There's been a lot of change happening downtown in Hemisfair over the last few years as the first phase of the Civic Park project got underway.

Next up? Plans were just approved by the Historic Design Review Commission, which means it's full steam ahead for the new urban park's second, and final, phase.

What's coming?

The project’s landscape architecture firm GGN — based in Seattle and one of the country’s acclaimed design firms — has spent an extensive amount of time studying the south Texas environment.

Here's what GGN will be building in this second phase:

An extension of the Promenade.
A wide tree-canopied paseo.
The Zocalo — a hard-scaped elevated area.
Source Plaza on the corner of E. Market St. and S. Alamo St.
Mural Overlook — a landscaped area for Juan O’Gorman's mural, "A Confluence of Civilizations."

A map of Civic Park's overall design. | Photo by GGN

The biggest part of this new phase is Source Plaza, which will be one of the main entry points into the park. It's located at one of the busiest pedestrian intersections in the city, and will connect the park to Yanaguana Garden, and The Alamo to Southtown.

Opening date

The park is set to open in late 2024, just in time for the NCAA Final Four in 2025. Fun fact: The 2018 NCAA Final Four brought over 93,000 visitors and $185 million to the city.

Be sure to catch the opening of phase one of Civic Park during the Jazz'SA Live Festival on Friday, Sept. 29 and Saturday, Sept. 30.