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].
Downloadable Renderings – Please Credit Waterloo Greenway Conservancy & Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.
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.
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.
Detours are needed to construct new pedestrian bridges over Waller Creek and the Lagoon Overlook and Leaf Deck A new detour route on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail at Waller Creek will be put into place on Monday, September 30, and is scheduled to remain…
Series of detours start soon along Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail at Waller Creek The detours are to construct new pedestrian bridges over Waller Creek and the Lagoon Overlook and Leaf Deck. Over the next several months, users of the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and…
On Friday, May 24, Waterloo Greenway welcomed a new 142-foot truss bridge over Waller Creek as part of phase two of the park project, The Confluence. The lightweight lattice bridge is the first of three to be installed south of Cesar Chavez St. that will provide new east-west access…
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…
