The redevelopment of the St. Johns site in northeast Austin is entering its next phase.
The Austin City Council cleared the way a year ago for city staff and a development team to negotiate a master development agreement for the 19-acre site at 7211 and 7309 N. I-35 in northeast Austin’s St. Johns/Coronado Hills neighborhood planning area. At the same meeting, the council chose global rental housing company Greystar to redevelop the city-owned site in partnership with the Housing Authority of the City of Austin.
The site comprises two different parcels of land: a 13.8-acre former Home Depot that the city purchased in 2008 and the adjacent, 5.2-acre former Chrysler dealership that it bought in 2013. Development of the site was part of a $58.1 million bond package to support the improvement of public safety facilities, approved by Austin voters in 2006.
The initial proposal for the St. Johns site lays out a plan to build 560 residential units and 15,000 square feet of community commercial space as well as expanding and improving St. Johns Park, located directly behind the property. Half of the residential units would be designated affordable for those earning 50 to 70 percent of area median family income.
The agreement negotiated last year was executed on April 13, 2022, following two years of community engagement. The city and development partners will now continue to seek further community input to refine the project programming and layout. Staff is slated to share development terms with the council in November after gathering input. Over the next few months, the St. John Redevelopment Team – made up of the city, Greystar Development Central, and HACA, will host small group discussions with residents and community leaders to that end.
