Sustainability in Austin: Mueller Austin

Just two miles outside of downtown Austin, few would have imagined the abandoned Mueller Municipal Airport would soon be transformed from a 700 acre concrete jungle into one of the most ambitious development projects in Austin’s history. 

 In 1996, a diverse 16 member task force was charged with promoting the creation of a dense, mixed-use community. The task force then challenged the city to create a pedestrian friendly development that could serve as a model for sustainable urban development. Mueller Austin is just the development they were seeking to create. With plans to house more than 10,000 people and create jobs for 10,000 more, the design of this urban mecca took decades of work from Austin visionaries.

Both commercial and residential aspects of the design were taken into careful consideration and required built in sustainability features. All residences have a standard 3 star green rating, 2 stars above the minimum city requirements for new buildings. Some innovators went above and beyond striving for 4 and 5 star ratings utilizing attributes such as foam insulation, rainwater harvesting systems and rooftop gardens.

It would be easy to create a project such as this for the wealthiest of citizens, but the city determined that success would only be viable with the inclusion of “socially and economically diverse residents”.  To ensure that their goal was met, the design included 25% of homes to receive a designation of affordable housing.  While admirable and good in theory, placing a $500,000 home next to a $100,000 home seems to have the potential to deter new market-rate home buyers. However, developers have attempted to combat this by keeping home exteriors of affordable housing the same as the market-rate homes with only small finishing touches and size to distinguish the homes. 

On the commercial side, 4 million sq ft of institution/retail space has been included in the design with companies opting for Austin Energy’s Green Building and LEED ratings. A few standouts include Dell Children’s Hospital which is the first LEED Platinum hospital in the country, a first in the world LEED Platinum Ronald McDonald House, a 3 Star rated Best Buy and a 4 Star rated Home Depot. The developers also took into consideration the local economy when designing and plan to host a minimum of 30% locally owned businesses in the town center. 

For the entire development they instilled a deed restriction of an integrated pest management program that would ensure no harmful pesticides would impact the water supply. Not only will is there 140 acres dedicated to open green space and new parks but there are infrastructure designs that allow for public transportation to be added.

The project as a whole is massive and impressive.