Board backs superiority recommendation for 500 South Congress PUD amid questions about access and open space

Parks staff presented an application for the 500 South Congress Planned Unit Development at the Parks and Recreation Board's May 19 meeting and asked for a recommendation to City Council that the project be found "superior" with respect to parkland dedication.

Staff described the roughly 6.5-acre site near South 1st and Congress, outlining proposed uses including approximately 950 residential units, about 225 hotel keys, roughly 600,000 square feet of office and about 255,000 square feet of retail, and a trail network intended to connect to the South Central Waterfront open-space plan. Staff also described proposed open-space dedications and indicated the applicant would dedicate roughly 10% of the site to open space in some configurations and commit to trail connections and a north-south pedestrian link adjacent to the 1 Texas Center.

Board members asked about accessibility (curb cuts, trail materials) and whether the trail alignments would connect to planned protected bikeways on Congress; staff said the north-south and east-west trail connections were part of the South Central Waterfront plan and that trail alignments could shift during the site-plan review. Staff said the east-west trail would be 12 feet wide, constructed of concrete in the outer half of the critical water-quality zone, and designed to be wheelchair accessible.

A motion to recommend the City Council find the 500 South Congress PUD superior with respect to parkland dedication passed unanimously.

What happens next: the recommendation will go to City Council for consideration; detailed site plans and final alignment decisions will be made during the site-plan and permitting process.