The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CapMetro) broke ground on its new Broadmoor MetroRail station Jan. 19.
The station will be located at Brandywine Realty Trust’s Uptown ATX campus, a 66-acre master-planned mixed-use development in the growing North MoPac corridor. The 50/50 public-private partnership between Brandywine and CapMetro will create direct rail access to this rapidly growing employment, housing and lifestyle hub.
The announcement represents the culmination of more than five years of planning when CapMetro, city of Austin, Brandywine, Charles Schwab and Austin Chamber of Commerce began discussions about developing a new transit location that will now become the Broadmoor MetroRail station. The development leverages a parcel of land donated from Charles Schwab & Company’s 50-acre Gracy Farms campus adjacent to The Domain.
“This partnership is a terrific example of private and public organizations working together for the benefit of our city to bring affordable and connected living opportunities to our residents,” said CapMetro Board Member and Austin City Council Member Leslie Pool. “This station will connect the entire city to the emerging businesses and mixed income neighborhoods in the area, as well as address traffic and increase access for essential workers.”
The station will provide reliable multi-modal transit connections throughout Austin, along with safe pathways and access for both pedestrians and cyclists. The station provides two double-length, covered platforms for customers to wait comfortably and safely, as well as more than 400 shared parking spaces for transit users. The canopy covering the platforms is designed to be an architectural feature.
“With the explosive growth of Austin over the past several years, the area around our site has become the geographic center for the two-million-person population of the metro area. As the next step in our masterplan, we saw an opportunity to introduce a critical transit connection by forging a public-private partnership with CapMetro to bring a new commuter rail station to our site” said Jerry Sweeney, president and CEO of Brandywine Realty Trust.
“Constructing the Broadmoor Rail Station adjacent to our campus will be an added benefit to Charles Schwab’s 2,800 employees based here, as well the broader community,” added Dennis Howard, managing director and chief information officer for Schwab. “By contributing a parcel of our property for the project, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to Austin while giving our teams the ability to leverage the convenience of transit that is essential as the region experiences enormous growth.”
Recognizing the opportunity to invest in Austin and care for its residents, Brandywine has committed to providing 50 percent of any affordable units required by the city of Austin as on-site units for the entire Uptown ATX development.
“These are the kind of initiatives our city and community members need,” said Nora Linares-Moeller, executive director at HousingWorks, a nonprofit organization that aims to increase the supply of affordable housing in Austin. “With rent prices skyrocketing across Central Texas, this commitment will bring relief to many families in the region.”
The Uptown ATX development and its transit connections are a good example of a transit-oriented development or TOD. TODs include a mix of commercial, residential, office and entertainment centered around or located near a transit station. Dense, walkable, mixed-use development near transit attracts people and adds to vibrant, connected communities.
Present at the ceremony were State Rep. Celia Israel, CapMetro Board Member and Austin City Council Member Leslie Pool, CapMetro and ATP Board Member Eric Stratton, Assistant City Manager of Mobility Gina Fiandaca, CapMetro President/CEO and ATP Executive Director Randy Clarke, Brandywine CEO Jerry Sweeney and Charles Schwab Managing Director/Chief Information Officer Dennis Howard.
Local musician Scott Strickland performed at the ceremony, and Food Heads and Cranky Granny's provided refreshments.
Broadmoor Station is anticipated to open for service in 2024. Future Red Line improvements will also include a new MetroRail station at McKalla, located at Q2 Stadium.
