This site is part of the previous Robert Mueller Municipal Airport (RMMA), which has been remediated through the TCEQ VCP and redeveloped into a large mixed-use neighborhood development. The City of Austin owns the 7-acre former National Guard Armory site that was part of the former RMMA. Austin Film Society (AFS) has a long-term lease (ending 2084) to use the former hangar and buildings as a film studio, with a goal to redevelop the Armory and surrounding properties into a Creative Media Hub. A lead-based paint survey was completed on the Armory building (approximately 42,000 sq ft), confirming it has significant amounts of lead-based paint needing abatement. Lead-based paint was identified in the paint coatings applied to the large hanger doors and on the emergency vehicle garage door components, as well as other discrete areas throughout the building. The lead-based paint will be removed from the building structure, estimated at 10,000 sq ft. AFS would like to renovate/adapt the former Armory into a Creative Media Hub that will be used for film and creative media production. They plan to incorporate sustainable/green building practices into the designs and will target a LEED Silver Certification by the USGBC. The space program for the facility includes incorporation of outdoor spaces such as courtyards and plazas, which will serve as gathering spaces and retreats for visitors and tenants of Austin Studios. It includes several amenities that will benefit the community (e.g., screening rooms, educational/media labs for training, and scalable production offices and editing suites). The redevelopment plan also includes tenant suites for small, film/creative media businesses, a flex-stage for filming, and anchor tenant space. AFS estimates that the Creative Media Hub will help to generate approximately 3,000 jobs in its first 7 years and approximately $390 Million in economic impact for the Austin region.
The solicitation was released in December, with the pre-bid meeting on November 29, 2022, with interested contractors. ABRO staff, the applicant (Economic Development Department), and Austin Film Society staff met with potential respondents for a site walk through on December 1, 2022, with bids due January 12, 2023. Austin City Council approved the contract on March 23, 2023, and the contract was executed April 5, 2023.
The cleanup plan/project manual have been revised since a film set was constructed that was not present when the project specifications were initially developed. ABRO, Economic Development Department and Austin Film Society are finalizing the memorandum of understanding/loan agreement, project schedule, and loan terms. The hangar studio is leased out for film production, and remediation will be completed over the next few years during the summer & winter breaks in the filming schedule. Abatement is expected to begin during the May/June 2023 break.
The QAPP, ABCA, and Community Relations Plan were submitted to EPA for review on March 15, 2023. The QAPP was approved March 23, 2023. Public notice was posted in the Austin-American Statesman starting March 17 and will run until April 17, 2023. Project documents were made available for public review and comment both electronically and in hard copy at the Windsor Branch Library near the Mueller neighborhood. The community meeting was held April 3, 2023, through the City's public input webpage, PublicInput.org. Project reports, notices, documents, and a video of the public meeting are available online at https://austintexas.box.com/s/n4kyuovws3sexmp9bkjj4341avogvx8l
The loan agreement was executed on May 19, 2023. Due to the writers' strike, the contractors have had extended access the property, and were able to work for longer than anticipated. The abatement contractor, 1 Priority Environmental Services, LLC, began work in June 2023 to prep the interior and exterior of the East Hangar door for abatement. Baer Engineering, our asbestos & lead-based