The Texas Facilities Commission is proposing a massive office complex somewhere along Texas 130 east of town. It envisions a model "company town" that would direct growth to the city's preferred growth corridor. The massive complex would have room for 9,000 employees -- thousands of whom would be relocated from downtown Austin.
This would be disastrous for downtown Austin.
As the Commission correctly notes, the area surrounding the Capitol is cluttered with low-rise state office buildings and parking garages; as an urban environment, it's a wasteland. The plan also would put valuable downtown Austin properties on the tax rolls for the city, county and school district.
But emptying thousands of employees out of downtown Austin is no solution. A vibrant downtown needs lots of people. Quality buildings matter, of course, but they are useless if they are empty. And while easing congestion is laudable, turning a large chunk of downtown into a ghost town is too steep a price to pay. Indeed, some congestion is healthy; roads are lightly traveled when no one wants to go where they lead.
The Commission has a legitimate interest in reducing the rent it pays for downtown office space. Putting valuable state property back on the tax rolls would be great for the city, county and schools. Anyone who cares about the urban environment would like to see us redevelop the clunky office buildings and street-killing garages surrounding the Capitol. But Austin simply does not have enough demand for downtown office space to replace thousands of government employees.
Here's a better solution: The state should consolidate its employees and agencies downtown and sell off its parking garages and low-rise office buildings to developers. The developers would redevelop the existing structures and lease office space back to the government at cheap rates. Redevelopment actually would be feasible with a huge, guaranteed base of tenants.
Everyone would benefit:
1. The state government would reap the profits from selling under-productive properties, would get cheap office space with room to expand, and would be relieved of the expense and hassle of managing state-owned properties. The government would also enjoy the synergies of having its employees concentrated in a small area.
2. The city, county and schools would see valuable properties added to the tax rolls.
3. Downtown Austin would benefit from the influx of thousands of new employees and from the inevitable growth in state government. And this plan would revitalize an ugly, sterile quarter of downtown which, incidentally, functions as a barrier between pedestrian-friendly UT and pedestrian-friendly Congress Avenue.
The only advantage I see to a complex on SH 130 is that it would spark growth in the preferred growth corridor. Decimating a large chunk of downtown is not worth it.
