Colony Park Sustainable Community
About the Project
The Colony Park Sustainable Community is a long-term City of Austin initiative to transform 208 acres of vacant City-owned land in northeast Austin into a mixed-use, mixed-income, complete, neighborhood community. The project will deliver a mix of new single family and multi-family housing, retail, office, and community spaces, all designed to improve access to healthy food, parks, essential services, and economic opportunities. The effort builds on a HUD-funded planning process launched in 2012, as well as the 2014 adoption of the initial Colony Park Master Plan and Planned Units Developments (PUD) zoning district.
Colony Park Sustainable Community
Our Development Partner
After a competitive two-step solicitation process, Austin selected Catellus/Banbury Development as our master development partner. Catellus/Banbury Development brings experience in delivering large-scale, sustainable, mixed-use communities and is collaborating with the City and community stakeholders to implement the Master Plan by building the municipal infrastructure and public amenities that enable the development of housing and commercial spaces. On August 16, 2024, the City and Catellus/Banbury signed the Colony Park Development Agreement (CPDA). This agreement paves the way for the development of 208 acres of City-owned land as a master-planned community, including essential services, public amenities and diverse housing options.
Colony Park Sustainable Community
Community-Driven Planning
Community voices have shaped the project planning from its earliest stages. Residents from Colony Park, Lakeside Hills, LBJ, Agave, and Woodland Hills neighborhoods helped define the vision through public meetings, workshops, and collaboration with City staff. A leadership group known as the Colony Park Core Team has represented community priorities throughout the process. The Core Team created the Eight Pillars, community-defined goals focused on improving access to mobility, access to health care and healthy food, parks and open space, education, workforce housing, economic vitality, and government resources to improve overall quality of life. These pillars continue to guide development decisions.
Colony Park Sustainable Community
Proposed Plan
The Colony Park Master Plan envisions a walkable, connected, and sustainable complete neighborhood community. The project will invest in infrastructure and utilities designed to support long-term sustainable growth. Key features include approximately 2,000–3,000 new single-family and multifamily homes, commercial, mixed-use retail, office, and civic/institutional spaces, and safe streets, parks, greenways, and community spaces. The master plan was shaped by existing-conditions analysis, and years of participatory planning and listening to community feedback. Council approved PUD zoning ensures that the vision will be implemented as development progresses.
Colony Park Sustainable Community
Community Benefits
When completed, the Colony Park Sustainable Community will help address long-standing disparities in northeast Austin by delivering access to diverse and affordable housing options, new spaces for small businesses and services, opportunities for jobs and economic mobility, parks and recreation, multi-modal transportation options, and improved access to health care, healthy foods, and essential government resources.
Colony Park Sustainable Community
Connecting to Existing Neighborhoods
The Colony Park Community street network will connect to adjacent neighborhoods, including the existing Colony Park, Lakeside, and Parker Station neighborhoods. Engagement with community partners and nearby residents continues to ensure the project remains responsive to community needs. Efforts in Colony Park align with broader ongoing planning underway by the City and the County to enhance mobility, public infrastructure, and access to City services across the Northeast Planning District Plan.
Colony Park Sustainable Community
City and Council Actions
The Colony Park Sustainable Community initiative builds on years of community input, planning and partnerships to guide the development. These collaborations resulted in many City and Council actions that supported the process. This includes key agreements, zoning actions, financial plans and development reports that shape the project’s path forward, like the community development agreement, updated zoning ordinance, the TIRZ financing plan and foundational planning documents from the City and its development partner.