Waterloo Greenway invites the community to learn about the exciting transformation coming to Sir Swante Palm Neighborhood Park located at 200 N. IH-35 in downtown Austin, Texas.
Keep an eye on this webpage for updates on future community engagement opportunities where you can share your ideas for a transformed Palm Park. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the progress of the Waterloo Greenway project, speak with design team members, share feedback on important park improvements and amenities, and share their own Palm Park stories.
Since 2016, Waterloo Greenway has listened to community members share their memories and experiences at Palm Park and looks to continue building upon the park’s Mexican-American history, serving Austin as a family-friendly space celebrating nature, culture, and play. The third phase of Waterloo Greenway’s park system is currently in design and anticipated to break ground in 2026.
Waterloo Greenway Conservancy, in partnership with the City of Austin, is actively working to restore Palm Park as its third phase in a connected 1.5-mile park system. The opening of Waterloo Park and Moody Amphitheater in 2021 marked the first phase of Waterloo Greenway. Construction is now underway at Phase II: The Confluence.
Portions of Palm Park are currently being used as construction staging and work areas within Waterloo Greenway’s Phase II: The Confluence. Work in this phase includes creek reconstruction and trail connectivity elements from 4th Street to Lady Bird Lake, including at Palm Park.
History
We want to keep learning about our community’s history and the stories of Austinies with lived experience visiting and playing in Palm Park. Through a history study Waterloo Greenway completed in 2018, we dug deep into Austin history to help inform the future of Waterloo Greenway parks. Read short stories online about Palm Park and Waller Creek History and share your own memories at info@waterloogreenway.org.
Downloadable Renderings – Please Credit Waterloo Greenway Conservancy & Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.
Get Involved
Thank you to all who joined our Palm Park Conversations in 2023!
Check back for more Palm Park engagement opportunities in 2024. It is through collaboration and engagement from individuals like you that enables us to create a wondrous 35-acre urban park system in partnership with the City of Austin for the benefit of all.
Your dedication to improving public greenspaces in our community is inspiring, and we are grateful for your continued support.
All of the feedback and insights we receive are invaluable in shaping the future of Waterloo Greenway, including the historic Palm Park in downtown Austin.
Phase II The Confluence Under Construction 4th St. to Lady Bird Lake
Waterloo Greenway is a 1.5-mile park system with the power to bring the entire Austin community together. Once complete, the project will include 35 acres of connected green space made possible through a significant public-private partnership with the City of Austin. The opening of Waterloo Park and Moody Amphitheater in 2021 marked the first phase of Waterloo Greenway. Construction on Phase II: The Confluence begins this spring, representing the next step toward completing the park system.
At The Confluence, where the mouth of Waller Creek meets Lady Bird Lake, the creek is deeper and more ecologically diverse than anywhere else in the city. What better way for you to experience its abundant beauty than with a bird’s eye view? Three lightweight suspension bridges will drape across the newly restored delta landscape, creating stunning canopy walks with unrivaled vantage points, and vital new east-west connections. A stand of new bald cypress trees will create a sustainable habitat, welcoming visitors to a new creek-level trail and elevated boardwalk.
Significant environmental restoration at The Confluence will recreate a thriving ecosystem, with a resilient landscape to clean and manage stormwater runoff, in partnership with the Watershed Protection and Parks and Recreation Departments. Eroded, fallen creek banks showing the effects of historic flood events will be reconstructed – building upon the Waller Creek Flood Control Tunnel’s capacity for flood mitigation.
A lush new landscape of nearly 1,550 trees, 200,000 mature plants, and 10 acres of seed mixes will improve downtown air quality, improve ecosystem functions, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce the urban heat island effect. Park-goers will experience a one-of-a-kind immersive experience within 13-acres, including the deepest and most ecologically diverse section of Waller Creek.
Located at the southernmost point of Waterloo Greenway, The Confluence sits at the cultural epicenter of Palm Park, Rainey Street Historic District, Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, Convention Center, and Ann and Roy Butler Hike & Bike Trail.
Lead support to-date for Phase II of Waterloo Greenway construction is provided by Buena Vista Foundation, Carmel and Tom Borders, Colin Corgan, Fondren Foundation, The Hartman Family, Love, Tito’s, Sugar Creek Foundation, Tejemos Foundation, and Waller Creek Owner LLC.
“We are thrilled to announce the selection of our construction partner, Jay‐Reese Contractors, who will help us bring the next phase of Waterloo Greenway to life and build upon their legacy of authentically-Austin projects. The Confluence is an incredible example of how we can celebrate and preserve our green spaces in the middle of one of the busiest and most rapidly growing areas of downtown Austin. This next phase is centered around nature and helping connect our community to many amazing historic and cultural downtown destinations.”
Jesús Aguirre, Waterloo Greenway CEO
Meet the Contractor
On Jan. 18, 2023, the City of Austin authorized an award and execution of a construction contract for The Confluence with Jay‐Reese Contractors, Inc. Jay-Reese Contractors have worked on many notable Austin projects including the Pfluger Bridge, Boardwalk Trail at Lady Bird Lake, and 2nd Street Bridge.
Questions?
Watch the Meet the Contractor webinar now to learn more about Phase II: The Confluence and meet our contractor team!
If you have other questions about the project, please reach out to Project Manager, Joel Lewis at Joel.Lewis@austintexas.gov or 512-974-7730.
Get Involved
Sign up for updates from Waterloo Greenway to keep up with construction progress and information on how you can get involved with the project.
In 2023, we welcomed more than 270,000 park visitors, hosted 30 concerts at Moody Amphitheater, offered more than 140 free community programs, and worked hand-in-hand with more volunteers than ever before. To top it off, we broke ground on Phase II: The Confluence and launched the design development for Phase…
Construction on Waterloo Greenway’s Phase II: The Confluence is well underway, with significant progress made in the last few months. This phase of the project is revitalizing Waller Creek from 4th St. to Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin, and has been a massive undertaking by the City of…
Last month, we completed Phase II of community engagement for Palm Park. We’re excited to share that a total of 1,994 community members participated in our engagement process during Phase II. Our team attended an array of tabling & outreach events, held (5) Bilingual Small Group Community Conversations, gathered…
This month, we will be hosting small group conversations to dive deeper into the design of Palm Park. We have a wide range of dates and locations available and hope you will join us for one of the sessions. You can sign up to participate by phone, email, or…
We’d like to thank everyone who participated in our recent Palm Park Conversations and our generous partners at Wells Fargo for funding our community engagement series through their Community Grant program! There’s still time to share your feedback! Take our online survey below and let us know what a…
This is an update regarding upcoming impacts from the ongoing construction of The Confluence. Water Outage The City of Austin will briefly turn off water service at 9 a.m. on Friday, September 8, for approximately an hour. Residents and businesses from 601 to 699 E. 3rd St. will potentially…
Initial work continues near Third and Fourth Streets for a new biofiltration pond to improve water quality in Waller Creek. In addition, limited work south of Cesar Chavez Street will start Wednesday, June 7.
You may notice the contractor clearing some vegetation for access, concentrating on removing invasive plants first. Please keep in mind that the project will include extensive plantings of native vegetation and trees. The project will improve both the water quality in Waller Creek and wildlife habitat.
13-Acre Project to Increase Connectivity, Revitalize Creek Around Central Business District AUSTIN, TEXAS – May 3, 2023 – Waterloo Greenway Conservancy and the City of Austin broke ground this morning on The Confluence, the second phase of Waterloo Greenway’s comprehensive plan to revitalize Waller Creek and create a 1.5-mile greenway…