Discover the future of Waterloo Greenway

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Palm Park
The Confluence

About Phase II – Palm Park

2nd St. to 3rd St., between Sabine St. and I-35

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 the future transformation of Palm Park.

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 [email protected].

Working with the City of Austin

Waterloo Greenway is working in partnership with the City of Austin’s Watershed Protection and Park and Recreation Departments. For more information on the Waller Creek District and Tunnel, visit the City of Austin’s website.

Press

  • Downloadable Renderings – Please Credit Waterloo Greenway Conservancy & Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.

Palm Park Shelter House Zoning and Preservation Update

Waterloo Greenway is excited to share news about the next step in the preservation and restoration of the historic Palm Park Shelter House. 

The Palm Park Shelter House is one of a dozen early City of Austin park structures built in the 1930s and 1940s and designed by noted architect Hugo Kuehne. Intentionally designed to support the health and wellbeing of the community, it served a vital role for the nearby East Austin neighborhood as a space for play, connection, and shared experiences. 

Last year, Waterloo Greenway received a Historic Preservation grant to support the design work needed to restore this important community landmark, ensuring rehabilitation efforts preserve the authenticity, purpose, and integrity of the original structure. In order to comply with grant requirements, Palm Park must be zoned as public land. Despite the generations of park use, Palm Park is currently listed as “Unzoned.” Correcting the zoning is an essential administrative step that allows the Shelter House to comply with historic preservation funding. 

Austin City Council approved the initiation of this zoning process on May 8, and the process is on track to be completed by the end of the year to meet grant deadlines. This zoning change will allow the Shelter House to be restored, protected, and made fully functional again – part of Waterloo Greenway’s mission to protect public greenspace, honor cultural history, and return meaningful community use to a cherished city landmark.

Grant funding is made possible by the City of Austin Heritage Tourism Division.

Get Involved

Thank you to all who participated in our Palm Park Conversations!

Waterloo Greenway presented an updated vision for Sir Swante Palm Neighborhood Park through a series of public conversations from summer 2023 to early 2024 to seek community feedback. The future design is based on more than six months of community input and celebrates Palm Park’s history and future as a place for families and children in Downtown Austin.

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.

VIEW COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PRESENTATION
VIEW PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT REPORT

Supported by

For more information and other ways to support, please contact us at [email protected].

Photos by Lauren Slusher

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.

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.

Some highlights of The Confluence include:

  • Stabilization of the creek banks and improved water quality from 4th St. to Lady Bird Lake.
  • Improved access to nature along a restored Waterloo Greenway.
  • Three lattice bridges providing new east-west pedestrian connections over Waller Creek.
  • A continuous, elevated walkway connecting Palm Park to Rainey St. and the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail.
  • A new Lagoon Overlook and Leaf Deck adjacent to the lake.
  • The shaded, family-friendly Lakeview Terrace and Explorers Garden.
  • A new connection to the creek at 4th St. with the Cypress Grove and Trailhead Plaza.

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.

Construction Status

August 2024: In the coming months, construction will focus on the installation of major new park and trail amenities south of Cesar Chavez St. To construct the lattice bridges, Lagoon Overlook, and Leaf Deck, there will be a series of detours on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail. The first detour started on July 22 and should last through the end of August. The second detour will start immediately afterwards and last into October. Meanwhile, work continues to progress on other features including:

  • A biofiltration pond to improve water quality in Waller Creek,
  • A creek-level trail between 3rd and 4th Streets,
  • An elevated walkway connecting Palm Park to Rainey St. and the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail, and
  • The new Cypress Grove Bridge over Waller Creek at 4th St. 

Detours on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail

A series of detours of the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail will be implemented to enable construction while accommodating continued use of the trail. We are avoiding detour routes that direct users to Cesar Chavez or other streets.

Questions?

Project Sponsor: Lana Denkeler, Project Manager, Parks and Recreation Department, 512-974-9414, Email Lana Denkeler

Main Point of Contact: Ana Seivert, Capital Delivery Project Manager, Capital Delivery Services Department, 512-974-3566, Email Ana Seivert

Project Sponsor: Melissa Carugati, PMP | Project Manager, Watershed Protection Department, 512-974-8082, Email Melissa Carugati

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.

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The Vision

The Latest Progress

Creek Show Moves to Waterloo Greenway Phase II: The Confluence, Returning Bigger and Brighter in 2026

Waterloo Greenway’s Beloved Light-Based Art Event Reimagined to Celebrate the Opening of Phase II: The Confluence, Highlighting the Newest Chapter of the Park Project. After a decade of lighting up upper Waller Creek, Creek Show is on the move, heading downstream to its most exciting home yet – Waterloo Greenway…

Read More Creek Show Moves to Waterloo Greenway Phase II: The Confluence, Returning Bigger and Brighter in 2026

Working with the City of Austin

Waterloo Greenway is working in partnership with the City of Austin’s Watershed Protection and Park and Recreation Departments. For more information on the Waller Creek District and Tunnel, visit the City of Austin’s website.

Press

  • Downloadable Renderings – Please Credit Waterloo Greenway Conservancy & Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.

Waterloo Greenway in the News