Congress Avenue Pocket Patios

Congress Avenue Pocket Patios

 

 

dwg. is the landscape architect behind downtown Austin’s recent pocket patio trend. The pocket patio at Royal Blue Grocery, between 6th Street and 7th Street on Congress Avenue was the first of its kind in Austin. Based on precedents in cities like San Francisco and Portland, the Royal Blue pocket patio served as a pilot project to test the process. Made possible by a partnership between City Council Member Chris Riley and the Downtown Austin Alliance, the successful pilot project lead to the revision of Austin’s pocket patio sidewalk ordinance. The new policy, adopted in 2014, allows restaurants to rent parking spaces from the city to build semi-temporary patios for their tenants to enjoy. The pocket patio at 804 Congress marks the second of its kind, and the first to take advantage of the modified patio ordinance. Adjacent to the 804 Congress office building, the patio is associated with a Cafe Medici walk-up window, which has experienced wonderful success since it’s opening early this summer. The 804 patio is twice the size of the Royal Blue patio, and replaced four side-angle parking spots with dynamic seating and dining areas. The rocking chairs were instant favorites for visitors to the pocket patio and you can see people taking advantage of the new outdoor space throughout the work day and evening.