Multi-million-dollar music venue coming to Southeast Austin

AUSTIN, Texas - A new multi-million-dollar music venue is coming to Southeast Austin, with construction expected to start next month.

The venue is part of the River Park Development in a neighborhood that has seen gentrification over the years.

AEG Presents comes to Southeast Austin

What they're saying:

"We've just been looking and looking, looking at spaces for a long time. And then finally, this one was great and kind of passed the vibe check. And this is what we decided to move forward with," said AEP Presents spokesperson Robin Phillips.

AEG Presents, a live entertainment company, plans to build the 65,000-square-foot venue at the northwest corner of East Riverside Drive and Crossing Place, with construction starting in April.

"It's going to be part of the river park development. So, we are building it from the ground up," says Phillips.

The River Park Development by Presidium and Partners Group was formerly known as Project Catalyst in 2018.

The new development sparked controversy in the early stages after many considered the project a form of gentrification.

It was adjusted and is now the River Park Project. The new development will span nearly 109 acres. Alongside the new music venue, it will also include residential, office, and entertainment spaces with parkland and public gathering areas. 

"It's the perfect market, like the music capital of the world. We felt that this particular capacity in Austin was underserved and especially indoors. A lot of the venues in Austin are outdoors, and we just felt it was perfect," says Phillips.

According to AEG, the space can also be used for private events, corporate functions, weddings, conferences, awards shows, and fundraisers.

"This is going to be kind of like a multi-use venue, but the main use is for live music events. 4,000 capacity, full stage, the best production. We're going to have VIP opportunities suites. It's going to be something that I haven't seen in Austin, maybe ever," says Phillips.