Circuit of the Americas Formula 1 Race Track

[Jdawgboy]

Imagine the kind of growth we will be experiencing because of these two events alone...

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by BevoLJ

Wow that video just rocks! Thank you for posting it.

All my friends from other cities always give me crap when I speak highly of Austin because we don't have any "pro-sports" and thus we are an irrelevant city. =P

Well when this thing is done we still might not have MLB, NFL, or NBA teams but this is certainly a pro-sport. And with it being such a large international sport rather than just US it fits much better in Austin than those acronyms I mentioned.

I'm still amazed and don't know quite how the hell Austin landed these races.

Because we're posh.

[KevinFromTexas]

^Yeah, sprawl. Most likely, but hopefully not. I really hope not. For these races being world class, I would really hope to not see generic suburban development around it. It would take the words world class right out of it.

[Owlhorn]

I will sing my MotoGP song in honor of the announcement.


in a southern Italian accent:

MotoGP!.................MotoGP!....................MotoGP, MotoGP, MotoGP, Moto.........GP.............MotoGP wow!!!!

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

Imagine the kind of growth we will be experiencing because of these two events alone...

Those two events alone will cause the next downtown building boom.

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by Somnio

It really is exciting. Having both the Formula 1 and MotoGP in Austin every year is going to be huge. Austin is going to be the United States' premier racing destination, and the city will become synonymous with racing much like Indianapolis is today.

The difference is that Indianapolis gets to be associated with the hick variety of racing and we get to be associated with the jet-setting variety.

[Owlhorn]

Originally Posted by BevoLJ

Wow that video just rocks! Thank you for posting it.

All my friends from other cities always give me crap when I speak highly of Austin because we don't have any "pro-sports" and thus we are an irrelevant city. =P

Well when this thing is done we still might not have MLB, NFL, or NBA teams but this is certainly a pro-sport. And with it being such a large international sport rather than just US it fits much better in Austin than those acronyms I mentioned.

I'm still amazed and don't know quite how the hell Austin landed these races.

Its not really amazing. I've advocated for a track in DFW for years. Whomever built a major track facility near a major metro was going to land these races. You'll probably even get a NASCAR event as well as IndyCar and ALMS if there are alternate layouts. WSBK will likely come a knockin as well.

[Armybrat]

Originally Posted by wwmiv

Those two events alone will cause the next downtown building boom.

They are certainly welcome to build some of that "boom" on my open 25 acres which is a stone's throw from the west side of the F1 property on McAngus Road.

But it will cost them.

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

^Yeah, sprawl. Most likely, but hopefully not. I really hope not. For these races being world class, I would really hope to not see generic suburban development around it. It would take the words world class right out of it.

The city council just last week created two giant MUD's right next to The Circuit of the Americas (Love saying that). Each will have thousands of new residencies, businesses, and new Hotel space. it was in the ABJ. Saw that they want an 850 room hotel, also mentioned "Condo Mansions" and "Urban Apartments", and a new hospital. Those could be fairly tall depending on the location to the flight path of ABIA. Im sure there will be sprawl out there but I also believe they will want density near the track and thus may have some tall buildings in that area. Also Downtown will continue to boom and if they are planning a rail line to the Airport, why not continue it to the Circuit of the Americas???

[KevinFromTexas]

We really should have a rail line down Riverside to the airport and maybe beyond it now to the track.

[Somnio]

Originally Posted by Owlhorn

You'll probably even get a NASCAR event as well as IndyCar and ALMS if there are alternate layouts. WSBK will likely come a knockin as well.

Yep. This will be the premiere track in the Western Hemisphere, and F1 and MotoGP is just the beginning.

It's also cool that Austin will finally have a permanent amphitheater again, capable of hosting the biggest of acts when the track is complete. Right now, the largest permanent outdoor venue in the Austin area is The Backyard, which only holds 5,000.

You can only host so many concerts in Zilker Park a year, and some of those shows you see going to the amphitheaters in Houston and Dallas, and in the past in Selma (or even Southpark Meadows way back), will be coming to Austin (again).

[KevinFromTexas]

This article mentions a 22-story tower of some kind, possibly an observation tower. I'm not sure if that means 22 floors, probably not, they probably mean 220 feet. For comparison sake, the control tower at ABIA is 227 feet tall.

http://www.statesman.com/sports/form...inglePage=true

Formula One plans get grander with MotoGP race, more facilities

By John Maher and Shonda Novak
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 10:59 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Published: 10:58 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Austin Formula One site is no longer just that. The former plot of scrub forest southeast of Austin will be the host of not one, but two huge international motor races, and the project, now pegged with a $400 million price tag, will include a conference center, a 22-story signature tower and possibly a hotel.

The track, newly christened the Circuit of the Americas, Tuesday added a premier motorcycle event that will begin a 10-year run in 2013.

It appears, however, that local architects will design the signature structure, a 22-story tower with a museum at the base that will overlook the 3.4-mile circuit and offer a view of the Austin skyline.


Ralph Barrera /AMERICAN-STATESMAN

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/ne...s-two-new.html

Austin City Council OKs two new development districts

Austin Business Journal - by Jacob Dirr, Staff Writer
Date: Thursday, April 7, 2011, 2:44pm CDT

Thousands more acres are now available for commercial and housing development thanks to a Austin City Council decision to create two new Municipal Utility Districts.

Pilot Knob

The largest council approved on Thursday was the Pilot Knob MUD, a conglomeration of five MUDs filed in October, planned near William Cannon Drive and U.S. Highway 183. The Pilot Knob MUD is due west of the planned Formula One racing complex and research park, and owned by Carma Easton Inc. E. Scott Lineberry is listed as the point of contact, according to city records. According to city officials, the 2,214-acre Pilot Knob MUD — estimated to require $482.2 million in bonds — is proposing:

5,660 single-family units
2,420 townhomes
6,730 multifamily units
More than 3.8 million square feet of commercial space
A 40-bed hospital and an 850-room hotel

[Armybrat]

Interesting.

There is a large area south of ABIA's runways that has been prohibited for residential zoning....because of the noise factor. That includes much of McAngus road.

Dunno if technological advances in aircraft engine noise suppression over the past 15 years has changed that.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/ne...s-two-new.html

That amounts to almost 15,000 living units (homes/apartments).

[Complex01]

Thats really awesome news. Very Kewl...

[Armybrat]

BTW - That's a nice view of my 25 acres - it's the dark smooth strip about 1/3 the way down from the top of this pic - starting from the base of the cellphone tower on the right running to the left:

[Spaceman]

Start counting your money!!!

[Spaceman]

Scopro on city data.com is showing the same pic and claims the land is his.

[Armybrat]

Originally Posted by Spaceman

Scopro on city data.com is showing the same pic and claims the land is his.

That is me.