A joint venture of RedLeaf Properties, LLC and Ryan Companies has completed the City of Austin’s Permitting and Development Center (PDC), a 251,000-square-foot facility designed to streamline and consolidate the City’s permitting and development review services under one roof. The project was delivered on time and under budget.

Located within the mixed-use Highland community in central Austin, the PDC is the first City of Austin facility completed using an innovative procurement process that leveraged private sector expertise and efficiencies to plan, design, finance and construct the public building. The City purchased the building for $121 million upon completion, saving approximately $300 million if compared to estimated lease costs for a comparable building over 30 years.

Constructed by Ryan Companies and delivered on time and under budget by the private joint venture partners, the City estimates that the facility cost $30 million less and was built two years faster compared to estimates using traditional processes for building new municipal facilities. More than 900 City employees will work at the five-acre PDC campus located at 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive.

“The new approach we took for the PDC is a first-of-its-kind transaction in the State of Texas, and we’re really pleased with the result,” said the City of Austin’s Deputy Chief Financial Officer Greg Canally. “We now have a modern, sustainable facility that better serves our customers, offers a great working environment for our employees and puts more jobs and services near transit. Big credit goes to the City Council who supported a new and innovative way to deliver this key infrastructure that will save taxpayer money.”

CBRE served as the City’s development advisor on the project, charged with helping the City determine its needs and then manage a competitive procurement process in which RedLeaf and Ryan were ultimately selected to guide the design, develop and build the new facility.

“We’re excited to have the City at Highland and grateful to have had such great public and private partners on this project,” said RedLeaf Founder and Principal Matt Whelan.

“The City’s innovative approach to building the PDC was a great success and could serve as a model for future municipal buildings in Austin and elsewhere,” said Hunter Barrier, President of South Central Region for Ryan Companies.

The PDC is the first professional office development at Highland, a new Austin neighborhood built on the former Highland Mall site through a unique public-private partnership between RedLeaf and Austin Community College (ACC).

More than halfway completed, the project combines a walkable, mixed-use, transit-friendly environment with a new high-tech campus for ACC. The Highland masterplan calls for approximately 800,000 square feet of office space, 75,000 square feet of retail, 1,200 apartments and 1.3 million square feet of educational facilities and administrative offices for ACC.

Designed by Gensler, the PDC features large floor plates and open workspaces to help break down barriers and facilitate better communication and coordination between departments.

The four-story facility is targeting a four-star certification from Austin Energy’s Green Building Program for energy efficiency and sustainable building features that include two 20,000 gallon rainwater collection cisterns and the City’s first blackwater treatment system to treat and re-use wastewater on site. The PDC is also pursuing a Silver WELL Building certification for providing a healthy work environment for City employees.

“The Highland redevelopment project is about revitalizing a community through collaboration and innovation. What you see here represents a vision for the future,” said ACC Chancellor Dr. Richard Rhodes. “This is a place where people can live, work, play, and learn. We’re excited to welcome the City of Austin’s Permitting and Development Center to Highland. When business and education come together, we can build meaningful connections and create opportunities for students to immerse themselves in real-world environments just steps away from the classroom.”

Additional project team members include:

• Frost Bank for financing
• Heritage Title Company
• Stantec as Civil Engineer
• TBG as Landscape Architect

About RedLeaf Properties

RedLeaf Properties is an Austin-based real estate developer focused on projects that deliver significant community benefit. Formed in 2009, RedLeaf takes a creative, entrepreneurial approach to development. We excel at working in partnership with public entities to create large-scale, mixed-use projects that include vibrant commercial district and inviting residential neighborhoods. Our projects are known for creating remarkable experiences, setting new standards for sustainability and delivering tangible and intangible value for the full range of project stakeholders.
For more information, visit www.redleaf-properties.com/.

About RedLeaf Properties

RedLeaf Properties is an Austin-based real estate developer focused on projects that deliver significant community benefit. Formed in 2009, RedLeaf takes a creative, entrepreneurial approach to development. We excel at working in partnership with public entities to create large-scale, mixed-use projects that include vibrant commercial district and inviting residential neighborhoods. Our projects are known for creating remarkable experiences, setting new standards for sustainability and delivering tangible and intangible value for the full range of project stakeholders.
For more information, visit www.redleaf-properties.com/.