Bear Creek Elementary, also known as the new Southwest Relief Elementary School, was developed to relieve overcrowding at Kiker and Baranoff Elementary Schools. Located on an 18.9-acre greenfield site in the Avana neighborhood of far southwest Austin, the school accommodates approximately 70,725 SF of educational space with a planned capacity of 522 students. Due to the site's steep topography, it is the only three-story elementary school in the AISD system.
As one of the first schools delivered under the 2017 Bond Program, the project used the CMAR procurement method. The site is geologically complex and environmentally sensitive, falling within the Barton Springs Zone, the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone, and the Balcones Canyonland Preserve, and crossing the Travis/Hays County line. MWM DesignGroup coordinated with multiple jurisdictions to ensure compliance across all permitting and regulatory requirements.
MWM DesignGroup’s scope included:
Civil engineering and permitting coordination across multiple environmental zones and jurisdictional boundaries
Design of a retention and re-irrigation system for stormwater treatment and water quality control
Compensatory treatment design for displaced vegetative filter strips installed in previous subdivision development
Design and field adjustment of a re-irrigation system within a residential common lot, in coordination with the Circle C HOA and the City of Austin Environmental Inspector
Strategic design to minimize tree disturbance and soil disruption while maximizing system effectiveness