The Town Lake Promenade, at the lower level, wll be a wde pedestran walkway mmedately along the water's edge and just above the lake's hgh water elevaton. Benches along the nsde edge, lghtng and other furnture desgned especally for the Urban Waterfront wll furnsh the area; a water tax landng wll anmate the waterfront and provde transport to other stops. New trees wll supplement the exstng landscape, provdng shade and enframng vstas of Town Lake. Together, the two levels of promenade wll accommodate street performers, artsts, food vendors, strollng and people-watchng, as well as provde "man floor" and "balcony" observaton of performances that could be presented on stages floatng on Town Lake. 72

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79 nterstate 35 to The Basn South Shore Publc access along the lakeshore s proposed as necessary to contnue the exercse tral and strollng paths between 1-35 and Pleasant Valley Road. At the west end, connectons wll be made to the sdewalk on the 1-35 brdge deck and to a pedestran walkway below the brdge along the lake's south shore. The exstng hotel at the brdge head s a potental water tax stop. A nomnal easement/acquston dmenson of ffty feet back from the embankment to the lake s suggested to accommodate the path systems; detaled on-ste observatons of natural and bult features wll vary the dmensons along the way. Landscapng wll mtgate occasonal mpacts between publc and prvate uses; access between the two s encouraged whenever feasble. At the east end, the parkland expands outward from the lake's edge to Lakeshore Drve at Kasuba Beach. The Amercan Youth Hostel Assocaton s currently negotatng to convert the former prvate swmmng faclty on ths ste to a youth hostel. Prelmnary observatons of the structural condton of the swmmng faclty, more recently a storage faclty for sculls, dctates a thorough structural nspecton pror to ts adapton to a hostel or any other permanent publc use. Ths area s a probable canddate for a concesson faclty on the lake. The Basn Orgnally dredged for sol to construct the dke at Longhom Dam, the Basn forms the broadest area of water surface on Town Lake. Because t s postoned off-stream from the Colorado Rver channel, t s free from underwater currents occasoned by the release of upstream water from Tom Mller Dam. ts expansve dmensons and safer hydrologc condtons suggest the Basn's approprateness for small boat salng. Ths wll add a dmenson of water-based recreaton to Town Lake, one of the oft-repeated objectves of the ctzens. Accordngly, the Plan proposes to locate a salng faclty, possbly prvately operated, at the Basn's southeast comer near the ntersecton of Lakeshore Drve and Pleasant Valley Road. The shallow water depth n the Basn wll requre addtonal dredg- 75

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81 ng to realze the potental of ths recreatonal feature. Desrable depth would be dependent upon the type of craft to be used; however, a mnmum depth of fve feet wth a gradual transton to a sandy shorelne would be requred for even the smallest salboats. Addtonally, a system of roped buoys should separate the Basn proper from the man rver channel and Longhom Dam. All boatng on Town Lake s to be lmted by type and actvty accordng to boatng statutes currently n force. Longhom Shores, between the Basn's east shore and Pleasant Valley Road, wll contnue to accommodate parkng n a reconfgured pattern. Park amentes conducve to pcnckng and passve play as well as strollng paths and shade trees wll augment the exstng exercse tral through the area. North Shore: Festval Beach/Festa Gardens At ntervals along the Corrdor, Town Lake Park touches establshed neghborhoods. Ths relatonshp s especally strong at Festa Gardens and Festval Beach. For block after block, neghborhood houses share a common border wth the park. These houses are often wthn easy earshot of heavly-used park amentes such as pcnc pavlons, parkng lots and an extremely popular swmmng pool. n some cases, the most convenent automoble access to these amentes s through otherwse quet resdental streets. Park plannng, development and operatonal decsons nevtably affect the neghborhood's qualty of lfe. Unfortunately, past experence, has shown that even the best ntentons to mprove the park can ncrease nose, traffc and securty problems to the detrment of nearby resdents f all factors are not fully consdered. Recognzng ths unque nterrelatonshp, de Town Lake Comprehensve Plan recommends an overrdng park polcy of thoroughly nvolvng resdents and communty leaders n the plannng and admnstraton process for Festa Gardens and Festval Beach. Ths polcy s proposed to acknowledge the park's specal oblgaton to work dlgently toward safeguardng ts vulnerable neghbors. f used to best advantage, ths polcy can tap neghborhoods as valuable sources for dentfyng subtle park use patterns and offerng relevant suggestons. Securty, an ssue dentfed by the neghborhood adjonng Festval Beach/Festa Gardens, deserves prorty attenton. Publc ntoxcaton, dangerous drvng and aggressve, bosterous behavor have become serous concerns to neghborhood resdents and the many park users alke. 77

82 Wthout relable control of napproprate behavor, efforts toward physcal mprovement wll lkely be rebuffed as beng rrelevant to ths more pressng concern. The Plan proposes that securty be addressed wth a commtment to dlgent polce protecton along wth a number of strategc physcal nterventons. n addton, the Plan proposes a long-range polcy of couplng the plannng, desgn and constructon of park mprovements wth carefully consdered strateges for resolvng attendant securty mplcatons. Snce most park users arrve by car, mproved traffc control s an mportant ngredent of a safer park and neghborhood envronment. The Plan proposes, for example, that the east end of the park drve be dsconnected from Chcon Street where park access cuts deeply through the establshed neghborhood. nstead, t wll enter the park at Canadan and contnue across the pennsula between the lagoon and Town Lake. Ths more southerly path wll offer a relaxng, scenc drve wth broad vews of the water and elmnate the conflct between park traffc and actvty. Ths reroutng wll also facltate the eventual removal of the exstng parkng lot at Chcon and Bergman, a source of neghborhood rrtaton. A desrable ste for the eventual relocaton of dsplaced houses from elsewhere n the cty, t should be secured and lghted n the nterm. Smlarly, the cul-de-sacs Chalmers and Saldana, often used as parkng areas for nearby pcnc pavlons and playscape equpment, are proposed to be removed and the two roads joned together. To dscourage ts use as a route to the park amentes, the path of the connectng road should le as far to the north as possble, and a fence should be erected to lmt park access to pedestrans. A polcy lmtng parkng on the streets should be establshed wth the help of the nearby resdents and future amentes should be orented toward the man park road to further dscourage access through the neghborhood. Lghtng s another securty ssue dentfed by the neghborhood to dscourage loud nghttme gatherngs that occasonally erupt nto aggressve behavor. TTe Plan endorses the neghborhood's recommendaton for lghtng parkng lots and other actvty zones. Coupled wth a well-enforced curfew, lghtng wll help dscourage napproprate behavor n the park. The neghborhood has been a valuable source of plannng for Festval Beach and Festa Gardens for more than a few years. Many of the Town Lake Comprehensve Plan recommendatons for the area are drawn from ths neghborhood plannng process and the East Town Lake Com- 78

83 munty/festa Gardens Area Neghborhood Plan of Accordngly, the Plan desgnates the Festa Gardens complex as a Neghborhood Park faclty where neghborhood actvtes such as ndustral arts programs, senors programs, or chldren's arts programs can be accommodated. The entry to the complex wll be relocated to the east toward Canadan Street. As expanson needs warrant, Festa Gardens wll be extended along the east end of the lagoon n a scale and character compatble wth the neghborhood. Changes proposed to be made around the lagoon nclude dsmantlng the bleachers to make way for outdoor eatng areas, pcturesque plantng and easer access to the lagoon. A grassy slope on the lagoon's west bank wll be adapted to an outdoor amphtheater for cultural events and performances to take place wth the lagoon as a backdrop. Fshng, a popular recreatonal actvty n ths pan of the park, s often hampered by dense water grasses at the shorelne. Accordngly, a fshng per wll be added on the lagoon. To mprove the water qualty n the lagoon generally, a new channel wll be cut on the upstream sde and the exstng channel downstream wll be realgned. Together wth some dredgng and shorelne modfcaton, the confguraton wll enhance water crculaton, elmnate stagnaton and make the lagoon sutable for fshng, recreatonal boatng and other water-related actvtes. To completely affect the transton to a Neghborhood Park complex, the chanlnk fence securng the grounds wll be removed or modfed to permt ncreased neghborhood accessblty consstent wth securty. Currently a source of neghborhood rrtaton, the exstng fence protects facltes from vandalsm. An attractve fence enclosng the most senstve portons of the buldng complex desgned so that generous gates are kept open most tmes wll provde necessary securty after curfew and for specal occasons, but leave the area open to the neghborhood most of the tme. Anchored on the east by the buldng complex on the lagoon and extendng west to nclude the Martn Pool and the Fre Marshall's offce, the Neghborhood Park wll be the ste of a host of specal amentes specfc to the communty. An enlarged Martn Pool wth an added wadng pool, expanded playscape equpment and addtonal pcnc pavlons, barbecue facltes and publc restrooms wll enhance ths area. The Fre Marshal's buldng s proposed to eventually be converted to a communty center. 79

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85 Whle the Festa Gardens Neghborhood Park wll be the area of most concentrated actvty, the entre area from the Metz pennsula to 1-35 wll be developed for pastoral park enjoyment. Clusters of park benches, drnkng fountans, and pcnc tables wll be avalable along meanderng paths. Publc restrooms, a much-needed addton, wll be avalable n suffcent number to encourage all-day park vsts wthout nterrupton. Abundant tree plantngs wll ensure a pattern of dense shade to complement the hot open spaces. The exercse tral wll be rerouted to the lake sde of the power plant va a curvng steel brdge over the water to lnk Festval Beach and Festa Gardens to the Metz pennsula and the rest of the tral loop from MOPAC to the Longhom Dam. The shorelne tself-wll be a place for strollng, fshng or nformal gatherng and, n some places, scenc drvng. Free of buldngs and other hgh actvty that mght otherwse nterrupt ts pastoral character, t wll occasonally be punctuated by fshng outcrops. When seen from the south shore or from 1-35, the shorelne wll appear green and natural, renforcng the beauty of the lake tself. Longhorn Dam to Montopols Brdge Colorado Rver Park/Kreg Feld The largest sngle effort n terms of land acquston and captal nvestments for mprovements proposed n the Town Lake Comprehensve Plan s the development of the Colorado Rver Park at the east end of the Corrdor. The area along the south shore of the free-flowng Colorado Rver between Longhom Dam and Montopols Brdge s unque n the Corrdor n several ways. As the only stretch of the rver that remans a natural waterway, ts banks, floodplans, vegetaton and wldlfe exhbt a more natve character than the upstream, dammed porton of the rver. Ths area s also relatvely less developed than other portons of the Corrdor. Major roads have never been cut to facltate development east of Pleasant Valley Road and north of Rversde Drve. Land n the area currently dedcated as parkland ncludes Kreg Feld and undeveloped or underutlzed acreage such as the exstng Colorado Rver Park (31 acres on the south shore mmedately west of Montopols brdge) and the south bank of the Colorado Rver between t and Kreg Feld.

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87 Ths proposal for a new Colorado Rver Park expands exstng cty property through the acquston of sgnfcant new holdngs to create a major metropoltan park at the east end of the Corrdor that wll be comparable n scale and ts scope of actvtes to Zlker Park. Just as Zlker Park has been avalable to grow wth Austn and meet ts expandng cultural and recreatonal needs over the last ffty years, so the Colorado Rver Pak wll be avalable to meet such needs for the next ffty years of the cty's future. Lke ts western counterpart, Colorado Rver Park wll ncorporate a broad range of park types, from Preserve to Cultural Park, and accommodate a wde range of actvtes from nature trals and paths to large gatherngs for performances. The extenson of Lakeshore Drve between Pleasant Valley Road and Montopols Drve s crtcal to the development of the Colorado Rver Park. Once ths road s establshed as a major east/west route, the park wll have excellent access from 1-35 on the west and US 183 on the east. Such accessblty wll be partcularly mportant to the success of the Performance Pavlon, proposed to accommodate cty-wde ndoor/outdoor theater and muscal events. Modeled after smlar successful facltes such as Wolf Trap outsde Washngton, D.C., the pavlon wll contan 4,500-6,000 seats under shelter and 7,000-10,000 seats on an amphtheater lawn. The poston of the pavlon n the park s based on locatng optmum slopes for amphtheater seatng and on fndng a locaton where the audence can look beyond the performance stage to dramatc vews of the downtown skylne avalable from Colorado Rver Park. Although sheltered seatng areas and the stage area wll need to be secured at other than performance tmes, the amphtheater lawn, restrooms, and concesson kosks can be used for nformal, everyday park use as well as for performance use. Two knds of parkng wll be provded for the Performance Pavlon. Permanent paved parkng areas for cars wll accommodate about the same crowd as the covered porton of the Performance Pavlon. These parkng areas wll be centrally located n the park so as to serve as fully as possble the general parkng needs of Colorado Rver Park as well as performance parkng. They are confgured to penetrate deep nto the park toward the scenc meadows and trals n the floodplan area besde the rver below. To meet the needs of the largest performances n the pavlon, approxmately 2000 temporary overflow parkng spaces wll be arranged on a large, open feld. When t s not requred for parkng, the feld wll be occuped by a golf drvng range. Partcularly well-suted to ths shared use 83

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89 All exstng baseball damonds at Kreg Feld wll reman n ther current confguraton. Extensve landscapng wll be ntated to transform the vsual character of the ste to a gentler, more parklke envronment. Trees wll shroud lght poles, backstops, fences and bleachers and gve welcome shade and a cooler ambent temperature for the comfort of both players and spectators. New facltes to be added near Kreg Feld nclude an Angler's Lodge near Longhorn Dam where fshermen already gather. Ths wll be a modest faclty wth a small meetng room, supples shop, and restrooms for use by varous organzatons but especally dedcated to anglers. nformaton about fshng n the rver and Town Lake wll be posted here. South of Kreg Feld on the extended Lakeshore Drve, a Health and Ftness Center wll serve a purpose smlar to the YMCA at the west end of Town Lake and, perhaps, be smlarly managed ndependent of the Cty. Programmng of the faclty s more detaled than the scope of ths study allows, but mght nclude tenns courts, basketball courts, racquetball and squash courts, weght and exercse rooms, and a swmmng pool. because sol compacton or ruttng are not as serous as they would be to playng felds, the drvng range wll also provde a source of revenue. A large area of the Colorado Rver Park occupyng the hgh, heavly-vegetated bluff n the southeast porton of the park wll be dedcated to general recreatonal needs. Blessed wth many large, beautful trees and spectacular vews to the northwest toward downtown, the area s deally suted for nformal park gatherngs lke pcnckng and church and famly gatherngs. The area wll be generously populated wth barbecue pts, tables, benches, pcnc pavlons, a playscape and games areas for actvtes such as basketball, volleyball and frsbee. Several specal facltes have been requested by ctzen groups for ths area. At the west end of the bluff, where the vews are partcularly dramatc, an open-ar dancng faclty s planned for festvals and other specal occasons. Large events may use the adjacent Performance Pavlon as well, and parkng wll be convenent for szable crowds. At least one meetng/recreatonal faclty wll be located n ths pan of Colorado Rver Park. 85

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91 * A porton of Colorado Rver Parc adjacent to the Montopols neghborhood wll be desgnated a Neghborhood Park. Partally separated from the larger pak by exstng creeks and topographcal change, ths more modest-szed area wll have facltes programmed and scaled more to the needs of the mmedate communty than to the cty at large. n ths way, t wll parallel other portons of Town Lake Park dedcated for use by the East Austn, West Austn, Travs Heghts, and Barton Hlls neghborhoods where they abut the park. The East Preserve The entre lowlands area and bluffs on the north sde of the Colorado Rver east of Longhom Dam to the Montopols Brdge s desgnated as a Preserve n the Town Lake Comprehensve Plan. The East Preserve wll match the smlar conservaton of wld areas occurrng at the west end of the Corrdor upstream from MOPAC to Red Bud sle. Much of the land n the East Preserve was recently donated to the Cty and s n the rver's floodplan. The land s cut rregularly by rvulets and has been extensvely excavated. Although far from beng n a natve state, the area's lack of development gves t a scenc and even dramatc character. Exceptonal vstas of the entre rver valley are experenced from the bluffs that form ts north edge. Access to the East Preserve wll be lmted to nature trals and fshermen's paths from parkng areas under Montopols Brdge and from an overlook park on the south sde of Red Bluff Tral. Wldlfe and water fowl wll be nurtured n the preserve and natve rver-bottom vegetaton typcal to central Texas wll be nterpreted. Man-made scars wll be healed so as to restore a wld and natural feelng to the area. The beauty of the tree-flowng Colorado Rver wll be the prmary asset of ths extenson of the Colorado Rver Park. Tom Mller Dam to Mopac Elers Park/Deep Eddy Presently well-concealed behnd commercal uses frontng on Lake Austn Boulevard, Elers Park and Deep Eddy deserve mproved access and vsblty. Accordngly, the Plan proposes 87

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93 V that the commercal propertes be acqured as they become avalable and the park expanded accordngly. Addtonal expanson wll replace the adjacent Cty mantenance yard. The expanded area wll allow for needed addtonal parkng and concesson actvty to supplement the exstng swmmng, recreaton and play facltes. A water tax stop wll gve addtonal access from the lake sde. The West Preserve The steepness of the south shore bluffs and the occasonal flood nundatons of Red Bud sle have protected the rugged, untamed qualtes of the natural landscape n the westernmost reach of Town Lake between Tom Mller Dam and the MOP AC brdge. The sense of wlderness that prevals here has been greatly abetted by mnmal development of the Unversty of Texas' Brackenrdge Tract along the north shore. The quet outdoor bologcal research actvty occupyng the large central secton of the property adds to the area's emphass on nature. Red Bud sle wll reman predomnantly natural n character to serve the communty's expressed desres for a sense of wld landscape n these unspoled areas. Wth uses lmted to fshng and pcnckng, overcrowdng of ts resources wll be controlled by lmtng parkng to small, pervous stalls along the sland's central rdgelne. No convenences or furnshngs are planned. Ultmately, an aeral brdge across the lake s recommended to replace the exstng low-water crossng and further solate Red Bud sle as a wlderness area. Smlarly, the bluffs along the lake's south shore are to be preserved n ther natural condton wth no access accommodaton provded. Preservaton of the north shore, and to a large degree the entre reach, wll be dependent upon the future of the Brackenrdge Tract. Contnuaton of the Unversty's research and low-rse resdental uses wll serve the envronmental qualty of the zone best. n any event, publc access along the lake shore on land n the floodplan wll provde for pedestran access to Red Bud sle from Elers Park. n keepng wth the natural settng and respectful of the bologcal research needs, crculaton wll be lmted to a nature tral, elevated above the ground as necessary to avod damage to the envronment or nterruptons of research. Occasonal overlooks wll frame vews of the lake and the wooded bluffs rsng dramatcally from ts south shore. The overlooks also serve to punctuate 89

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95 the nature tral's ntersecton wth two other potental paths followng natural dranage ways down the slope from Lake Austn Boulevard. A greenway setback proposed along the south sde of Lakeshore Boulevard wll accommodate a tral for hkers and bcyclsts and provde a landscape foreground for abuttng uses. Crculaton Currently, Town Lake enjoys only one system of crculaton. Even though t s not as yet complete, Town Lake's Hke and Bke Tral s an extremely popular and attractve faclty, a model coveted by other communtes. Roadways mght be mentoned as a second exstng system snce automoble access s provded to most areas of the park; however, because access to the park s generally a secondary functon of the exstng publc streets and roads, they cannot be sad to compose a park road system. n general, vsual and physcal access to parkland s nadequate and traffcways mpact parkland adversely (e.g. Barton Sprngs Road n Zlker Park) more frequently than they contrbute to ts enhancement. The Town Lake Comprehensve Plan proposes an herarchal crculaton system composed of sx modes: vehcular, publc tram, exercse trals, bkeways, strollng paths and water tax. Whle some may overlap or concde on occason, (most notably, all systems wll occasonally share space wth bcycles), each s conceved as an ntegral system. Vehcular crculaton Modfcatons to the exstng street pattern, combned wth some park expanson, wll provde greater opportunty to experence Town Lake Park from the car n a "rde around the park". Begnnng at Congress Avenue and Frst Street, the route proceeds eastward on the proposed Frst Street Promenade to a rght rum onto Red Rver Street, whch s proposed to be modfed n algnment to flow nto lower Raney Street and Waterfront Street. After passng below 1-35, an ntersecton reconfguraton wll favor easy movement nto the park road through Festval Beach. To elmnate park traffc mpact on Bergman Street, the park road wll bend around the south sde of the lagoon at Festa Gardens and contnue va Canadan Street to the East Frst and East Second couplet. 91

96 A tumoff onto Red Bluff Street from East Frst Street wll provde dramatc vstas of the Colorado Rver Park. After crossng over Montopols Brdge, the park route wll contnue on the proposed extenson of Lakeshore Boulevard wth vsual and physcal access to the park along ts entre length to Pleasant Valley Road and beyond to Kasuba Beach. The route wll contnue on Rversde Drve past the Norwood Gardens and Twn Creeks Park to Barton Sprngs Road. From Barton Sprngs Road, a roadway loop nto Audtorum Shores and around to Lamar Boulevard wll provde access to museum stes. From South Lamar Boulevard to MOPAC, exstng or proposed parkland consumes both sdes of Barton Sprngs Road, from the foot of the bluffs south of the road northward to Town Lake. Another drve loop through the southern half of Zlker Park gves access to pcnc areas and to B arton Sprngs Pool. Other exstng roads have been removed from Audtorum Shores and Zlker Park to enhance park qualty and elmnate pedestran conflct. Stratford Drve, Red Bud Tral and Lake Austn Boulevard contnue the park route to MOPAC where the Plan proposes to dsengage West Frst Street from MOP AC n favor of an alternatve access route to downtown. Ths wh allow the park route to contnue on West Frst Street through the Lamar Beach area and along the Frst Street Promenade to Congress Avenue. Parkng Parkng n Town Lake Park s proposed to be more concentrated than n the past and shared wherever possble wth other, non-park users. The park's proxmty to offce and retal centers that predomnantly utlze daytme/workday parkng facltes affords the opportunty to extend that usage nto evenng and weekend hours for park vstors. Opportuntes that arse to avod or mnmze the use of parkland for parkng through off-ste or structured parkng facltes should be captured. Small lots for handcapped, short-term convenence and off-hour parkng wll, of course, be provded at each destnaton pont n the park. r* n general, the Preserve areas wll be provded wth only lmted surface parkng lots postoned near ther entrances so as to mnmze ther mpact on the envronment. Where approprate, the surface wll be pervous to prevent storm water runoff and envronmental degradaton. 92

97 * Parkng wll also be lmted to small surface lots at Neghborhood Parks. Pedestran access to these wll be emphaszed through enhancement of walks and trals. Communty Parks wll be furnshed wth parkng lots at ndvdual destnatons wthn them. The excepton to ths s Zlker Park whch, together wth the Pecan Gardens and the Cultural Park at Audtorum Shores, wll depend largely on parkng structures served by the park tram system to dstrbute vstors throughout these areas. Structures below the MOPAC brdge on the west end and Palmer Audtorum at the east end are favorably sted for downtown park-and-rde transt use. The latter structure wll encrcle all but the lakefront sde of the audtorum and wll feature stepped terraces draped wth vnery so as to blend nto the green landscape of the Cultural Park. Two other parkng structures flankng the Pecan Gardens are to be jont publc/prvate facltes to serve prvate development as well as park users n the area. The Urban Waterfront wll depend entrely upon off-ste parkng provded by nearby publc and prvate facltes. Tramway A transport system wll dstrbute vstors to destnatons n Zlker Park, Pecan Gardens and Audtorum Shores from the parkng structures at the east and west ends of the zone. To travel along ts own surfaced rght-of-way, the system wll employ powered tractor unts followed by one or two unpowered tralers. To be recreatonal n appearance, the vehcles wll be open sded wth passengers enterng along the entre sde drectly nto each row of bench seats. Route confguratons wll serve all attractons n the Corrdor between Palmer Audtorum and Austn Nature Center. Exercse Tral As popular as the exstng Town Lake Hke and Bke Tral s, overcrowdng caused by ts multple use by joggers, bcyclsts and strollers produces confuson, conflct and occasonal danger. Accordngly, the Plan proposes to separate these dfferent users wherever feasble. Removng the bcyclsts and strollers from the Hke and Bke Tral wll free t for ts prmary ntended purpose, exercse walkng and joggng. Dstance markers, rest stops, drnkng fountans and showers wll furnsh the tral. 93

98 Bkeways The speed at whch bcycles frequently travel n the park suggests that they be allocated accommodatons separate from pedestranways. Wthn Zlker Park, Pecan Gardens and Audtorum Shores, the tramway wll double as bkeway. ts paved surface and greater wdth wll assure greater safety and comfort. Elsewhere throughout Town Lake Park, bcyclsts wll share rghts-of-way wth automobles, joggers and walkers as requred by ste-specfc crcumstances. Bkeways wll be outftted wth parkng racks at popular destnatons and rest stops. Strollng Paths The most pervasve crculaton system to be developed throughout Town Lake Park, strollng paths wll lead vstors from pont to pont along a relaxed, meanderng course that touches nature more fully than the other systems and presents a varety of vstas. Movng along the edges of open felds, through shady woods and abundantly furnshed wth benches, shelters, drnkng fountans and amentes, the strollng paths wll provde an entrely new and enjoyable dmenson to experencng Town Lake Park. \ As the actvtes and destnaton facltes proposed wthn and along Town Lake Park are more fully realzed, the varety of the attractons wll generate a desre for alternatve access between them. The experence of travellng from one feature to another by boat rather than by car wll become an attracton n ts own rght. Whle a water tax system s flexble and can be readly adapted to changng condtons over tme, stops are envsoned at destnatons such as Town Lake Promenade, Audtorum Shores, Pecan Gardens, Zlker Park and Festa Gardens. Water Tax 94

99 MPLEMENTATON PROGRAM The Town Lake Comprehensve Plan presents a vson of the outstandng recreatonal and aesthetc opportuntes that exst wthn the central corrdor of Austn. Because t s comprehensve, the scope of these recommendatons s broad and wde-rangng. Because t s vsonary, t looks beyond present day constrants and sets a course for the future. ts ultmate realzaton wll be dependent upon the actons and commtments of more than one generaton of Austntes. Yet, f the opportuntes for mproved cvc beauty and ncreased qualty of lfe delneated n the Plan are to be avalable to the next generaton of Austn's ctzens, ntal steps, such as acquston or control of avalable key stes, wll need to be taken mmedately. The dynamc nature of the cty and of the Town Lake Corrdor could produce change that could otherwse preclude the Plan's eventual mplementaton. nvestment n the Plan's mplementaton should represent Town Lake Park's sgnfcance to Austn as a communty of ctzens and to the ndvdual busnesses, nsttutons, organzatons and people who enjoy ts benefts. Multple sources of fundng are necessary. The Plan, whch seeks to mnmze publc costs, generate revenues, attract prvate nvestment and encourage contrbutons, ncludes several sgnfcant publc^>rvate jont venture opportuntes. Accordngly, the mplementaton program for Town Lake Park has been structured so that responsbltes can be shared by the Cty of Austn and the prvate sector over a long perod of tme. As wth any complex publcly or prvately-based development program, t ncludes a combnaton of fnancng tools and ncentves wth proper vehcles to manage them, an approprate organzatonal approach, and an magnatve physcal master plan whch can be carred out ncrementally. Although some elements should be addressed by the Cty and prvate leaders n the mmedate future, other actvtes may be napproprate or nfeasble untl some later tme, perhaps as dstant as 15 to 30 years. A central theme s that a specal organzatonal structure must be set up and mantaned to provde credblty and follow-through for the Town Lake Comprehensve Plan over the long term. 95

100 j. Organzatonal Structure A new, non-proft chartable organzaton should be establshed to complement Austn's Parks and Recreaton Department. Through the organzaton's governng board, the Cty and ts Parks and Recreaton Department wll have a "partner vehcle" to provde fundng, receve contrbutons, and manage (or negotate for management) several key elements of the Town Lake Comprehensve Plan's mplementaton program over the next three decades. The concept of establshng quas-publc organzatons to supplement the actvtes of local government s well establshed n the Unted States. The federal government has determned that the range of servces provded by tax-exempt or chartable organzatons s suffcently sgnfcant to warrant excluson from tax lablty under the nternal Revenue Code. Of seven categores of exempt-purpose organzatons allowed under Secton 501 (c)(3) of the Tax Code, research suggests that the "Chartable Organzaton" desgnaton s the most approprate for a new umbrella organzaton for the Town Lake Park mplementaton program. A chartable group s defned as one that erects or mantans publc buldngs, monuments, or works and whch lessen the burden of government. More specfcally, the program could be organzed under the regulatons affectng a category of chartable organzatons called "Muncpal mprovements Corporatons", defned as non-proft corporatons proposed to be formed to effect certan mprovements to muncpally-owned property. As descrbed by the Federal Tax Code, the corporaton would be non-taxable where: "all of the captal stock of the corporaton s ssued to the Cty n exchange for a lease on the property, the lease to provde that at the end of ts term or as soon as the ndebtedness of the corporaton s retred by t, or when the Cty assumes or dscharges the outstandng debt of the corporaton, whchever occurs frst, the Cty would become absolute owner of the mprovements. Funds necessary to make the mprovements would be borrowed on debenture notes by the corporaton, secured by a pledge of the net revenues from rentals of the approved property, and the debt would be lqudated from the proceeds of operatons over a perod approxmately the length of the lease," Establshment of a Muncpal mprovements Corporaton for the mplementaton of Town Lake Park wll provde a number of advantages. Frst, the corporaton could engage n jont venture efforts, partnershps and lease arrangements wth outsde partes, all governed by a legally mandated Board of Drectors. Snce the Cty of Austn would hold all of the captal stock of the corporaton and would eventually own outrght all of the mprovements made by the corporaton on muncpally-owned property, the Cty would stand to beneft by the exstence and performance of the cprpora- 96

101 ton. Second, the non-proft chartable status of the Town Lake Muncpal mprovements Corporaton would provde credblty for the organzaton, snce ts purpose s to carry out the Town Lake Plan wthout actng as a prvate busness venture. Thrd, the organzaton could, through ts capacty to generate and receve revenues dedcated to mplementaton of the Park's plan, take on specfc projects n the Town Lake Corrdor contngent on the ablty of the Cty's Parks and Recreaton Department to partally or wholly underwrte those projects. Fnally, because the nature and sources of potental funds for carryng out the Town Lake Comprehensve Plan fall largely outsde exstng fnancal mechansms n the Parks and Recreaton Department budget, the Muncpal mprovements Corporaton could serve as the Cty's chartable "umbrella organzaton" to receve and admnster fundng from these dverse sources. The Town Lake Muncpal mprovements Corporaton must have a clearly stated chartable purpose and must be ncorporated as a non-proft organzaton under the Texas Non-proft Corporaton Act. t s crtcal that, at the tme of ncorporaton, ts chartable purpose be defned as creatng a broad range of recreatonal opportuntes for the resdents of Austn. Further, t should be stated that the proposed mprovements, such as the Pecan Gardens and Performance Pavlon, would be hghly mprobable wthout a strong degree of Cty and chartable organzatonal ownershp necessary to make the projects workable. The Corporaton must have a Board of Drectors of at least 15 members for legal ncorporaton. Terms of Board membershp should be staggered so that reappontments occur on a schedule separate frommuncpal electons and Cty budgetng perods. Staggered terms wll provde an nherent consstency of operatng procedure and polcy that wll be vtal n carryng out the Town Lake Park mplementaton program over a long perod of tme. Members should be selected for ther nsght as to the value of Town Lake for the entre cty of Austn and should represent specfc areas of expertse, experence, and enthusasm for Town Lake's Comprehensve Plan. Because the prvate sector fundrasng component wll represent a substantal porton of fnancng avalable for elements of the Plan, t s crtcal mat a strong relatonshp be establshed wth Austn's corporate leadershp and local, regonal and natonal chartable foundatons and prvate benefactors. Board representaton should nclude a cross-secton of Austn's local, state and natonal leaders. The Board must also nclude broad contact and mplementatonal lason wth neghborhood groups whose areas of concern are affected by future mprovements proposed n the Town Lake Comprehensve Plan. Through the personal stature of Board members, the Town Lake Muncpal mprovements Corporaton wll be establshed as a "blue rbbon" organzaton, dedcated to the enhancement and mprovement of the 97