Background
The St. Johns Site is roughly 19 acres of city-owned land comprised of two parcels located in Council District 4 at the northeast corner of the intersection of St. Johns Avenue and IH 35. The first parcel, the 13.8-acre former Home Depot located at 7211 N IH 35, was initially purchased in 2008 using Proposition 7 funds that were part of the $58.1 million bond package approved by voters in 2006. Five years later the second parcel, known as the former Chrysler Dealership and located at 7309 N IH 35, was purchased using the same funds. This purchase consolidated City ownership between St. Johns and Blackson Avenues creating the St. John Site.
In December 2017, Austin City Council passed Resolution No. 20171207-058 directing the City Manager to work with the community on a new vision for the St. Johns Site, one that would better serve the surrounding St. Johns neighborhood. After two years of robust community engagement, the new community vision for the St. John Site was affirmed on July 29th, 2020 by the Austin City Council through Resolution No. 20200729-117. This Council action also initiated a Request for Proposal (RFP) process to solicit a development partner to realize the community vision. A full summary of the public engagement process, the new vision for the property, and funding options for redevelopment were provided to Council in a June 24, 2020 Report.
On September 16th, 2020, the City of Austin issued an RFP grounded in the community goals for the site established through the 2-year community engagement process. The RFP for the St. Johns Site closed on March 2nd, 2021, when a multi-disciplined panel evaluated the proposals over the course of 3 months and recommended Greystar Development Central, LLC to Austin City Council as the preferred proposer.
On July 29th, 2021, Austin City Council authorized negotiation and execution of an exclusive negotiation agreement with Greystar Development Central, LLC, for terms governing a master developer contract for the redevelopment of the St. Johns Site (Resolution 20210729-26).
On April 13, 2022, the City of Austin and Greystar Development Central, LLC executed an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement. Under the terms outlined in the ENA, City staff and Greystar Development Central, LLC are meeting regularly to negotiate proposed terms of a Master Development Agreement (MDA) governing redevelopment of the St. Johns Site, which will be presented to Austin City Council for approval.
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