Austin Community College Has Big Plans for Highland Mall, Construction Could Begin in 12 Months
UPDATE (June 6, 2013): Construction on the first building in the mixed-use redevelopment of the old Highland Mall could begin as soon as a year from now and be completed in the next two to three years, one developer for the project said at the Austin Community College Board of Trustees meeting on June 3. Overall, the project will be completed in the next 10 to 20 years, Community Impact reported. When completed, the project will include centers for fine and culinary arts as well as a gym and a creative media facility.
(Dec. 4, 2012) When the Highland Mall opened in 1971, it was Austin’s first shopping mall, a shiny beacon of consumerism. Some 40 years later, the mall’s anchor stores are closed and its large parking lot is often empty. Austin Community College is aiming to change all of that, starting with a farmers market.
Planning is underway to reinvent the mall space, said Alexis Patterson Hanes, senior public information coordinator for ACC. “It is expected to meet the following goals: Grow innovative instructional programs and program clustering; Reduce crowding at existing campuses; and Expand collaborations with public and private partners.”
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In the spring, Flintco, LLC will begin work on the Math Emporium, designed by Barnes Gromatzky Kosarek Architects. The project will turn the former J.C. Penney store (closed since 2011) at the mall’s northeast corner into a 20,000-foot educational space that will include an open math lab, as well as classrooms, science labs, a bookstore, library, student lounge and support services, Patterson Hanes said. The space will allow for the relocation of more than 6,000 students from other ACC locations.
More at http://www.austinpost.org/austin-news/acc-has-big-plans-highland-mall-starting-farmers-market .
[font color=green]The mall is convenient to travelers using Greyhound bus services due to the close proximity. The food court still remains open to grab a quick meal.[/font]