Demolition work starts at site of future first phase of sprawling East Riverside project

Demolition continues on the Tempo at Riverside Apartments near the corner of Riverside Drive and Wickersham Lane in Austin to make way for a new mixed-use development, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023.
Sara Diggins/American-Stateman

Austin American-Statesman
Shonda Novak, Austin American-Statesman
October 24, 2023

If you've traveled along East Riverside Drive lately, you've no doubt seen the remnants of what used to be the Tempo apartment complex at Riverside and Wickersham Lane.

Demolition work on the 252-unit complex, now reduced to piles of rubble, will pave the way for the first phase of a planned mixed-use development called River Park. Slated for 109 acres, the project is expected to be built in phases over the next 10 to 20 years, with developers envisioning a mix of housing, retail, office, hotel and entertainment uses.

Demolition continues on the Tempo at Riverside Apartments near the corner of Riverside Drive and Wickersham Lane in Austin to make way for a new mixed-use development, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023.
Sara Diggins/American-Stateman

When first proposed, the development — initially called Project Catalyst — was highly controversial. Opponents viewed the proposed project as a prime example of what they said were the negative effects of East Austin's rapid gentrification. Along East Riverside Drive alone, thousands of new luxury apartments and condos have displaced some longtime residents who lived in older housing stock that has been torn down.

Read more for the latest on River Park here.