St. John Site Redevelopment
St. John Site Redevelopment
The St. John Site is located in the heart of the St. John neighborhood on the northeast corner of St. Johns Avenue and Interstate I-35 (800 E. St Johns Avenue). With a rich history dating back to the 1890’s when it was established as a Freedman community, the St. John neighborhood has served as a pivotal anchor to the African-American community in Central Texas over the centuries. The City of Austin acquired the St. John Site in the early 2000’s and in 2017, the City of Austin, with support from the University of Texas Center for Sustainable Development (CDS), worked with the community to establish a Council-adopted vision for the site, one that would serve current and future needs of St. John neighborhood residents. In 2023, the City of Austin partnered with Greystar Development, LLC and the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) to implement the community’s vision through a Public-Private Partnership.
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Frequently Asked Questions
526 units of rental housing, 50% of which will be affordable (263 units) to qualifying individuals making 50%-70% of the Austin Median Family Income. It will also increase the size of the St. John Pocket Park from .79 acres to roughly 3.5 acres and provide for 15,000 square feet of commercial space focused on serving the needs of the St. John community.
The St. John Site Redevelopment is currently working through final design of the park and permitting for the site and buildings.
The St. John Site Redevelopment is being implemented through a Public-Private Partnership between the City of Austin Financial Services Department and Greystar Development, LLC with the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA). Greystar’s design team includes Meeks + Partners, Lemmo Architecture and Design, and TBG Partners. Community engagement for the project is being provided by Pink Consulting under the leadership of Bobbie Garza-Hernandez.
Click here for the updated timeline
Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at St.John.Site@austintexas.gov
What’s Next
The St. John Site development team is working with City Departments to gain the necessary approvals to begin construction on the community vision. We hope to have design and permitting completed early next year and to break ground in late spring 2025.
We are also collecting stories and oral histories about the St. John neighborhood that will be archived with the Austin History Center. If you have a story you would like to share, please email the project team at St.John.Site@austintexas.gov. If you have any questions about the project, are looking for more information, or generally want to connect we’d love to hear from you.