[KevinFromTexas]

Well, the size of the lot isn't entirely a factor in restricting the height of a building, at least not to an extent. New York right now is building insanely skinny and tall skyscrapers on some ridiculously small lots. There's also a 345 foot hotel planned in Austin that will be just 40 feet wide on its narrow sides, and the lot it's planned for in downtown is smaller than the lot my house sits on, which isn't particularly large.

I think what it really boils down to is that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to build tall along the Riverwalk. Not just to appease the "no shadows!" crowd, but because if you're building a 300 foot building on the Riverwalk, hotel guests aren't really able to experience and appreciate the Riverwalk from so high up than if they're only 50 to 100 feet up. The Riverwalk is an incredibly intimate place, and to build something that couldn't really lend itself to affording that experience to its guests is kind of throwing away the opportunity.