The 19‐acre St. John Site is a development opportunity to establish a mixed-use, mixed-income district in the heart of the St. John neighborhood.  The Site is comprised of a 13.8-acre former Home Depot located at 906 E St. Johns Ave and an adjacent 5.2-acre former automotive dealership located at 7309 North IH-35.  Together, the two properties provide consolidated property ownership for the block located between St. Johns and Blackson Avenues.

Located within the “triangle” of US 290, US 183, and I-35, the Site was originally acquired in the late 2000’s by the City for new public safety facilities.  A decade later, Austin City Council directed staff to reconsider future uses of the Site and to work with the community to evaluate and craft a vision for how the properties could better serve the needs of the adjacent neighborhood.  Two years of outreach followed and three key community goals emerged:

1) quality and active open spaces for current and future residents of the St. John neighborhood,

2) affordable housing that can serve a range of income levels and types of households, and

3) space that could potentially accommodate local non‐profits that support the diverse St. John community, especially for workforce and youth development.

The St. John neighborhood has a rich history and since the establishment of the freedman community in the late 1890’s, the St. John Site has served as a central anchor.  The site was first home to the St. John Industrial Institute and Orphanage for African American Children and then later the St. John Elementary School until it was purchased in the early 1990’s.  The City and surrounding community now look to implement an innovative, catalytic mixed‐use project that improves the quality of life for neighborhood residents.

Moving forward, the City and community envision a mixed‐use development that includes mixed‐income housing and strengthens the fabric of the surrounding area.  This Request for Proposals (RFP) is designed to harness the creativity of the market and is an opportunity for qualified development teams to demonstrate their placemaking experience in developing complex, urban projects through public‐private partnerships to reach social, economic, and environmental goals.