North Lamar/Burnet Development Thread
 

A good place to start is this recent Towers article, pointing out some of the recent parcels we've been discussing.

https://austin.towers.net/aura-north...to-north-loop/

5629 N. Lamar (at Koenig) -- 296 apartments with 5700 sq ft of retail

https://austin.towers.net/wp-content...?1538055490036



5210 N. Lamar -- 209 apartments with 5600 sq ft of retail.

https://austin.towers.net/wp-content...?1538055490036

Does the picture imply they're deleting the yield-right-turn?

Got a notice of an application for approval of a site plan in the mail today. The project is called 'TSSF Office Complex Part B' located at 7620 Guadalupe street. The proposal is for "an office building, parking garage, and offsite parking, with all associated improvements".

This is for that weird block between Lamar, Anderson/183, Guadalupe and Morrow.

https://i.imgur.com/zIClgSv.png

A parking garage suggests this may be a significant upgrade. I was wondering when this block was going to start seeing redevelopment, and it looks like the time is now.

Fencing set up around the old Honda dealership along Koenig for a new multi-family mid-rise.

https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/n...old-honda.html

Site plan for Crestview Highline - elevations are on page 26.

ftp://ftp.ci.austin.tx.us/ATD_AULCC/...SU_PLAN_02.pdf

Civil site development plans for Lamar Station.

ftp://ftp.ci.austin.tx.us/ATD_AULCC/...SU_PLAN_01.pdf

Lamar Station is single story retail? Seems like a waste.

That's a pretty grand name for such a low-effort building. Semi-interesting side note: Lord's Gym (listed on the last page of the plan) is the boxing gym currently standing where the new Crestview Highline mixed use will go. Doesn't seem like the type of business that would do well in a newer building with presumably higher rent. Maybe he's the owner?

This is the first I've heard of "Crestview Skyline"...which appears to be located in Brentwood, btw. :)

This is less than 1/2 mile from my house. Am I reading it correctly? Five stories high? I think it's great, since improvement to that stretch of Lamar is long overdue in my opinion. But I'm really surprised that I've heard no complaints from my neighbors. Not even gossip! Thanks for posting.

Regarding my previous post (directly above), I really do wonder whether I'm reading the document correctly.

Does this mean that a five-story building was approved on Lamar, at the current site of Richard Lord's Boxing Gym? I thought that section of Lamar was limited to 3-4 stories. Like, whatever the height of Crestview Station is.

I'm not complaining at all. I've been living in that area for 12 years and I welcome every improvement to that stretch of Lamar.

The Lamar/Justin TOD document lists a maximum height of 60 ft for that area, though there may be allowances for bonuses.

In a previous incarnation of that same apartment project (originally called "Lamar Highline"), there was an article in the Statesman about cooperation between the neighbors directly behind the apartments and the developer. I can't seem to find it anymore but the tone of the article seemed to indicate a good level of positive engagement between the neighbors and developer. Given that the location is currently 100% paved and really ugly, I think the neighbors generally are ok with this project.

The project hasn't been approved yet, the filing was rejected then went inactive but is now actively under review again. The developer, Urban Genesis, has at least 3 projects going on in other parts of Austin, so this one might not have been a priority.

Good info! Thank you.

That's directly behind my house. I am so disappointed.

Does anyone have a render for the Koenig Honda apartment project??

The zoning in our TODs is desperate for an update. With all of the limitations we have on development the last they they look to do is enhance transit...

The Crestview Station Phase VI apartment was approved.

https://abc.austintexas.gov/web/perm...rtyRSN=5216512

5 stories, 226 units, no retail. The garage has 60+ bike parking spaces, which sounds unique for an otherwise ordinary apartment building. Couldn't find any images, but it's safe to assume it will look very similar to the Phase V building that's already been completed.

Too bad on no retail on the ground floor. Oh well.

Site plan for 5629 North Lamar Boulevard - 5 floors.

ftp://ftp.ci.austin.tx.us/ATD_AULCC/...SS_PLAN_01.pdf

Found it:
https://i.imgur.com/2no0Lxu.jpg

Renderings of the apartment complex going up at the old First Honda dealership on Koenig, courtesy of Towers:

https://austin.towers.net/wp-content..._1-780x378.jpg

https://austin.towers.net/wp-content..._2-780x347.jpg

https://austin.towers.net/prepare-fo...er-honda-site/

Only 4 floors.. no retail.. Failburger.

Remind me who the developer is for The Pearl? I seriously want to email them about the zero retail thing....

I thought the plans intended for a separate building next door to be all retail/commercial. Did that change?

Following this one b/c it's close to my house. I noticed within the city response was the following line:

SP 1. The proposed site plan does not meet the minimum height (2-stories) for a property in the Corridor Mixed Use Subdistrict (Section 4.2.9.B). Please note that Alternative Equivalent Compliance is not available for modification of Section 4.2.9.

Can anyone who's more knowledgeable explain? To me this sounds like this project is very likely dead as a result. If they weren't interested in building some height before, they probably aren't interested in doing so now.

I am hoping something good can ultimately be built there. I'd probably have been disappointed with the semi-updated strip center they proposed thus far. If the adjacent carpet business building is ever sold then maybe there's a chance for something better, but it's also right next door to a power substation so perhaps not...

Ledcor

I don't see that noted anywhere, but even if it is, the Pearl itself a huge frontage of apartments along Koenig that could have had something worth walking to.

Posting here, though maybe it belongs somewhere else. The preliminary plan for the Austin State Hospital is out. It looks like it could be nice. I guess my first choice would be that they build higher and open up some of the land for regular development. Given that this is state land, maybe it's as good as it will get.

https://communityimpact.com/wp-conte...gASHCampus.jpg

https://communityimpact.com/austin/c...tate-hospital/

I am in love with those green roofs, I wish we had more of them around town.

That is TERRIBLE. Another huge suburban office park in the MIDDLE of a CITY. ZERO street interaction means little-no foot/bike traffic.

This really pisses me off.

Looks like there's some movement at the Lamar Station lot at 7500 N Lamar.

https://i.imgur.com/zfwT8hC.png

i'm guessing it's probably just a staging area for the under-construction Crestview Station apartments.

the site plan filing for Lamar Station is listed as "inactive." the plan did not meet the minimum height of 2-stories for a building in the Lamar/Justin TOD. that sounds like a very expensive surprise for the developer unless there is some waiver process.

Hallelujah.

This rendering from that link makes it look not so bad. There's foot traffic and even a bike. It definitely looks much better than what's there now. :shrug:

It's a mental hospital guys. Let's not get overly selfish here.

https://communityimpact.com/wp-conte...SHhospital.jpg

From what I see on the first rendering, there is no relation to Lamar/38th/45th/ or Guad. So sure, everyone inside this pic is walking, but it's closed off to the rest of the city.

I imagine that is what NIMBY's actually want in some weird way.....it's just stupid. Guadalupe and Lamar are "activity corridors" or whatever the city calls them...those streets should be lined with at least 5 story commercial/residential buildings which encourage walking/biking/rail/bus/parachutes/drones....whatever else.

Again, maybe I see the image wrong. But it not ok to make this a development that faces inward in the middle of a city. I get it when it comes to the Domain, it is bound by different types of roads.

Who are all these people walking and biking around a State Mental Hospital campus? I get that physicians and administrators will have offices there and it might have some teaching facilities, but the funding for this redevelopment comes from the State Legislature.

The concept rendering seems a bit posh for a state-funded renovation of a healthcare facility. I'm not saying the patients & doctors don't deserve it, but I doubt the Leg will fund it as rendered.

Also: is Tesla the car of choice for doctors who work at state agencies? :)

https://communityimpact.com/wp-conte...SHhospital.jpg

I don't see anything wrong with this. It's a closed/secured campus, it's not really supposed to be open to the public and so street interaction wouldn't really make sense. On the plus side it seems, old dilapidated buildings are replaced with a denser plan of updated ones, and there aren't endless seas of parking.

I think the major frustration is that they could easily have produced a design with greater vertical density (I'm talking 5 and 6 story buildings, not 2 and 3) on a smaller footprint of land, freeing up acres of underutilized, prime land.

You could develop everything along 45th from Lamar to Guadalupe and south to wherever the smaller, more confined campus ended. Heck, if they don't want to sell the land they could even do 99-year leases and allow development to provide a passive income stream to the State Hosptial.

Sidenote: FWIW, I also don't understand why the State hasn't thought about doing something like this with all the DPS and TxDoT buildings farther north on Lamar.

Depends on if that's supposed to be an internal street/driveway or frontage on Guadalupe/Lamar.

I was essentially just about to write this comment.

This plan is a really, really poor use of prime land.

Idk...My mom worked at ASH in in mid 90's and it needs as much TLC as it can get! This render seems totally appropriate to me. It doesn't need fro-yo shops and a tapas bar to work. Green roofs look amazing, but they never seem to actually happen. Have y'all ever noticed that? I feel like we've seen so so many projects that get pitched with like a green wall or green roof and then it's just like a few monkey grass plantings and they're done ....not holding my breath.

Green roofs are really, really heavy and designers/owners seem to forget about that sometimes. By the time the project gets off the ground and into the engineering phases it'll usually be the first item on the chopping block for VE as the owner ends up realizing that green roofs require a fairly substantial increase in structural material costs for seemingly little gain. I'm a little more optimistic they keep some green roofs or gardens since they might be able to find ways to implement them in their treatments.

My favorite green roof in Austin, Dimensional Funds parking garage.

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/...psfc1vmgd9.jpg

Exactly. I just wish they weren't so lazy in the design process.

If you imagine the first rendering without the trees, each building has a bunch of surface parking.

Suburbs are for low density, not cities. This is just another “car centric” office park. I thought when they originally talked about this project it was going to be mixed use.

Needless to say, if this moves forward as planned, home prices in Hyde Park will push ever higher.

I think I am in love with that green roof....
You could throw one hell of a concert up there. :djparty:

I agree, but I hope that there will be at least three straight through streets open to auto and foot traffic that transit between Guadalupe and Lamar. There are so many trees in the renderings that it is hard to tell, but I think that might be part of the plan.

The city updated its response as follows:

The proposed site plan does not meet the minimum height (2-stories) for a property in the Corridor Mixed Use Subdistrict (Section 4.2.9.B). Please note that Alternative Equivalent Compliance is not available for modification of Section 4.2.9.

U1: Comment Cleared. Response correctly notes that the height minimum applies in the TOD Mixed Use Subdistrict and NOT in the Corridor Mixed Use Subdistrict.

The project seems to be moving forward now...

:(

Just shows how crappily-implemented the Crestview TOD was. Not only is it weirdly shaped and doesn't apply to half the properties in walking distance, for a bunch it does apply to it doesn't require any density.

Your definition of walking distance must be more than the standard 1/4 mile, because nearly all properties within 1/4 mile walk are either high density residential or active frontage TOD zoned. In fact, the project in question is 0.4 miles from the rail station.

Had to do a little backtracking to get the gist on this project, but I didn't realize that it's actually a really small lot, and the worst possible scenario, parking in front, seems to have been avoided. Honestly this is probably the biggest blight on that stretch, where there could instead be an active pedestrian experience all the way to Morrow Street.