Consider and take appropriate action on a request to approve the Palm School Community Engagement Plan drafted by the Palm School Steering Committee as it relates to the Palm School Concept Planning process.  (Commissioner Travillion)

Staff Report & Agenda Item Details

<p style="margin-left:37.0pt;" data-pasted="true">The Palm School is a County-owned property that holds significant historic and cultural importance, especially to Austin’s Mexican-American community. The original brick structure was constructed in 1892. The property was a public school from 1892-1976. The school was named the Tenth Ward School. Most recently, it served as the Travis County Health and Human Services building from 1985-2020 housing Health and Human Services and Veterans Services including the Travis County Community Center at Palm Square. Though the Palm School property is no longer used for direct County services, it is an important historic icon for this area and considerations for its future use must be thoroughly explored. The question of how to restore and reimagine the Palm School property is highly sensitive due, in part, to its importance to Austin’s Mexican-American community. Its history and the history of that community make this a complex project. For these reasons, EDSI staff are mindful of the need to create an inclusive and collaborative process for Travis County’s efforts to reimagine the Palm School parcel in a way that preserves and balances the school’s cultural, historic, and market value.</p><p style="margin-left: 60px;">On January 24, 2023, Commissioners Court approved EDSI’s recommendations for a Concept Planning Process for the parcel. At that time, Commissioners Court also approved a recommendation that a Steering Committee be created to work with the consultant on the Concept Plan, with the additional direction that reimagining efforts will:</p><ul style="list-style-type: disc;margin-left: 63px;"><li>Outline the preferred and acceptable scenarios that will be presented to developer partners to guide their responses to produce high quality proposals for future restoration and development activities;</li><li>Be informed by robust community engagement;</li><li>Focus on preserving the Palm School property in a manner consistent with its identity as a historic resource;</li><li>Focus on reactivating the building to serve community-focused purposes;</li><li>Be consistent with Waterloo Greenway’s mission to improve and reactivate Palm Park and enable that space to become again a community gathering place with recreational activities for people of all ages and abilities;</li><li>Enhance and restore a seamless, historic connection between Palm School and Palm Park; and</li><li>Be economically feasible.</li></ul><p style="margin-left:37.0pt;"><br></p><p style="margin-left:37.0pt;">Recommendations for the Palm School Steering Committee structure, composition and selection process were presented to Commissioners Court and approved on June 27, 2023. The structure that was approved for the Steering Committee included a combination of representatives from up to five specified partner organizations and no more than ten community members.The charge to the Palm School Steering Committee was approved by Commissioners Court