Crashing the Green Water Treatment Plant Proposal Party

Want to hear developer proposals for the biggest Downtown Austin redevelopment project in history? Then plan to spend an afternoon at City Hall on Thursday, May 22. Starting at 1pm, council will hear from the five proposing master developers for the Green Water Treat­ment Plant (and Austin Energy) site. Each team will make 45-minute pitches of their visions and proposals (to be aired and rebroadcast on Channel 6), and council members are scheduled to vote on the winning team June 19 – unless Juneteenth and the annual parade force a reschedule.

But the noisy parade of activists upset about this huge sell-off of citizen-owned land to developers could blow Juneteenth out of the water, if the public doesn't get an adequate voice in the selection and the project. Departing Assistant City Manager Laura Huff­man had said the city would provide a significant forum, such as a town hall meeting, for interactive public input on the developer proposals. However, Andrew Moore of Council Member Mike Martinez's office said Tuesday that no public meetings are scheduled. Instead, the models and visual displays will be placed in the City Hall atrium lobby after the May 22 meeting. The public can provide feedback on computer terminals nearby and via the city's website. Got questions? See www.ci.austin.tx.us/seaholm/green.htm, or call the city staffer in charge: Fred Evins, 974-7131.