As reported earlier this month, the Austin City Council got a look at the final version of a plan to redevelop the land along Waller Creek into a chain of parks.
They liked what they saw: Today, the council unanimously voted to approve the design plan developed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates with little argument.
Some council members expressed concern about how much control council would have over the project since the Waller Creek Conservancy, a non-profit formed to raise money for the park project, will pay for some of it.
“My big concern is that it allows corporate naming. I, for one, can’t support anything that would allow half of Waterloo Park to be named ‘McDonald’s Park,” said council member Laura Morrison.
But, the developers eased their concerns by reminding the council that if they named the park after McDonald’s someone in Austin would "surely take their heads."
This step forward for the Waller Creek development is a big one, but as developers and council members reminded the audience at Austin City Hall: "This is going to be a long process."
