Austin, TX
East Austin historic neighborhood redevelopment pushes completion to 2025
East Austin redevelopment to extend to 2025
The redevelopment of a historic neighborhood in east Austin is taking longer than expected. FOX 7 Austin’s Rudy Koski spoke with the Austin Housing Authority about the delay.
AUSTIN, Texas – Heavy equipment continues to roll across what was Rosewood Courts in east Austin. It’s been two years since the groundbreaking that came with a completion date targeted for fall 2024.
Little is left from what was one of the first, if not the first, public housing complexes for African Americans. The transition to what will be called Pathways at Rosewood Courts is costing just under $63 million, a major endeavor for the Austin Housing Authority.
“Absolutely. I mean, this is the next chapter,” said COAHA Chief Operating Officer Sylvia Blanco.
The supply chain and labor issues, following the pandemic, have delayed completion of this next chapter.
“So now our new timeline is, we’ll have the first building available for occupancy by mid 2025. And we should wrap up having the entirety of the site open by the end of 2025,” said Blanco.
Redevelopment at St. John’s enters next phase
After years of waiting, the city of Austin’s economic development department finally moved to the next phase of redevelopment at the St. John’s site in northeast Austin.
A few of the original Rosewood units are the only things still standing that currently resemble homes. The remaining eight are being refurbished.
“We’ve also removed the pitch roofs that had been added on over the years. So now it’s the original roofs,” said Blanco. “I think it’s sort of like seeing a glimpse of that history and time as we like to say, you know, if LBJ himself were here, he would recognize the buildings.”
Most of the site is going through a total re-design. Walls have started going up for one of three apartment buildings, which will provide 184 new units. 60 more than what were available. The apartment homes will range in size from a studio to four-bedrooms. There will also be 12 town homes which will be sold as affordable housing.
“Our Rosewood families and our other families that we serve throughout our portfolio will get the first priority in being able to purchase one of these affordable town homes,” said Blanco.
Blanco was asked to define what she meant when saying affordable.
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“We’re talking about under $300,000. We’re talking about three bedrooms, two baths, even a four-bedroom, two-bath for under $300,000,” said Blanco.
There is a concern about how interest rates may factor into affordability.
“That is a huge issue for everyone. We’re in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. And they have very strong ties with lenders who know the mission,” Blanco said.
Planning for this redevelopment started about 10 years ago, and at times was viewed with skepticism by some community advocates. Blanco says the new neighborhood will honor the past and provide new opportunities.
“We look forward to celebrating together at a ribbon cutting, hopefully by this time next year,” said Blanco.
The project will include an open space called Emancipation Park, a history center and several historical markers.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas’ highway system dropped two spots since 2025, and now ranks at No. 27 in the country for its cost-effectiveness and overall conditions, according to the Reason Foundation’s 2026 Highway Report.
The report assessed pavement conditions, fatalities, deficient bridges, infrastructure costs and congestion levels across the United States. Texas earned the following rankings:
- 33rd in urban interstate pavement conditions
- 21st in rural interstate pavement conditions
- 39th in urban arterial pavement conditions
- 12th in rural arterial pavement conditions
- 3rd in structurally deficient bridges
- 26th in urban fatality rate
- 42nd in rural fatality rate
- 41st in traffic congestion
“More than 42,000 of the nation’s 618,923 highway bridges, nearly 7%, are still structurally deficient. Arizona, Nevada, and Texas reported the lowest percentages of deficient bridges,” the report said.
The full report can be found online.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Small hail peppered the Austin area as strong thunderstorms moved through Saturday.
A few of the storms dropped rain and up to pea-sized hail in San Marcos, Dripping Springs and the Austin metro area.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Williamson County around 8:15 p.m., and then canceled shortly after. However, it was enough for the Two Step Inn music festival in Georgetown to cancel shows for the rest of the evening. Event organizers say the festival will run as planned Sunday.
KXAN’s First Warning Weather team is monitoring the storms. We will update this post as the evening continues.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Society Sons of the American Revolution unveiled a new monument at the Texas State Cemetery on Saturday, dedicated to Texas Revolutionary War soldiers.
“We must educate every generation about why it is that America grew from a tenuous 13 colonies into the most powerful country in the history of the world,” said Governor Abbott. “This monument here is an enduring testament to the heroes who fought for the freedom that is unique to America.”
The monument was dedicated to 69 soldiers who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Texas, according to a press release.
Among those that were honored, Abbott recognized:
- José Santiago Seguín, grandfather of Texas Revolutionary hero Juan Seguín.
- Peter Sides, who fought in the 2nd Battalion of the North Carolina Regiment of the Colonial Army, and was later killed in the 1813 Battle of Medina, fighting for Mexican independence against Spain.
- Antonio Gil Y’Barbo, the founder of Nacogdoches.
- William Sparks, who fought as a mounted rifleman in the American Revolution and later settled in Texas. He had two sons and two grandsons who fought in the Texas Revolution.
“This year marks the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, which not only gave freedom to the British colonies of North America, but inspired movements for freedom and liberty all over the world,” said TSSAR President Mel Oller. “Texans played a role in the war too, and it’s important to recognize them, and the sacrifices they made for our freedom.”
At the monument unveiling, Abbott was also inducted into the Sons of the American Revolution and received its Silver Good Citizenship Medal.
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