Townlake YMCA PUD Info

Current View

Proposed PUD

Townlake YMCA PUD Redevelopment Scoping, Education and Visual Docs

You may have heard about the YMCA’s planned development. Many of us are long-term YMCA members and support the need for a new YMCA facility, more childcare, and affordable housing.

In keeping with the Old West Austin Neighborhood Association’s mission, the Steering and Zoning Committee is reviewing Millennium Partners’ Planned Unit Development (PUD) zoning for the redevelopment of the 4.8-acre TownLake YMCA site. The PUD includes three residential towers up to 425 feet tall (with 750 units), the first high‑rise towers west of Lamar Boulevard, and would raise impervious cover from 56% to 95% and use adjacent parkland for stormwater detention.

OWANA is conducting a collaborative review of zoning, environmental, traffic, and parkland impacts. Formal recommendations will be provided to city staff. Input from neighbors, city departments, and stakeholders is being gathered.

Please take time to:

  1. Review the TownLake YMCA PUD materials provided below.
  2. Stroll/walk on the hike/bike trail to refresh yourself on the property involved and its proximity to the park, Lamar Boulevard, and Cesar Chavez Street.
  3. Reflect

TownLake YMCA PUD Materials

Response to Mayor Kirk Watson’s Request for Questions

Link To Submitted Questions
December 15, 2025

Re: OWANA Submission of Questions and Key Concerns Regarding the Proposed YMCA Town Lake PUD

Dear Mayor Watson and Council Members,

On behalf of the Old West Austin Neighborhood Association (OWANA), we appreciate the opportunity to participate in the public review process for the proposed YMCA Town Lake PUD. As you know, this site sits at one of the most environmentally sensitive and publicly valued locations on Lady Bird Lake, and the decisions made through this PUD will have long-term implications for environmental protection, public access, infrastructure capacity, and equitable development.

OWANA has not taken a position on the PUD at this time. We are still gathering information and seeking clear, factual answers from the applicant so that our membership can fully understand the magnitude of the proposed entitlements and the potential impacts on the community, parkland, and the waterfront.

To support an informed public dialogue, we have prepared a consolidated list of detailed questions for the YMCA and the development team. These questions address several issues raised by City staff in their formal review, including but not limited to tree preservation, emergency response, environmental protection, steep-slope development, Critical Water Quality Zone (CWQZ) removal, parkland impacts, utilities and water quality, code modifications, affordable housing enforceability, transportation impacts, and geotechnical concerns associated with constructing three 425-foot towers on this constrained site.

We respectfully request that these questions be entered into the Council’s public record and that the applicant provide complete, written responses prior to any Council action on the PUD. Given the scale of requested variances—height, impervious cover, CWQZ removal, steep-slope exceptions, and parkland use—the community believes it is essential for the public and decision-makers to have full clarity on the technical, environmental, and legal implications before moving forward.

OWANA remains committed to constructive engagement and is prepared to meet with the applicant and City staff at any time to discuss these questions or any additional concerns that arise during the review process.

Thank you for your continued attention to this important matter and for ensuring transparency and community participation in decisions affecting Austin’s greatest public assets.

Sincerely,
Sheila Lyon
OWANA Zoning Committee Chair
Old West Austin Neighborhood Association (OWANA)

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