September Building Update

We are so grateful for your interest in our new home. 

While things have been moving slowly, there are a lot of behind-the-scenes wheels in motion and we want to share them with you. We’ll be posting monthly overview updates in our lobby and sharing an Austin Playhouse Arts Center update on our blog each month.

Austin Playhouse Arts Center Timeline

2019 - Austin Playhouse purchased 2.8 acres of undeveloped land on the 183 frontage road with $1 million in cash and a $400,000 bridge loan intended to be rolled into a construction loan.

2020 - Pre-development including architectural and engineering designs for a two-venue performance facility completed

March 2020 - The facility was fully permitted and shovel ready. The project was bid out and came in significantly higher than anticipated.  Previous cost estimates had been based on a similar-sized venue designed to be built at Mueller.

Pandemic paused development.

2022 - Austin Playhouse applied for  2018 Cultural Spaces bond funding, administered by Rally Austin (formerly Austin Economic Development Corporation) as part of the Austin Cultural Trust.

June 2022 - Austin Playhouse was prioritized for development with the AEDC and began funding negotiations.

December 2023 - Austin City Council approved $4.5 million in bond funding from the 2018 Creative Spaces bond for the Austin Playhouse Arts Center.

2024 - Austin Playhouse worked with city code enforcement to remove a large encampment from the property and prevent future encampments that would result in code violations for Austin Playhouse.

-The original bridge loan was paid off so Austin Playhouse has a clear title to the land.

-Storm Water Prevention Plan and construction entrance installed.

-Ongoing negotiations with Rally Austin to develop the facility agreements including lease, sub-lease, and facility management plan.

September 2024 - draft lease agreement received from Rally Austin

June 2025 - draft sub-lease agreement received from Rally Austin

If you’ve followed the timeline, you're seeing there’s a lot of paperwork that needs to be in place before the bond funds can be accessed. The 2018 Creative Spaces bond requires the city to have an “ownership stake” in any facility that receives funding. Construction also has to adhere to city guidelines for building and bidding. And the Austin Cultural Trust is an entirely new program without a blueprint. 

For Austin Playhouse, since we own the land, this means that we will lease the land to the city, which will in turn engage Austin Playhouse as facility manager. We need to make sure all the agreements are in place to protect Austin Playhouse’s long term interests before construction begins. Austin Playhouse would be "on the hook" for any bond fund expenditures if either the city or AP found the agreement unworkable, so we have to be diligent.

While everyone would like this to be moving faster, it’s vital that we make sure we’re ensuring Austin Playhouse will be able to bring top notch theatre to Austin for decades to come. 

We’ve been able to keep the site permit and building permit active during this time, however we will not be able to do this indefinitely and are quickly approaching a time where dirt will need to be moved or we will have to reapply for permits, causing further delays.

What can you do? Pledge your support. We understand that this project has been in the “coming soon” stage for many years. Once we get past this final hurdle we will need to move quickly with our community behind us.

Thank you!