September 2025 ECC Neighborhood Meeting

Agenda & Announcements

Author

Eric Pace
September 17, 2025

Hello Neighbors,

Our September neighborhood meeting will again take at the brand new RBJ Residences (1320 Art Dilly Dr). This month, we’ll continue planning several Fall events and discuss several topics including proposed school closures.

Please read below for the full agenda and updates.

Meeting Details:

Join Remotely:

Table of Contents

Announcements

RBJ Center Transformation Complete

Many of us know the iconic tower at the edge of Lady Bird Lake as the RBJ Center, the first high-rise ever built in East Austin, named after President Johnson’s mother, Rebekah Baines Johnson.

After more than a decade of planning, the nonprofit that manages RBJ, Austin Geriatric Center, has completely transformed the property, expanding to over 500 affordable senior apartments across two buildings:

  • The Ladybird, opened in 2022

  • The Rebekah, formerly the RBJ Tower, renovated and reopened last month.

The site also now includes improved amenities like a fitness center, art room, theater, on-site food pantry, and a sky lounge with views of downtown. Rents for income-qualified seniors start as low as $590/month, all bills paid.

To learn more about the nonprofit behind the project, visit rbjseniorhousing.org. For leasing info, visit rbjresidences.com.

Also, September’s meeting will again be hosted by the newly constructed RBJ Residences (1320 Art Dilly Dr), in the Ladybird Community Center on the first floor. Free parking is available in the garage on on the street, and the Community Center is accessible from the front entrance.

Do you know a great location to host a neighborhood meeting? Please reply to this email and let us know!

Noticed That Our Neighborhood Needs More Trees?

First, thanks to many of you volunteered to help with tree planting across the neighborhood! As this effort is well outside my expertise, I’m working to enlist the help of our neighborhood experts at the Fiesta Beach Community Garden Garden & Food Forrest. I’m also hoping to bring in support from the “The Shade Brigade.”

The Shade Brigade training was designed last year for the Windsor Park Neighborhood Association and has expanded to St. John's, North Loop, and MLK.

There are ongoing training sessions, and we could potentially organize one specifically for our Neighborhood, perhaps jointly with the Holly Neighborhood. Here’s a recent presentation about the Shade Brigade training. Please reply to this email if you’d like to see this training made available in our neighborhood!

Save the Date: Community Events

Aerial Dance Performance at RBJ: Blue Lapis Light’s Urban Dreaming – September 18-28:

Blue Lapis Light has selected RBJ as the stage for its newest work, Urban Dreaming—an immersive movement opera that scales RBJ’s 16-story building, "blending aerial dance with live music to explore connection, memory, and transformation." Learn more here: Urban Dreaming 2025. Prime seating has been sold out, but you can still grab $25 General Seating and $45 General Admission seats! Click here to purchase tickets.

Dates: September 18 – 21 and 25 – 28.

Performance Time: 8:15 – 9:19 PM, Doors at 7:45 PM.

Hispanic Latino Heritage Month Celebration @ Terrazas Branch Library – Saturday, September 27

Alas, the soccer tournament will not happen for this event. But the library is still hosting a great event for the community. Here’s the updated plan:

  • Snacks and children's crafts

  • Mauricio Callejas Trio will play 1:00-2:00 PM

  • Silly Sparkles' crew will have face painting and balloon animals 1:00-3:00 PM

  • Melisamba, a Brazilian Samba dance company, will perform 2:00-3:00 PM

  • Tusuy Sonqo-Peru, a Peruvian Dance Group, will perform 3:00-4:00 PM

  • Click here for additional details.

Energy Tax Credits East Austin Home Tour – Saturday, September 27

Don’t leave energy tax credits on the table! Austin residents are coming together in a grassroots, non-commercial effort to help neighbors take advantage of federal home energy upgrade tax credits before they expire at the end of the year. Whether you own or rent, learn from fellow Austinites about the range of improvements you can make to lower your household’s energy bills and planetary impact.

Stop by a neighbor’s home to see energy improvements in action: 

9:30-11 am, East Austin Home Tour @ 4604 Cedar Point Drive.

ECC National Night Out –  Tuesday, October 7th

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. ECC plans to host an event this year in partnership with APD at a local church or business. Several potential locations have generously offered to host this year:

  • Christ Church of Austin

  • The RBJ Center

  • Holy Moley

  • At a joint location with Holly Neighborhood Association.

Where would you like to see a community event? Please hit reply and let us know. Our submission to APD is due Sep 27.

Austin EcoFest @ Bartholomew Park – Saturday, November 1

Austin EcoFest is a family friendly event hosted by Windsor Park Neighborhood Association Saturday, November 1 from 10 to 1pm. 

There will be kids arts and crafts, live music, neighborhood food, a fire truck, a performance by the Joyce Willett School of Dance, and appearances by Congressmen Lloyd Doggett and Greg Casar.  There will be representatives from local environmental and climate organizations like Sierra Club, Austin Climate Parents and Bat Conservation International.

Tree Folks will give away over 500 drought tolerant trees of various species, both tall shade trees and mid-size to fit any yard situation. Austin residents are eligible for two trees. There will be tree planting demonstrations during the event. Free Mulch will be available with bags to carry it home.

The Windsor Park Climate Committee will provide a Tree ID tour of Bartholomew Park, seed clusters from the Enlivenment Committee, free plant swap, and activities from local schools. Surrounding neighborhoods will also participate including Pecan Springs, MLK, East Cesar Chavez, St. John’s, and North Loop.

If you cannot come to EcoFest, contact submit this form and sign up for home delivery.

Construction Updates

I-35 Closures and Schedules

There are no new closures to report for our neighborhood. However, there are two schedule updates:

  • Construction began working in two 10-hour shifts at the Cesar Chavez Street and I-35 drop shaft construction site under I-35.

  • First shift will be 6:00 am to 4:00 pm, and the second shift will be from 4:00 pm to 2:00 am.

As a reminder, the following closures are in effect:

  • The northbound I-35 Cesar Chavez entrance ramp is closed through early 2026.

  • The southbound I-35 frontage road at River Street is closed through mid-2028.

  • The Brushy Street entrance at both East Cesar Chavez Street and the northbound I-35 frontage road is closed through 2029.

  • Long-term closures: Email notifications and Central project segment webpages.

  • Short-term closures or traffic impacts: X posts (formerly Twitter) @TxDOTAustin.

  • Localized neighborhood access or detour: NextDoor posts.

Convention Center

Likewise, Convention Center construction has expanded to seven days a week:

  • Weekdays: 7:00 am – 8:00 pm

  • Weekends: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM

  • Sunday Work: In most cases, work will occur every Sunday. While there may be exceptions, a 7-day work week is the current norm.

Neighborhood Initiatives

Hybrid Parking Initiative Update

Update: City Staff recently provided a detailed update to the Community Development Commission with details about Phase 1 beginning in October. You can see the presentation here.

Background: The ECC Team is working with the City to develop a “hybrid” parking zone to help alleviate parking challenges across the ECC neighborhood.

Angel House / Homeless Neighborhood Initiative

Update: No substantive updates from City Staff or APD to report. We have not heard from City Staff or APD in over three months.

Background: Our community collectively sent a detailed letter to Mayor Watson, City Manager Broadnax, and City Council outlining shared concerns and requesting immediate support for the ECC neighborhood. The letter was endorsed by a broad cross-section of our community, including members from 25 small business and non-profit organizations, and included 50 impact statements. Our team is now meeting monthly with David Gray, Homeless Strategy Office, to discuss progress and share feedback.

Thanks for participating in our community! -ep


Eric Pace, Chair
ECCNA/NPCT

Upcoming 2025 ECC Neighborhood General Meeting Dates

October 15
November 19
December 17