(Austin, TX.) – The Central Health Board of Managers adopted the Brackenridge Campus Master Plan Wednesday, an important milestone in the ongoing planning process for the 14.3-acre site.
The Brackenridge Campus site has been home to the community’s safety net hospital- now University Medical Center Brackenridge (UMCB)- since 1889. The City of Austin turned over ownership of the Brackenridge Campus to Central Health when the healthcare district was created in 2004.
The Brackenridge Campus Master Plan is an evolving, long-term planning document that captures the community’s vision for the future of the Brackenridge Campus. The Master Plan envisions an innovative mixed-use development where people work, live, eat, play and access health care services. The Master Plan reflects the guiding principles for the project adopted by the Central Health Board: Mission, Stewardship and Partnership.
“The Brackenridge Campus is a vital community asset residing at the heart of Austin’s most dynamic and exciting downtown developments,” Ad Hoc Central Health Downtown Campus/Innovation Zone Committee Chair Clarke Heidrick said. “This unprecedented redevelopment project will generate revenue that will continue to support Central Health’s mission to provide access to health care for some of our neighbors who need it most – the poor and uninsured.”
The Master Plan establishes a preliminary framework for the phased redevelopment of Brackenridge Campus reflecting a clear vision created with vigorous community input. The redevelopment, which is projected to begin in 2017 and end in approximately 2035, may one day include medical, retail, and office space, parking, restaurants, an open public market and a range of housing.
The Brackenridge Campus will connect the emerging University of Texas Medical District with the Texas State Capitol Complex, Downtown Austin, historic East Central Austin, Waterloo Park and the envisioned Innovation Zone.
In 2017, Seton Healthcare Family will relocate UMCB hospital services from the Brackenridge Campus to a new teaching hospital, the Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas, adjacent to the Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin. The teaching hospital and medical school, both currently under construction, are located directly north of the Brackenridge Campus.
Listening to the Community
Over the past 20 months, Central Health listened to the community and captured its feedback through open-houses and forums, neighborhood canvassing, online surveys and a dedicated website at www.centralhealthcampus.net. More than 8,400 residents have so far participated in the process.
“From the beginning, we were committed to an extensive community engagement process,” Central Health President & CEO Patricia A. Young Brown said. “We gathered input and captured feedback from our patients, neighbors, advocacy groups, local and state elected officials, and other key stakeholders. We wanted to make sure everyone who had an opinion or an idea had the opportunity to weigh in – and we’re not finished.”
Young Brown says Central Health will continue working with the community to determine the best possible uses for the Brackenridge Campus including numerous community partners such as:
- The City of Austin
- Waller Creek Conservancy
- Seton Healthcare Family
- Dell Medical School
- Capital Metro
- The University of Texas at Austin
- Travis County
- Neighborhood groups (e.g., Austin Neighborhood Council East, McKinley Heights Neighborhood Association, Swede Hill Neighborhood Association)
The launching point for the Brackenridge Campus redevelopment was Texas State Sen. Kirk Watson’s “10 Goals in 10 Years” initiative to address Central Texas health care needs. The redevelopment was made possible when Travis County voters passed a ballot measure in 2012 to increase Central Health’s funding.
Next, Central Health will develop a Request for Qualifications/Request for Proposals to solicit a master developer for the project and work with city officials to finalize zoning parameters for the redevelopment.
The public can follow the Brackenridge Campus redevelopment effort at www.centralhealthcampus.net.