(Credit: KLBJ staff)
Austin’s rapid growth is no secret. Whereas once the city’s skyline was dominated by the Capitol, University of Texas tower, and a few mid-rise office buildings, it is now almost unrecognizable to longtime Austinites. But that growth has not been limited to downtown. East of I-35, changes have been coming to the area around Riverside Drive for years, and on Thursday, the Austin City Council gave preliminary approval for a major mixed-use development that some have already dubbed the ‘Riverside Domain.’
As proposed, the development would sit on 97-acres at the corner of Riverside and Pleasant Valley. Currently, the land is the site of five apartment complexes, all of which would be razed if the project wins final approval. In their place: 1300 new apartment units, up to 565 of which could be designated as low-income. An additional 4700 housing units would also be constructed on adjacent land, as well as four-million-square-feet of office space and 600 hotel rooms. The development could also stretch upward by 15-stories.
The Riverside corridor’s explosive growth has led to a slew of new apartments, businesses, and more, all of which have played into the increased cost of living in the area. Because of that, and fears of further gentrification from longtime residents, a growing number of protests have spawned over the proposed development, most notably from an activist group that calls itself ‘Defend Our Hoodz.’ The group was behind multiple disruptions at Austin City Hall on Thursday, with many of its members being led away in handcuffs.
Shortly after the council meeting had gotten underway, members of Defend Our Hoodz stormed the council dais, screaming over the mayor and council as they were hashing out the meeting’s agenda. Mayor Steve Adler struggled to maintain his composure at times, calling for help in bringing the situation under control. After repeated requests to restore order, Adler called in the cavalry, prompting numerous Austin police officers to flood into the council chambers to arrest the activists. In total, six people were taken into custody.
But that wasn’t the last time the council would hear from Defend Our Hoodz on Thursday.
Later in the afternoon, the council meeting was again disrupted by the group as they banged on the City Hall windows, shaking the walls and causing a stir outside. Police repeatedly asked the protesters to back away, but when they refused, six more of them were placed in handcuffs and carted away. Others in the crowd could be heard shouting at police officers as they made the arrests.
Last year, a member of the activist group was arrested for punching a 68-year-old man in the face outside of an East Austin protest. That incident was captured by video released by the Austin Police Department.
In all, a dozen members of Defend Our Hoodz were arrested on Thursday. Separately, a 13th arrest was made at City Hall when a woman spat on a young man after he voiced his opposition to drag queens reading stories to children in public libraries. She was charged with Assault by Contact.
The city council’s vote was 9-2 in favor of the development. That now opens the door for a second hearing scheduled on August 22.
