Austin Community Center - YMCA

The new Community and Recreation Center is the culmination of a partnership between the City of Austin, the YMCA, and the all volunteer organization Vision 2020 to build a new safe, affordable, and healthy environment for the community to come together, exercise, and play. Five potential sites were analyzed for suitability, and it was determined to build on the site of a decommissioned power plant downtown. The accessible community destination sits on a picturesque bend in the Cedar River overlooking Mill Pond with connections to trails, parks, downtown, and the nearby Public Library. The new facility aims to bring the diverse community together, the result of a collaboration with the YMCA, City of Austin, Austin Public Schools, Vision 2020, Riverland Community College, The Hormel Foundation, Hormel Foods, and the Development Corporation of Austin. The south entrance features a large public plaza serving as the welcome mat for the community center with upgraded paving, lighting, planting, and site furnishings. Raised pedestrian crosswalks in the parking lot, connecting users to the building with pedestrian safety at the forefront of site design. A landscape rich with native plants, stormwater management infiltration basins in the parking lot, and Public Art at both entry plazas.