Preservation Texas Opposes Bill to Undermine Capitol View Corridors

MARCH 22, 2023

AUSTIN'S LONG-ESTABLISHED CAPITOL VIEW CORRIDORS THREATENED

Proposed Bill (H.B. 4499) Would Obliterate View Corridors 15 and 17

House Bill 4499 led by Rep. Caroline Harris of Williamson County seeks to obliterate Capitol View Corridors 15 and 17 to facilitate overscaled development in an area of Austin long-protected by the State of Texas. The bill would exempt the half blocks north and south of East 7th Street between Red River and San Jacinto Streets. View Corridor 15, a sustained viewshed enjoyed by travelers on northbound I-35 between 3rd Street and the Waller Creek Plaza, and View Corridor 17, a long, stationary viewshed from Longhorn Shores Park on the southside of Lady Bird Lake, would no longer be protected and our State Capitol blocked from public view.

The Texas Legislature should ensure that public views of the historic Texas State Capitol, an international symbol of our state, remain protected. Passage of HB 4499 would set a dangerous precedent for arbitrary, special-interest legislation undermining the carefully-balanced regulations that have worked for nearly 40 years. Capitol View Corridors were last threatened in 2007, at which time they were placed on our Texas's Most Endangered Places list. What was true then remains true: "the views are priceless and any modification to the view corridors would endanger a treasure that belongs to all Texans."

Area to be exempted by HB 4499

View Corridors 15 & 17 to be blocked by HB 4499