LinkedGlenn Waterloo | Rainey Tour

Glenn Hart
Jun 8
5 min read

Updated: Jun 10

Walking Tour & Happy Hour - Wednesday, June 10th, 2026

Tour Stop Sponsor

Waterloo Greenway Conservancy

John Ridgon - Chief Planning & Design Officer

John Rigdon leads the Waterloo Greenway capital project, skillfully weaving together the efforts of project managers, the City of Austin, and the design team. John has led planning, design, and construction at Waterloo Greenway since 2013.

Waterloo Greenway is a 1.5-mile urban ecosystem that weaves natural spaces into downtown Austin’s growing landscape. Once complete, this significant public-private partnership between the City of Austin and the Waterloo Greenway Conservancy will encompass 35 acres of connected green space meandering from 15th Street to Lady Bird Lake. The project is designed to revive Waller Creek, mitigate flooding, and create a continuous, off-street path where environment, arts, health, and adventure converge. By linking a series of geographic milestones, the park system serves as a vital green artery connecting Austin's diverse communities to nature and each other.

The Confluence at Waterloo Greenway

The newest addition to Austin’s transformative Waterloo Greenway, The Confluence officially opened last weekend and represents the next major milestone in the creation of a connected 1.5-mile urban park system through the heart of downtown Austin. Located where Waller Creek meets Lady Bird Lake, this 13-acre destination blends environmental restoration, recreation, mobility, and public gathering spaces into one of the city's most ambitious public-private projects.

The Confluence showcases a dramatic ecological restoration of Waller Creek, rebuilding and stabilizing creek banks, improving water quality, and creating a resilient landscape designed to better manage stormwater and reduce flood impacts. More than 1,600 trees, 200,000 native plants, and extensive habitat areas have been added to create a cooler, greener, and more biodiverse urban environment.

Visitors can experience a variety of new features, including three architecturally distinctive pedestrian bridges, an 800-foot creekside boardwalk, continuous bicycle and pedestrian trail connections, scenic overlooks, family-friendly gathering areas, and direct access to Lady Bird Lake. The project also strengthens connections between several of Austin's most important destinations, including Palm Park, the Rainey Street District, the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, the Austin Convention Center, and the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail.

Tour Highlights

13 acres of newly completed parkland and creek restoration
Reconstructed Waller Creek corridor with improved water quality
Over 1,500 new trees and 200,000 native plants
Three signature pedestrian bridges
800-foot elevated boardwalk along Waller Creek
Continuous bike and pedestrian trail connections
Lagoon Overlook and Lakeview Terrace gathering spaces
Direct connections to Rainey Street, Palm Park, and Lady Bird Lake
One of the most significant urban environmental restoration projects in Austin's history

The Confluence demonstrates how thoughtful investment in public infrastructure can enhance environmental resilience, expand mobility options, and create vibrant public spaces that connect people with nature in the heart of a rapidly growing downtown.

Austin Convention Center

Katy Zamesnik - Interim Director

Katy Zamesnik serves as Interim Director of the Austin Convention Center, where she leads strategic planning, financial operations, and stakeholder engagement for the facility’s transformative redevelopment and expansion project. A member of the Convention Center’s executive leadership team since 2020, Katy oversees budget and funding strategies while also directing community engagement and arts initiatives that strengthen the center’s connection to Austin’s culture and community.

The Austin Convention Center is undergoing a transformative $1.6 billion redevelopment that will replace the original 1992 facility with a next-generation convention center designed to support Austin’s continued growth as a premier destination for meetings, events, and tourism. Scheduled to reopen in 2029, the new facility will nearly double rentable event space while creating a more open, connected, and pedestrian-friendly experience integrated into the surrounding downtown fabric.

The project includes the complete demolition and reconstruction of the convention center across multiple downtown blocks, featuring expansive column-free exhibit halls, a new ballroom, flexible meeting spaces, outdoor terraces, activated public spaces, and enhanced connections to nearby hotels, transit, and entertainment districts. Designed with sustainability at its core, the facility is targeting recognition as the first carbon-neutral convention center in the United States.

As one of the largest civic construction projects in Austin’s history, the redevelopment will reshape a significant portion of downtown while strengthening the city’s ability to attract major national and international events for decades to come.

Tour Stop Sponsor

MACC - Mexican American Cultural Center

Roger's O'Brien - General Contractor

Completed just last weekend, the $24.9 million Phase 2 expansion of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center fulfills a key portion of the original vision for one of Austin’s most important cultural institutions. Designed by Miró Rivera Architects and Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO and built by Roger's O'Brien, the project adds new educational, artistic, and community spaces while strengthening the center’s connection to Lady Bird Lake, the Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, and the surrounding Rainey Street District.

The expansion completes much of the building’s signature semicircular form with two new white-brick additions that embrace a dramatically reimagined Perez-Ramos Plaza. Highlights include a striking 80-foot-diameter shade structure inspired by traditional papel picado, expanded event space for up to 4,500 visitors, new classrooms, art studios, music rooms, a teaching kitchen, community gallery, outdoor terraces, and enhanced public gathering areas.

The project also features extensive landscape improvements, native plantings, public art integration, sustainability measures, and stronger pedestrian connections that reinforce the center’s role as a cultural anchor for Austin’s Mexican American community while creating a vibrant destination along the waterfront.

This expansion represents both a significant architectural achievement and a lasting investment in preserving, celebrating, and sharing Mexican American culture in the heart of downtown Austin.

O.G. Lustre Pearl

Jesse Lunsford - Rainey Ventures

Jesse Lunsford and Rainey Ventures and has played a significant role in the transformation of the Rainey Street District from a quiet residential neighborhood into one of Austin’s most recognizable mixed-use districts.

In 2006, he became the first investor to purchase property on Rainey Street with the vision of adapting historic bungalows for restaurant and entertainment uses, helping lay the groundwork for the area’s revitalization.

His earliest and most influential project was the original Lustre Pearl, the bungalow bar that opened in 2009 by operator Bridget Dunlap and together is widely credited as the first establishment to spark Rainey Street’s emergence as a destination district. The success of Lustre Pearl demonstrated the potential of preserving and repurposing historic homes while creating a uniquely Austin experience that helped shape the neighborhood’s identity.

Tour Stop Sponsor

The Modern Austin Residences

Merrill Alley & Delaney Brown

The Modern Austin Residences is a new 56-story condominium tower located at corner of Rainey and Davis Streets at the heart of the Rainey District. Completed in 2025 by developer Urbanspace, the building stands 658 feet tall and holds a 3-star Austin Energy Green Building sustainability rating. The tower contains 319 total residential units and a dedicated penthouse collection.

The architectural design by Nelsen Partners and Page features a concrete structural archway at the street-level base that gives way to a glass facade with distinct vertical lines. Residential interiors are finished with floor-to-ceiling windows, custom Italian cabinetry, quartz countertops, and integrated kitchen appliances. Structurally, the building utilizes its lower levels for a multi-story parking garage, while positioning the residential floors above the main podium to maximize views of the downtown skyline, Lady Bird Lake, and the Texas Hill Country.

The property features 19,000 square feet of dedicated amenity space distributed across three distinct levels of the building. The ground floor and basement levels house a public café, bar, and social club operated by Urbanspace Hospitality, alongside a subterranean music entertainment venue. The 16th floor serves as the primary recreational deck, containing a 25-meter outdoor swimming pool, a hot tub, a fitness center with dedicated Pilates and barre studios, a dog run, and a pet-grooming station. Higher up, the 34th floor contains indoor and outdoor resident lounges, private dining rooms with catering kitchens, a movie lounge, and overnight guest suites available for visitors.