Austin Post Office Site: 2 more towers!

[Mikey711MN]

From http://www.statesman.com/news/content/business/stories/realestate/02/06/6novare.html...

Plans revealed for new postal service tower, condominiums
Another high rise is scheduled for current post office site.

By Shonda Novak
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, February 05, 2007

Two more high-rise residential towers with more than 900 condominiums are slated to be built downtown, including a 35-story tower at Sixth and Nueces streets that will provide a new home for the existing downtown post office.

Atlanta-based Novare Group Holdings and its Austin-based partner, Andrews Urban LLC, plan to break ground on the first building this fall. It will have about about 400 condominiums in a tower that will adjoin a new two-story postal facility at the corner of Fifth and San Antonio.

The post office would open in 2008 and the residential tower in fall 2009.

Once the post office moves into its new building, the developers plan to start construction on a second high-rise at the existing postal site. It would be a 40-story tower with more than 500 condos as well as more than 100 hotel rooms and and more than 25,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

Both projects are expected to cost a total of $300 million.

The hotel operator has not been determined. However, Novare has a hotel subsidiary called Twelve Hotels that operates an existing 101-room hotel in Atlanta. Two more Twelve hotels are under construction, one at Centennial Park in downtown Atlanta and another in Charlotte, N.C.

The development will include a seven-story parking garage; one level will be for shared parking for post office and retail customers.

The U.S. Postal Service selected Novare/Andrews Urban in August through a competitive selection process to redevelop its existing downtown location, at Fifth and Guadalupe streets. Mayor Will Wynn and many local developers have long said the site is under-used, with a one-and-a-half-story post office occupying 76,000 square feet of a prime downtown block.

The 35-story tower will occupy three-quarters of a city block adjacent to the existing Miller Blueprint Co. that Novare/Andrews Urban purchased in December. The site originally was slated for a second office tower that Intel Corp. planned, along with a chip-design factory that it halted work on amid the tech bust of 2001.

Both new towers will need city zoning variances to build higher-density projects. The developers plan to incorporate city guidelines for wider streets, with tree-lined sidewalks and benches and bicycle racks.

The condo units in both towers are expected to be priced comparably to 360, a 44-story condo project Novare/Andrews Urban is building at Third and Nueces streets.

Prices there start at under $200,000 for a one-bedroom home and under $300,000 for a two-bedroom unit. The most expensive units are in the mid-$500,000s.

With more than a dozen residential projects being built or planned downtown, developers say demand is especially keen for units with more moderately priced units, which Novare/Andrews Urban says its projects will provide.

Taylor Andrews, president of Andrews Urban, declined to say how many people are on 360's list of prospective buyers, but said demand has "far exceeded expectations."

"We have enough interest that we eagerly would like to get more than 900 units in downtown Austin," Andrews said. "We believe that the demand for attainably priced housing in downtown Austin far exceeds the planned condominium pipeline," Andrews said.

The 360 sales center will open in late February. The tower is expected to open in spring 2008. It will have 430 condominiums and about 14,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, including restaurant space.

[Jdawgboy]

Not tall enough I say hehe, But hopefully they will revise the plans.:sly:

[KevinFromTexas]

That's what I thought considering there's no height restriction for the post office site. I was hoping it would be atleast 600 feet. Either way, this means we'll probably be seeing another 500 footer and another 400 footer. That makes three 500 footers now, (including Frost), and up to six 400 footers. We'll have more 400 footers than San Antonio and Fort Worth combined - San Antonio with three including the Hyatt which is under construction, and Fort Worth with two.

[greenbelt]

That's what I thought considering there's no height restriction for the post office site. I was hoping it would be atleast 600 feet. Either way, this means we'll probably be seeing another 500 footer and another 400 footer. That makes three 500 footers now, (including Frost), and up to six 400 footers. We'll have more 400 footers than San Antonio and Fort Worth combined - San Antonio with three including the Hyatt which is under construction, and Fort Worth with two.


Holy Guacamole! :frog:

[GoldenBoot]

Has anyone seen renderings of these projects? If so, how do they look?

[jaga185]

A dark cloud has been cast over her sister to the south...

Good to hear though. Always exciting for new construction, regardless where.

[KevinFromTexas]

Holy Guacamole! :frog:

Here's a more detailed list for all the major Texas cities with anything over 400 feet.

Note: If any height category isn't listed for a city such as 500 to 599 feet, then that city doesn't have any 500 footers.

Houston
500 feet to 599 feet
Twelve 500 footers built
One 500 footer under construction
One 500 footer approved
400 feet to 499 feet
Seventeen 400 footers built
Two 400 footers approved
One 400 footer under construction

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dallas
500 feet to 599 feet
Seven 500 footers built
One 500 footer proposed
400 feet to 499 feet
Ten 400 footers built
One 400 footer proposed

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fort Worth
500 feet to 599 feet
Three 500 footers built
One 500 footer under construction
400 feet to 499 feet
Two 400 footers built

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Austin
500 to 599 feet
One 500 footer built
One 500 footer under construction
One 500 footer proposed
400 feet to 499 feet
Three 400 footers approved
Two 400 footers proposed
One 400 footer under construction

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

San Antonio
500 feet to 599 feet
One 500 footer built
400 feet to 499 feet
Two 400 footers built
One 400 footer under construction

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

South Padre Island
400 feet to 499 feet
One 400 footer under construction (Another building under construction may be atleast 400 feet also).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Corpus Christi
400 feet to 499 feet
One 400 footer built
One 400 footer proposed

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Woodlands
400 feet to 499 feet
One 400 footer built

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Texas totals built, under construction, approved and proposed:

500 to 599 feet - 30
400 to 499 feet - 46

[Trae]

Damn. I thought Dallas had more than that.

[KevinFromTexas]

Apparently not. Also Emporis recently found out that the famous Magnolia Hotel in Dallas, (with the pegusus), is not 430 feet as we've always thought, but rather 399 feet. And it's only 326 feet to the mainroof. :( That height came from the blueprints, so I trust it.

[KevinFromTexas]

Here's the extended version of the article. It doesn't include a rendering, though. Maybe the paper does? Click on the link below for the map which shows the footprints of the buildings.

From the Austin American-Statesman
http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/realestate/02/06/6postoffice.html

[b]REAL ESTATE
2 condo high-rises included in downtown post office redevelopment
Downtown residential building boom continues, but some begin to wonder about a glut.

By Shonda Novak
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

More high-rise living is planned for downtown.

Two mixed-use towers with more than 900 condominiums are scheduled to be built, including a 35-story complex that will provide a new home for the downtown post office.

The projects come amid a residential building boom downtown. And although some people have raised concerns about potential overbuilding, developers say demand continues to outpace supply.

Atlanta-based Novare Group Holdings and its Austin-based partner, Andrews Urban LLC, plan to break ground on the first high-rise this fall. It will have about 400 condominiums in a tower at Sixth and Nueces streets connected to a new two-story postal facility at Fifth and San Antonio streets. The post office will have about 25,000 square feet, with about 13,000 on the ground floor.

The post office would open in 2008. The residential tower, which would include ground-floor retail space, would open in the fall of 2009. The site is now a parking lot adjacent to Miller Blueprint Co.

After the post office moves into the new building, the developers plan to start construction on a second high-rise at the former postal site across San Antonio Street. It would be a tower with about 40 stories and more than 500 condos. It would have more than 100 hotel rooms and and more than 25,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. That tower is expected to open in the fall of 2010.

The new high-rises, along with a 44-story condo tower that Novare/Andrews Urban is building, would make the company downtown's largest residential developer.

The two post office-related projects combined are expected to add about $300 million to the city's tax base. Retail customers in both projects will be charged for parking. Developers have not decided whether there will be public parking as well.

The new post office site will include a seven-story parking garage, with one level of shared parking for post office and retail customers, and the rest for the condo residents. Post office parking would be free.

The U.S. Postal Service chose Novare/Andrews Urban in August through a competition to redevelop its downtown site at Fifth and Guadalupe streets. Mayor Will Wynn and many local developers have long said the site is underused, with a 1 1/2-story post office occupying 76,000 square feet of a prime downtown block.

"I'm really pleased that Novare Group and Andrews Urban are delivering on the vision of a far more vibrant and urban environment in this part of downtown," Wynn said in a statement.

Mike Wolfe of the U.S. Postal Service said the government is pleased with the initial designs.

The post office and 35-story condo tower will occupy three-quarters of a city block that Novare/Andrews Urban bought in December. The site originally was to have an office tower that Intel Corp. planned as the second phase of a chip-design facility it started but left unfinished during the tech bust of 2001.

Both new towers will need city zoning variances for higher-density projects. The developers plan to incorporate city guidelines for wider streets, with tree-lined sidewalks, benches and bicycle racks.

The condo units in both towers are expected to be priced comparably to Novare/Andrew Urban's other project, called 360, being built at Third and Nueces. That tower, with 430 condominiums, is scheduled to open in May 2008. Prices are expected to range from $190,000 to $550,000, with unit sizes from 785 to 1,638 square feet. Sizes in the new towers are expected to be similar.

With at least 16 residential projects being built or planned downtown, developers say demand is especially keen for buildings with more moderately priced units. And Novare/Andrews Urban says it will provide them.

Taylor Andrews, president of Andrews Urban, declined to say how many people are on 360's list of prospective buyers but said demand has "far exceeded expectations."

But developers of another downtown residential high-rise, who planned to keep prices at levels similar to Novare's, are finding out how challenging that is.

The historically high cost of land downtown and sharply rising costs of construction materials and labor are pushing up prices at the 41-story Spring condominium tower, set for groundbreaking soon at Third and Bowie streets.

Spring's developers, Robert Barnstone, Diana Zuniga and Perry Lorenz, had hoped to price units from $200,000 to $400,000. Now, those prices have jumped to about $235,000 for a one-bedroom condo with about 600 square feet and to the mid-$450,000s for a two-bedroom unit with about 1,100 square feet, Barnstone said.

The developers have added some larger three-bedroom penthouse units, which initially will be priced in the mid-$700,000s, he said.

Barnstone says plumbing, electrical and other subcontractors are in short supply in Austin. So, the contractor is having to recruit electricians from Florida. Also, the building's extensive windows are costing twice as much as originally budgeted, he said.

Houston-based Metrostudy, which tracks the housing market, said developers started 728 downtown condo units in 2006.

Three condo high-rises — the 360, Spring and the Shore condominiums — are under construction downtown.

"This will be a telling year in the downtown condo market as those three projects begin to convert their unit reservations into actual contracts to purchase," said Eldon Rude, director of the Austin office of Metrostudy.

Local real estate consultant Charles Heimsath said demand for residential units downtown "is very strong, and many people will be interested in purchasing units at the Novare projects due to their lower prices and central location near office towers and the Warehouse District."

Barnstone said he isn't worried about a downtown condo glut. Spring's marketing center, which opened in mid-December, is taking, on average, two reservations a day for its 240-unit project and has about 780 potential buyers interested in reserving a unit, he said.

"While some may think we are building too much too soon, I suggest the opposite is true," Barnstone said. "We are in the first inning of a very exciting ballgame. When the reality of Austin's new downtown takes shape, people that never thought they would want to live downtown will reconsider. In fact, I predict that downtown development will be the new engine of growth for Austin."

[starvinggryphon]

A dark cloud has been cast over her sister to the south...

Ha Ha Ha.....It sure has. It's an envious green cloud. Worry not my friend, it's a known fact that SA is five years behind the rest of the country in regards to downtown condo construction...it's only a matter of time.

But wow Austin, great job scoring more towers. It's gonna be really nice and dense in the next ten years....can't wait to see renderings for the new skyline.

[arbeiter]

This is great. I remember how mad I was when that post office was being built.
This is also not that unexpected; there's no way they'd demolish a stumpy building just to build another stumpy building. Even with these 900 units, though, and everything else, we're not going to hit that 25K mark in time (at least I don't think.)

The good news is that this critical mass of buildings is actually starting to snowball. I really really hope that Austin doesn't crash hard as far as the real-estate market goes, and therefore sour the concept of high-rise living.

On an unrelated subject, I have always thought that they should rezone the East Riverside area and provide some kind of financial incentive to build high-rises there. It's the perfect location for a 'new town' concept. Given all the open land and crappy stuff that exists there, combined with the hills and proximity, it seems silly that there aren't a half dozen midrise apartment buildings being proposed over there. I am probably being naive though.

[Gallup]

Crazy Babies! This town is nuts. I'm never going back to North Texas.

[GoldenBoot]

Downtown Commission endorses Post Office condo project

IN FACT NEWS
February 22, 2007


The Downtown Commission is endorsing the request by Novare Group Holdings and Andrews Urban LLC for a zoning change at the site of the current downtown Post Office and the adjacent block. Plans for two condominium towers on those sites will require a change from CBD to CBD-CURE, along with an increase in the floor-to-area ratio from 8-to-1 up to 10-to-1.

If eventually approved by the City Council, those two changes will allow for higher density in the two towers than currently permitted. By putting 400 condo units in one tower, plus 500 condo units and 150 hotel rooms in the other, the developers say they will be able to distribute their construction costs and keep the price of the units out of the luxury range.

“We are not building all affordable housing,” said Taylor Andrews of Andrews Urban. He described the price range as “attainable” rather than the official designation of affordable used by the city. “I have envisioned it as…someone in a median household income situation could afford to buy into one of our buildings. That, to me, is what attainable means versus a $650,000 unit which would not be attainable by that standard,” he said.

The mixed-use project will also include ground-floor retail and space for a new Post Office one block west of the current facility. Part of the current Post Office site at 6th and Guadalupe is affected by a Capitol View Corridor, but the tower planned for that block will be built on the edge of the lot to avoid intruding into that corridor.

Andrews announced Wednesday night that the developers would contribute at least $100,000 for improvements at Republic Square Park, one block south of the Post Office site. “It’s our front door. We have to honor this park,” he said. “We have decided that we’re going to make a contribution to the Austin Parks Foundation for use at Republic Square Park in the six-figure range. We’ll also issue a challenge to the neighboring developers to match our donation.”

Commissioners praised the efforts so far by Novare and Andrews Urban and encouraged the developers to reach out to surrounding neighborhood groups to avoid the controversy surrounding the planned CLB Partners tower at 7th and Rio Grande. “We do have meetings set up with neighbors,” said Andrews. The Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association and the Downtown Austin Alliance have already endorsed the project, he said, adding, “We also are meeting with OWANA and Austin Neighborhood Council representatives. I don’t anticipate any objections considering that this is very different from that other project.”

Members of the commission also questioned Andrews about the architecture, soundproofing, and Green Building standards for the towers before unanimously endorsing the requested zoning and FAR change.

[Mikey711MN]

Next up: massing models! Can I get an AMEN from the city-geek congregation?!?!!

[KevinFromTexas]

Amen! (And I rarely say that, so consider that big).

[greenbelt]

AMEN ---> can't wait to see what they have planned there. Hopefully at a
least 400 to 700 hundred footer. ahhh, all these new towers are becoming a blur. just kidding guys. :skyscraper:

[GoldenBoot]

Design panel wants more from Post Office project

By Kimberly Reeves
IN FACT NEWS
February 27, 2007


Novare Group Holdings and Andrews Urban LLC drew mixed comments from the Design Commission last night on its site plans for a revamped mixed-use project on the site of the current downtown Post Office and a neighboring block. While it doesn’t appear likely the Design Commission will withhold its approval on the project, commissioners raised a number of concerns about the design of the project.

This will be, respectively, the second and third blocks downtown that Novare/Andrews Urban is developing. The group just began selling units in 360, its 44-story, 430-unit condo high-rise at Nueces and Third streets. This second project will redevelop the downtown Post Office site and its neighboring block with two condominium towers that will require zoning changes from CBD to CBD-CURE, increasing the floor-to-area ratios on the floor plates from 8-to-1 to 10-to-1.

Taylor Andrews has the numbers down on his projects. The two condo towers – one 450 feet and the other 550 feet – will provide 950 attainable condo units and 150 hotel rooms, plus 35,000 square feet of retail space. It will drive the taxable value on two blocks from $5 million to $300 million by 2010. And it will put $100,000 in the kitty towards the redevelopment of the Republic Square Park. These are numbers that Andrews provided to both the Downtown Commission and the Design Commission.

Running the gamut of commissions is an interesting exercise for most developers who want to field a downtown project. So to cut to the chase, here is the way the discussion generally goes: The Downtown Commission wants questions answered about sound-proof materials, green building standards and affordable housing units. The Planning Commission, which is dealing directly with the zoning concessions, is concerned about density bonuses and neighborhood preferences. And the Design Commission limits itself to the architectural merit of a project.

In the case of Novare/Andrews LLC, density was not an issue for the Design Commission. Most of the members are architects and most favor high density downtown. What did bother some members of the commission was the orientation of the projects.

For instance, Commissioner Joan Hyde wasn’t wild about the orientation of the hotel’s porte-cochere on Republic Square, saying the vehicle traffic took away from the pedestrian orientation onto the public park. On the other hand, Commissioner Juan Cotera thought the porte-cochere was fine as long as its orientation did not discourage foot traffic.

Andrews’ rationale on the project was that the hotel opening, with its flags and foot traffic, made the most sense spilling out onto the park. The hotel opening, with pavers and a drive-thru, flags and a fountain, made sense facing the park square.

Commissioner Phil Reed, who saw vehicular entrances along three sides of one block, wanted to see more flex-space on the lower floors of the building. And Commissioner Girard Kinney said he couldn’t support the project at all if the developer couldn’t find some way to accommodate drive-thru drop-off postal boxes on what might eventually be a two-way Fifth Street. The drive-thru only works if the traffic is in-bound. If traffic eventually would be two-way on the street, it would require a turn lane and possibly some awkward movements to place mail in a passenger-side mailbox.

Cotera did qualify his comments by saying that the Novare/Andrews project was a step above many projects the commission had seen in past years. In the past, the commission had to fight developers to include aspects such as ground-floor retail. Now, in the current positive development climate, developers voluntarily complied with such edicts.

Commissioners did not take a vote at last night’s meeting. Instead, a subcommittee of Perry Lorenz, Chair Eleanor McKinney and Reed will rehash the project, most likely with the developer present to give input. A letter will be presented to the full commission for a vote at a special-called meeting of the commission.

If all goes as planned, the Novare/Andrews project should be at Planning Commission by March 13 and City Council by March 22.

[rad707]

"If traffic eventually would be two-way on [Fifth] street"

Not a chance. Maybe on other streets like 4th, 7th, and 8th, but not 5th or 6th. That was a rediculous comment by the Commissioner.

[Saddle Man]

The possiblity of making all downtown streets two-way has been discussed before. I believe the reasoning was that two-way street slow traffic down, and therefore make downtown walking friendly.

[KevinFromTexas]

Taylor Andrews has the numbers down on his projects. The two condo towers – one 450 feet and the other 550 feet – will provide 950 attainable condo units and 150 hotel rooms, plus 35,000 square feet of retail space.

Hmm, I had heard that they'd be taller than that.

[M1EK]

The possiblity of making all downtown streets two-way has been discussed before. I believe the reasoning was that two-way street slow traffic down, and therefore make downtown walking friendly.

Yeah, and it's a dumb argument. The best walking cities in the world are full of one-way streets; and the speed of traffic alone is not what makes walking safe or unsafe. Consider Lamar at 5th/6th; note how many signs had to be put up reminding drivers turning off Lamar to yield to pedestrians - and notice it's not (as much of) an issue on the one-way intersections downtown.

We've all been in the situation of the driver who has to make a split second decision whether the gap in oncoming traffic is big enough to let us quickly turn left. Now imagine OH CRAP I'M HALFWAY ACROSS AND THERE'S A PEDESTRIAN.

[Saddle Man]

/\/\/\ Whatever. It's not my arguement. I can see the plus and minus both. Doesn't matter to me away.

[rad707]

i think it does matter. one of the reasons downtown austin is so great is that we don't have a highway cutting through it east to west. this almost happened back in the 80s...

5th, 6th, lamar, and guadalupe need to remain one way streets with coordinated/timed lights so that people can get in and out of downtown quickly. all major cities need this, and most do.

at the same time, i think austin has a glut of one way streets that are a result of poor planning. 2nd, 3rd, 7th, and 8th should all be put back to two-way in my opinion. same goes for brazos, colorado, and many other river-named streets between east and west avenues.

the fact that the commissioner is asking for drive-thru drop-off postal boxes with an arguement that 5th will be two way will ultimately result in another building with a drive-thru-atm style first floor. these are parias to pedestrian traffic. they become dead zones. the commissioner is using a dated concept...and this time the post office that gets built will likely remain there for some time. i don't think anybody would want that.

[JAM]

Lord, the apitamy of laziness. Drive-thru drop off post boxes. Like there isn't 25 other ways to drop your mail off. Why don't they just put some mailboxes on the otherside of the street. Or just get rid of them all together? I'm sure we will find another way to get our mail out.

My main beef with downtown traffic is speed and pedestrian signals. Count down pedestrian signals would go a long way in educating the driving, non-walking public that the pedestrian still has time to cross. It will also encourge safe crossing. The type we have downtown right now have been around since the beginning of pedestrian signals. I though this was a hi-tech town?

I routinely drive back from Home Depot and take S. Congress into downtown. S. Congress speed limit is 30mph, and people do not abide by it. I wish APD would put a major clamp down on speeders thru this area, all the way to the Capitol - and all over downtown. Forget the freeways, they were designed to go fast and be pedestrian free.



http://georgefrancisonline.homestead.com/ICC_COUNTDOWN_PED_ANIMATION.gif
http://georgefrancisonline.homestead.com/cntdwn.html

[pyropius]

Once while crossing a street downtown I almost got hit by a car going through the intersection. The sign had started to flash "Don't Walk" as I was in the middle of the intersection. The guy stopped to roll down his window and yell at me: "What are you doing there? It says 'Don't Walk!' " I suppose he didn't know what a flashing pedestrian signal meant.

[GoldenBoot]

Hmm, I had heard that they'd be taller than that.

How tall did you hear they would be?

[KevinFromTexas]

How tall did you hear they would be?

I heard from a reliable source, (although, he may have been exaggerating just a bit), that the 35-story tower would be 480 feet tall while the 40-story tower would be 600 feet tall. I have a big update with my Lego model of downtown to post tomorrow with a cool story behind it and info on the CLB tower at 7th & Rio Grande and another possible tower at another site in downtown. I'll post that tomorrow here in the Texas section of the forum.

I've also heard 420 feet for the shorter post office tower, (listed at Urbanaustin.org).

[pyropius]

Oh boy I hope the newest proposal is for state parking garage land. What a desolate sector of Austin!

[GoldenBoot]

I heard from a reliable source, (although, he may have been exaggerating just a bit), that the 35-story tower would be 480 feet tall while the 40-story tower would be 600 feet tall. I have a big update with my Lego model of downtown to post tomorrow with a cool story behind it and info on the CLB tower at 7th & Rio Grande and another possible tower at another site in downtown. I'll post that tomorrow here in the Texas section of the forum.

I've also heard 420 feet for the shorter post office tower, (listed at Urbanaustin.org).

Yeah, up until the article in In Fact News, the tower on the Miller Blueprint site (Block 51), as far as I had heard, was slated to be 420' tall.

[KevinFromTexas]

Yeah, up until the article in In Fact News, the tower on the Miller Blueprint site (Block 51), as fart as I had heard, was slated to be 420' tall.


:jester:

[Mopacs]

Yeah, up until the article in In Fact News, the tower on the Miller Blueprint site (Block 51), as fart as I had heard, was slated to be 420' tall.

You said 'fart'.

http://www.wisopinion.com/blogs/uploaded_images/BeavisButthead-711924.jpg
(sorry, couldnt resist)

Anyway, I didn't realize the taller of the P.O. towers would soar upwards of 600'... Very exciting.

[GoldenBoot]

Oops! Excuse me. I hope it didn't stink! :rolleyes:

[JDSII]

...5th, 6th, lamar, and guadalupe need to remain one way streets with coordinated/timed lights so that people can get in and out of downtown quickly...

I totally agree. 5th and 6th should never become 2 way. They are 2 of only 4 streets downtown that run east west from I35 to Mopac. (The others being Cesar Chavez and 15th). I'm also assuming you meant to say "Lavaca" instead of "Lamar"?

[Jdawgboy]

I was also hopeing for something taller for both projects actually. Who knows, they may end up going higher than the initial plans they are announcing. I mean how many times have we had buildings go up in height and floors... lets see... um 360, Atlavida, 200 Congress, 5th at Congress, Spring, Legacy... Um any others am I missing???? Heres hoping and with a record like that we have a good chance of seeing something taller...:tup:

[LoneStarMike]

Has anyone seen renderings of these projects? If so, how do they look?

They briefly showed some renderings at the Design Commission meeting. Here's a couple of screen captures - sorry for the poor picture quality.

http://www.geocities.com/charmsdad/images/picture1.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/charmsdad/images/picture2.jpg

I think these were of the tower that would go up where the post office is now, but I'm not 100% sure. They had another rendering of the post office, but it went by before I could get it.

[greenbelt]

Great job Lone Star Mike! Aren't camera phones great for this?

Alright, If this is the post office site, then the Miller Blueprint slide must have been just before this. Or, is the post office site getting 2 towers (can't remember)...which is to be the taller of the two, and is Novare Group (Taylor Andrews) behind both? :shrug:

[Kevinb]

I cant find a good map of the Capitol View Corridor @ Block 51 (just West of the Post office site). The renderings here seem to show almost the whole block in the corridor:

http://www.planning.unc.edu/pdf/DpaineMP.pdf

Can anyone offer their expertise?

How could a tower be built on Block 51?

Thanks!

[CentralAustin]

I cant find a good map of the Capitol View Corridor @ Block 51 (just West of the Post office site).

Here's a larger one from Urban Austin:

http://www.urbanaustin.org/images/d/dc/Capitolviewcorridors.jpg

Like you, I think Block 51 seems to have a view corridor going right through it.

[KevinFromTexas]

No more talk about the Capitol view corridors in this thread unless it directly concerns this project.

If you want to debate the Capitol view corridors, then do it here:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=125674

[JACKinBeantown]

Good call, Kevin.

[Kevinb]

Does anyone have any other renderings of these towers that can be posted?

[Kevinb]

Todays news regarding the Post office towers:



Council to vote on two high-rises
Projects would be built in conjunction with new post office in downtown Austin.
By Shonda Novak

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF


Thursday, March 22, 2007

The City Council is scheduled to vote today on zoning changes that would allow an Atlanta-based developer to build two new downtown condominium towers, including a 35-story high-rise next to a new home for the downtown post office.

Novare Group Holdings and its Austin-based partner, Andrews Urban LLC, plan to break ground on the first high-rise this fall.


Will Wynn 'This was precisely what I had in mind' for post office site, mayor says.

Bounded by West Fifth, West Sixth, Nueces and San Antonio streets, the project would include a tower with about 400 condominiums and a new two-story post office that would replace the existing downtown station one block east.

The post office would open in 2008. The residential tower, which also would include retail space, would open in the fall of 2009. The site is now a parking lot adjacent to Miller Blueprint Co.

Once the post office moves into its new quarters, Novare/Andrews Urban plans to build a second high-rise at the former postal site across San Antonio Street. Plans call for a tower about 40 stories tall with 500 to 550 condos, said Taylor Andrews, president of Andrews Urban.

The project also would include retail space, plus a boutique hotel with 100 to 150 rooms that would face Republic Park. The developers are in talks with an undisclosed potential hotel operator, Andrews said. That tower is expected to open in the fall of 2010.

The developers are asking the city to rezone the tracts to build larger projects. The Planning Commission unanimously has approved the zoning changes. The council is expected to vote today after a public hearing.

Mayor Will Wynn and many local developers have said the existing post office site is underused, with a 1 1/2-story postal station occupying 76,000 square feet of a choice downtown block. In August, the U.S. Postal Service tapped Novare/Andrews Urban to redevelop its downtown site.

Wynn said he is ready for today's vote. "Back when I was trying to drum up interest in someone redeveloping the post office block, this was precisely what I had in mind," Wynn said in an e-mail Monday. "I'm looking forward to pushing the detonator when it comes time to demolish our existing downtown post office. And I'm going to request that they use a lot more dynamite than was used on the Intel building," he said, referring to the recently demolished shell of a half-finished chip design center abandoned in 2001 during the tech downturn.

Novare/Andrews Urban expects to announce names for the new projects and release drawings in April. The 35-story tower is being designed by Preston Partnership LLC, the Atlanta-based firm that also designed 360 Condominiums, a 44-story condo tower that Novare/Andrews Urban will open in the spring of 2008 next to the Austin Music Hall.

Novare's other proposed tower will be designed by Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates, an Atlanta architectural, interior design and landscape architectural firm involved in public and private-sector projects.

If Novare/Andrews Urban's two new projects are approved, the company would become downtown's largest residential developer. With contracts signed for more than 75 percent of the 430 condo units in its 360 tower, that project is on track to sell out later this year, Andrews said.

Prices at 360 are expected to range from $190,000 to $550,000, with units ranging from 785 to 1,638 square feet.

Condo prices in the new towers are expected to be similar to 360's pricing, Andrews said.

snovak@statesman.com; 445-3856

[KevinFromTexas]

Wynn said he is ready for today's vote. "Back when I was trying to drum up interest in someone redeveloping the post office block, this was precisely what I had in mind," Wynn said in an e-mail Monday. "I'm looking forward to pushing the detonator when it comes time to demolish our existing downtown post office. And I'm going to request that they use a lot more dynamite than was used on the Intel building," he said, referring to the recently demolished shell of a half-finished chip design center abandoned in 2001 during the tech downturn.

:haha: Will Wynn is awesome.

[GoldenBoot]

Did anyone attend or see the public hearing last night regarding these two projects? I was wondering if Novare/Andrews Urban revealed any new information (or renderings) during their presentation.

According to the article above, it looks as if the “official” names and renderings of the two projects will be unveiled sometime in April...

[KevinFromTexas]

I didn't see it, I don't have cable. April is close enough for me, today is the 23rd. :)

[Gallup]

They both passed on consent meaning no opposition. :banana: What is happening to this cities NIMBYs? They must be going soft. Maybe they have decided to leave downtown alone... What a dreamer I am:rolleyes:

[GoldenBoot]

NIMBY's really didn't have any feet to stand on in opposition to the new Novare/Andrews Urban projects...

[KevinFromTexas]

Some news on the towers.

From the Austin American Statesman
http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/other/06/27/0627cbriefs.html

CENTRAL TEXAS DIGEST
Business Briefs

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

REAL ESTATE

Post office's move to be topic of meeting

The U.S. Postal Service will hold a public meeting Thursday to discuss the planned move of its downtown Austin station one block west of its current home at 510 Guadalupe St.

The meeting is set for 5 p.m. in City Council chambers, 301 W. Second St.

Atlanta-based Novare Group Holdings and its Austin partner, Andrews Urban LLC, plan to move the post office into a new 35-story condominium tower.

The current post office would be replaced with a 40-story condominium tower.

Other public meetings are expected as the post office part of the development proceeds, said McKinney Boyd, a post office spokesman based in Dallas.

People can send written comments to Mike Wolfe, U.S. Postal Service, 4301 Wilson Blvd., Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22203-1861.

Construction is expected to start this fall on the new postal facility and the first condo tower, said Taylor Andrews, president of Andrews Urban. The post office would open in fall 2008, and the condo tower would open in fall 2009.

Novare/Andrews Urban anticipates breaking ground on the second condo tower in fall 2008.

Andrews said the projects are expected to add more than $300 million to the city's property tax base.