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The Pier on Lake Austin, an old staple of Lake Austin boat cruisers and Hill Country folks since the 1920s, closed its doors back in 2005 after the restaurant/music venue/gas station lost its lease. Since that time, the place has basically sat unused.
As we reported in April 2006, the original plan was to replace The Pier with a three-story development that consisted of a mix of casual and finer dining. Evidently this plan fell through. Now the latest vision for this piece of waterfront real estate is a reinvigoration of the old haunt itself, creatively entitled The Pier Project.
The Pier Project - led by local developers Wally Scott III and Mac Pike, custom builder Brian Bailey and real estate agent Eric Moreland - will consist of a family restaurant, an 180-boat marina and a fully-staffed gas station. The project will keep the original Pier name but no outdoor concerts will be held. Of course, before all this goes down, the project will require a zoning change approval by the City of Austin.
And this is where the trouble begins. As you might expect, the Pier Project has met with considerable opposition by the residents of this relatively tranquil portion of Lake Austin. People have voiced a range of concerns, ranging from increased noise and increased boat/vehicle traffic in the area to potential fuel spills and the likelihood of water supply contamination for thousands of nearby residents. The project, so far, has 106 registered opponents.
Proponents of the project - which would be built across the lake from City Park - have responded to these voiced concerns by pointing out that the new Pier represents an opportunity for people other than rich waterfront property owners to access Lake Austin. They also claim that the development itself would be "environmentally superior" and that it would use rainwater harvesting and the latest technology to avoid fuel spills and water supply contamination. Proponents also point out the convenience this project offers to boaters: the proposed fuel station would be the second of its kind on Lake Austin. The other gas station is way up by Hula Hut and is unattended.
It's important to point out that the Pier Project, if permitted to go through, would be the first commercial development on Lake Austin's shores in 15 years.
But whether the zoning change is approved or not depends, ultimately, on what City Council has to say about it. Last Tuesday, the city Zoning and Platting Commission postponed a vote on the matter, and the City Council will now make the final decision on September 4.
Your thoughts/concerns/doubts/righteous indignations/opinions, Austin?
Image of water skiing ladies courtesy of Wikipedia.
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www.stoplake35.com is anotehr group opposing this and I have to agree that it would be horrible for Lake Austin. It is way too overcrowded as is and with too many idiots with money, the lake has become dangerous for people who actually know what they're doing on the water.
I have to agree that it would be horrible for Lake Austin. It is way too overcrowded as is and with too many idiots with money, the lake has become dangerous for people who actually know what they're doing on the water.
Yes, by all means we shouldn't let the unwashed masses occupy our sacred waterfront acreage. Lake Austin was built solely for cultured people like yourself with the money to buy $3 million waterfront mansions.
Lake Austin was built solely for cultured people like yourself with the money to buy $3 million waterfront mansions.
Well technically...
I pretty much lost interest in this as soon as I found out they're not planning on bringing back the music venue, which is bull. The old Pier was one of the most chill places to see live music in the city, even if it was all pretty much exclusively for the KGSR set.
Disappointed to hear it's gone for good.
You missed the point Kenneth. I don't live on Lake Austin, but I have been boating for 30 years. I'm guessing you do not own a boat. The fact is, the waterways in Central Texas are overcrowded - the deaths every year on Travis show that. Lake Austin is about 300 yards wide and the area in question is quite dangerous, you already have on any given weekend day, kids swimming at CP, 10-20 idiot jet skiers riding around and cutting people off and then you have the 10-20 boats on the lake all trying to play in an area that's really small. I'm all for people experiencing the lake, but not at the expense of the safety of other human beings.
I still don't realize how not building a boat barn is going to stop growth on the lake. More and more people will continue trailering their boats to the Lake no matter what happens, this just provides a convenient spot for people to eat, fill up their boat, and store their boat. The fact of the matter is this is a commercial site and has always been. The developers cut the music venue to appease the neighbors, but now they don't want the developers to make money on the property at all.
I have a feeling the neighbors would accept the project if the only people who could use it were waterfront owners. I've driven through the neighborhoods along the lake and the only people protesting are people who have the multimillion dollar waterfront properties. Everyone else has their boat on a trailer in their yard... my point the traffic is already their this is mainly just shifting the boats from trailer to storage.
It keeps people off the lake because the launches limit the number of boats that can launch. This is essentially adding 180 boats to the lake on any given day seeing the launches always reach capacity on sunny nice weekends.
There would be much more limitation with a boat barn launch, as there is only one fork lift. It would probably take 10 minutes per boat. That's probably about at the most 60 boats per day and probably 20-30 at a time. Also we are only talking about 10 days a year that this is even going to be an issue.
My family and I went to The Pier last Sunday although we thought we were going to Shades. One of the old Pier owners partnered up w/ another restaurant/bar guy and took over the Shades location on Lake Travis. Great place. Wonder if they can re-open the old location.
why can't we just leave well enough alone? What made (past tense) Austin unique was eclectic places like The Pier. The opponents aren't just the wealthy landowning-neighbors (of which I wish I was one), but people who knew Austin way back in the 70's. For years, boaters have figured out how much gas to put in their boats before heading out. Let them keep figuring - it's good exercise for their minds as they age. Just bring back a restaurant so there's somewhere to stop for lunch. The cooler takes up alot of room on a boat.
Development at that location is dead now, everything scrapped. There are no plans at this time and the owner is unaware of what he will do with the land now to my knowledge.
I waited an hour and a half to get my $10 hamburger at Ski Shores Cafe the other day. When we respectfully said this to the 18 yr-old-looking person behind the counter, her response was "You don't have to come back." Wow, customer service has come a long way. Ski Shores has a monopoly on the upper end of the lake. The Pier offered competition in the past and competition is always good for the consumer. With a balanced community-involved dialogue, the Pier could be resurrected in a responsible manner.
Saying that rebuilding the Pier would increase dangerous over-crowding of the lake is an unfounded. Lake Austin will continue to be a dangerous place to boat and swim until a licensed boat operator discussion is seriously considered. I'm not saying that licensing would stop accidents completely but as a paramedic who has to respond to these injuries and deaths, I see it as a good start.
Ultimately, my point is this: The Pier (past and future) has no significant bearing on boater safety or crowding of the lake. Even without live music, (although live music pointed downstream of across-the-lake campers would be preferable) the Pier needs to be resurrected. This dialogue is important. I would encourage everyone to attend this City Council meeting on September 4.
Oops... I guess looking at the date before I post something would be good.