Once complete, the 35 acres of connected green space – meandering along downtown’s eastern edge from Lady Bird Lake to 15th St. – will be home to a wild array of natural and cultural destinations. Amid epic gardens and rolling pathways, and a twinkling Waller Creek that links them, the environment, arts, health, and adventure will converge — and nourish authentic and uplifting experiences that reflect our city’s diversity.

Waterloo Greenway CEO Peter Mullan is enthusiastic about what this park means for Austin:

“We are unique among green space and conservation projects in that our work is focused in the most dense, urban part of our city. We have risen to the challenge of creating authentic, immersive experiences in nature while being surrounded by the city and its diverse vitality. Waterloo Greenway is on its way to becoming a wondrous public park that celebrates the spirit of our community and connects all of the people in our vibrant city to nature, art, culture — and to each other.”

Mullen also shares some thoughts about how the pandemic is impacting the future of parks and public spaces:

“The pandemic has made it starkly apparent how relevant our mission is to the community and how important public spaces are. It’s important for us to understand how we can use public space to heal our community, bridge historic divides, and become true tools for antiracism. Parks that serve the entire community are agents for healing.

In order to be successful, Waterloo Greenway has to engage across our community. That includes our business community, both in terms of serving their employees and constituents, but also through their support. The Austin Chamber represents an extraordinarily broad cross section of our city and its vital businesses.

We’re proud to be a member.”