The Trail VISION PLAN October 2008 prepared by RVi by prepared The Trail at Lady Bird Lake Vision Plan Austin, Texas September 2008 Prepared for The Trail Foundation by RVi www.thetrailfoundation.org Table of Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 1 2 Overview 3 3 Site Analysis 10 4 Programming 25 5 Workshop 27 6 Goals 30 7 Vision Plan 31 8 Acknowledgments 49 TOC Statement of Purpose The Trail Foundation Formed in May 2003, The Trail Foundation pursues its mission to protect and enhance the scenic hike and bike trail that shadows Lady Bird Lake, created by the Colorado River as it flows through Austin, Texas. The Foundation takes donations of funds and volunteer labor from concerned individuals, organizations and corporations and puts them to work to assure the Trail at Lady Bird Lake remains one of the most natural and well-maintained hike and bike paths in the United States. The Trail Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. In coordination with the City of Austin and its Parks and Recreation Department, The Trail Foundation executes strategic improvements that enable Trail lovers to have ownership in and involvement with the Trail that sustains them. The Trail Foundation also consults with many outside institutions, organizations, and individuals with whom they share common goals including the City of Austin, the Austin Parks Board, the Austin Parks Foundation, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, and other civic and environmental organizations. Through these relationships, the foundation aggressively advocates on behalf of the Trail and trail users for a wide variety of improvements and enhancements to the Trail experience. Miro Rivera Restroom Lou Neff Point retaining wall Recent Trail Foundation projects include: • Lou Neff Point Widening and Restoration • Miro Rivera Restroom • Zilker Bluffs Tree Grove Zilker Bluffs planting berms 1 Statement of Purpose The Vision Plan This Vision Plan will help guide The Trail Foundation as they pursue their mission to expand, beautify, improve and maintain the Trail. The Vision Plan is: • Community driven - the community is the expert • A set of goals and guiding principles • An opportunity for broader, creative thinking and new possibilities • A framework for future projects A Vision Plan is not a master plan proscribing how, where and when improvements must be implemented. Instead, it provides the community-based goals and envisions a number ways that those goals may be achieved. RVi: Celebrating 25 years In 2007, Austin-based RVi Planning+ Landscape Architecture + Graphic Design sought to commemorate its 25th anniversary with a volunteer community project that drew on its deep knowledge of Central Texas and its three decades of experience designing outdoor spaces that enhance the human experience. The firm invited The Trail Foundation to share its needs and dreams for the city’s crown jewel, the Trail at Lady Bird Lake. The idea for a Vision Plan was born. Between December 2007 and September 2008, RVi professionals volunteered more than 900 hours toward creating this Vision Plan. It is RVi’s gift to the community in honor of its 25 years of business in Austin. Its goal is to enable The Trail Foundation to visualize how the Trail may serve the growing Austin community for future generations. 2 Overview Overview Lady Bird Lake (known for many decades as Town Lake) is the last of seven flood control dammed segments of the Lower Colorado River. The reservoir is five miles long and has over 400 acres of water surface, formed in 1960 by the construction of Longhorn Dam at its eastern boundary by the City of Austin. The western end of the lake is bounded by Tom Miller Dam, built in 1939. The reservoir was envisioned from the beginning as a recreational venue for the city. A system of hike and bike trails was built along the shoreline of the lake in the 1970s, establishing Lady Bird Lake as a major recreational attraction. At 10.1 miles long, the Trail stretches along the banks of Lady Bird Lake and is one of the oldest urban hike and bike trails in Texas. It is maintained by the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department. In partnership with the City, The Trail Foundation provides private support and oversight for strategic enhancements. Before 1971, the shoreline of then-Town Lake was mostly a mixture of weeds, unkempt bushes and trash. Some concerned Austinites tried to clean up the lake, but the effort was only partly successful. In 1971, the City of Austin created the Town Lake Beautification Project and appointed Lady Bird Johnson as the project’s honorary chairman. Johnson’s involvement brought lots of attention and funding (including $19,000 of her own) to the Town Lake project, allowing for the planting of hundreds of shrubs and trees and the completion of the hike and bike trail from the fragmented construction that had been done until that time. 3 Overview Trail History Building the Dams The Trail’s history begins with the succession of dams built to control flooding of the Colorado River as it flowed through Austin. Regular floods were common in the Hill Country west of Austin. Flooding upstream meant that the Colorado River would swell and rise in Austin. From 1890 to 1893, Austin labored to build its first dam west of the city where today’s Tom Miller Dam is located. The Great Granite Dam was a short-lived source of pride for the city, however, as it soon washed away in a flood. This became the norm for Austin dams as the 1912 Austin Dam and up to five additional dams were washed away by seasonal flooding. Successive bridge failures were disastrous to the city. Finally, in 1939 the current Tom Miller Dam was completed and has stood the test of time and water ever since. The 1960 construction of Longhorn Dam east of Austin created a true impoundment of the Colorado River and formed Town Lake, now known as Lady Bird Lake. Electric streetcar washed out on Lake Austin blvd.. The current Tom Miller Dam to the west at the top of Lady Bird Lake, built in 1940 Water flowing over the Austin dam A house spills over the dam with the raging river in 1935. The current Longhorn Dam to the east, at the bottom of Lady Bird Lake 4 Auditorium Shores The Beginnings of a Trail In 1971, the Town Lake Beautification Committee was formed. In cooperation with Mayor Roy Butler, it set a goal to create a scenic corridor of hiking trails and landscaping to give residents and visitors a rural escape in an urban setting. Many notable Austin citizens served on the committee including Honorary Chair Lady Bird Johnson, Les Gage, Ann Butler, Carolyn Curtis, Emma Long, and Jim Pfluger. Lou Neff Point Gazebo The committee was integral in the development of a master plan, including the layout, initial plantings, and the dedication of two gazebos that remain on the Trail today. In recognition of Lady Bird Johnson’s vision and service to its cause, the City of Austin renamed Town Lake in honor of the former first lady shortly after her death in 2007. “Here in Austin I worked on a project on the riverfront where the Lower Colorado River flows right through our town... The Austin Parks and Recreation Department had already, a year or two before we came back in ’69, told me about their hopes to build a parkway along the banks of the river, which at that time was neglected. Part of it had been a trash dump, part a gravel pit, all of it was just overgrown with rank weeds and unattended and unloved but potentially a beautiful place. We spent about five busy years raising funds. The general idea was that we wanted to have a succession 1959 1971 of native, indigenous, hardy, blooming shrubs along the riverfront with a hike-and-bike trail and some picnic tables…what it is really used for now is running. This town is mad about running.” -Lady Bird Johnson Trail Founder 2008 2008 5 Overview “What will the Trail look like in another 30 years?” Seaholm Power Plant area Fannie Davis Town Lake Gazebo Railroad Bridge area 1964 1971 1975 2008 2008 2008 6 Heart of the (Growing) City In 2008, the Trail at Lady Bird Lake is one of the most well-traveled recreational areas in Austin. Its usage increases as Austin’s population booms. The Trail owes its growing popularity to its size, scenery and versatility. The Trail attracts groups. Runners, cyclists, commuters, and dog-walkers take to the Trail alone and in large groups, from stroller mom workouts and marathon training teams to professional dog trainers and high school students getting to school. The Trail is becoming downtown Austin’s “front yard.” With nearly two dozen residential developments completed or under construction in and near downtown, the Trail becomes these residents’ place to socialize, play, exercise and retreat. The Trail also connects these residents to restaurants, galleries, shopping and museums. As a commuter link, it brings more and more people to its paths. The Trail and its adjoining parks support huge cultural events all year round. Zilker Park, Auditorium Shores and Fiesta Gardens host many music festivals, seasonal holiday attractions, and sporting events that rely on the Trail system. Central Texas expects to continue seeing extraordinary growth. According to the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, metro Austin’s population grew to more than 1.5 million in 2006. An Austin Business Journal study predicts the metro area will be home to 7.8 million residents in 2050. Austin Downtown To accommodate that projected growth and maintain its reputation as one of Austin’s natural crown jewels, the Trail and its adjoining parks need public and Emerging Projects private support to maintain, preserve and strengthen their existence.