Austin | South Austin Projects - Page 12

KevinFromTexas · #**221** Posted **Apr 25, 2018, 7:41 AM**

The Statesman did an article on the South Congress developments. They also have a good drone shot of the Cityview apartments being torn down. Ugh. That was one of my favorite stops for photos!

By the way, I really have to wonder what the heck is going on with the office market that is justifying them tearing down apartments to replace them with office space.

https://www.statesman.com/business/m...1uZPbZ6Fp9XfJ/

Quote:

More South Congress changes: Developer remaking complex

Updated 4 hours ago
By Shonda Novak, American-Statesman Staff

More changes are taking place on Austin’s trendy South Congress Avenue, with the latest redevelopment underway at the site that houses the CityView at Soco apartments.

The developer, Turnbridge Equities, is demolishing a four-story building at the front of the complex, which is at 1007 S. Congress Ave.

The old building — which included 36 apartments atop street level retail space — will be replaced by a new four-story building that will have three floors of office space on top of ground-floor retail space. The new building will feature about 50,000 square feet in all, said Andrew Joblon, managing principal with Turnbridge Equities.

deerhoof · #**222** Posted **Apr 25, 2018, 10:03 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

The Statesman did an article on the South Congress developments. They also have a good drone shot of the Cityview apartments being torn down. Ugh. That was one of my favorite stops for photos!

By the way, I really have to wonder what the heck is going on with the office market that is justifying them tearing down apartments to replace them with office space.

https://www.statesman.com/business/m...1uZPbZ6Fp9XfJ/

I believe it's the general lack of office space in the urban core combined with Austin's quickly expanding population and popularity with large tech companies. I can't think of any other reason for the statistics in the chart below.

I recently tweeted this: "This chart shows how far behind Austin’s commercial real estate market is and why Wework has been expanding here so quickly. Surprisingly, Austin is Wework’s 3rd most expensive market ahead of Boston, Chicago, LA, & DC. Austin needs more urban office space"
https://twitter.com/justinbaudoin/st...98546656477184

For Austin to somehow be the 3rd most expensive WeWork market is absurd, in my opinion, especially compared to the major coastal cities I mentioned. Austin is 14% more expensive than the 5th place city, Chicago, and 27% more expensive than Washington D.C for the average cost of private offices at Austin area WeWorks. It has to be because of lack of good options Downtown due to space constraints. I think that's why the market could absorb large buildings such as Block 71 and 600 Guadalupe at the same time. Not to mention that both of those buildings are probably 3 years or more from opening to tenants.

https://www.cbinsights.com/research/...C2%A0%E2%80%A6

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

The Statesman did an article on the South Congress developments. They also have a good drone shot of the Cityview apartments being torn down. Ugh. That was one of my favorite stops for photos!

By the way, I really have to wonder what the heck is going on with the office market that is justifying them tearing down apartments to replace them with office space.

https://www.statesman.com/business/m...1uZPbZ6Fp9XfJ/

lzppjb · #**223** Posted **Apr 25, 2018, 10:53 AM**

I've heard rumors that HEB has been looking at the urban plan for that Congress spot.

The ATX · #**224** Posted **Apr 25, 2018, 11:54 AM**

I don't see a site plan for a new Congress/Oltorf HEB yet. But the one for that traffic mess at I35/Congress/Slaughter was formally filed in March.

https://abc.austintexas.gov/attachme...x5oOCsAw%3D%3D

Sigaven · #**225** Posted **Apr 25, 2018, 3:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wwmiv

There's an HEB in San Antonio that is urban style, with parking underneath (mostly hidden from the main street view) and the store above on a second floor just south of downtown. It is a rather large store, too. That may be the model they are following at this location.

Here's another good precedent:

https://www.houstoniamag.com/article...hington-avenue

Seems like they are definitely not afraid of trying out urban concepts. HOpefully that will be true for the new Congress location. I can't imagine why they wouldn't.

Edit: Heck, open one of these in West Campus!!

MichaelB · #**226** Posted **Apr 25, 2018, 4:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

The Statesman did an article on the South Congress developments. They also have a good drone shot of the Cityview apartments being torn down. Ugh. That was one of my favorite stops for photos!

By the way, I really have to wonder what the heck is going on with the office market that is justifying them tearing down apartments to replace them with office space.

https://www.statesman.com/business/m...1uZPbZ6Fp9XfJ/

So glad to see this. The day those apartments were built we bemoaned the unfortunate Suburban nature of them.

Urbannizer · #**227** Posted **Apr 26, 2018, 2:32 AM**

St. Vincent De Paul by Darius Fontenette, on Flickr

freerover · #**228** Posted **Apr 26, 2018, 7:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by deerhoof

I believe it's the general lack of office space in the urban core combined with Austin's quickly expanding population and popularity with large tech companies. I can't think of any other reason for the statistics in the chart below.

I recently tweeted this: "This chart shows how far behind Austin’s commercial real estate market is and why Wework has been expanding here so quickly. Surprisingly, Austin is Wework’s 3rd most expensive market ahead of Boston, Chicago, LA, & DC. Austin needs more urban office space"
https://twitter.com/justinbaudoin/st...98546656477184

For Austin to somehow be the 3rd most expensive WeWork market is absurd, in my opinion, especially compared to the major coastal cities I mentioned. Austin is 14% more expensive than the 5th place city, Chicago, and 27% more expensive than Washington D.C for the average cost of private offices at Austin area WeWorks. It has to be because of lack of good options Downtown due to space constraints. I think that's why the market could absorb large buildings such as Block 71 and 600 Guadalupe at the same time. Not to mention that both of those buildings are probably 3 years or more from opening to tenants.

https://www.cbinsights.com/research/...C2%A0%E2%80%A6

As of last year, the new office under construction in square feet was:
NY 11.9 MSF
SF 6.6 MSF
Aus 1.9 MSF
Boston 4.2 MSF

We need more. It's a bummer Broadmore didn't go for more and that Catalyst is building out over 20 years. It'll be interesting to see how project Catalyst goes but it's getting more heat from neighbors. We'll see how long it takes to get through the rezone.

We vs us · #**229** Posted **Apr 26, 2018, 7:57 PM**

The Statesman site could potentially make a dent in that number, too.

wwmiv · #**230** Posted **Apr 26, 2018, 9:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by freerover

As of last year, the new office under construction in square feet was:
NY 11.9 MSF
SF 6.6 MSF
Aus 1.9 MSF
Boston 4.2 MSF

We need more. It's a bummer Broadmore didn't go for more and that Catalyst is building out over 20 years. It'll be interesting to see how project Catalyst goes but it's getting more heat from neighbors. We'll see how long it takes to get through the rezone.

Catalyst isn't getting heat from neighbors so much as it is getting heat from the people it will replace.

I'd sooner believe that the nearby neighborhoods, which are buffered by the development by around a mile of suburban apartment complexes and/or parkland (except for Montopolis which is across the greenway surrounding the creek), would prefer the development to the UT students remaining... except for the most vocal minority who are reflexively anti-development.

KevinFromTexas · #**231** Posted **Apr 27, 2018, 1:41 AM**

Hopf Tract - 4411 South Congress (at St. Elmo).

64 feet with 5 floors.

ftp://ftp.ci.austin.tx.us/ATD_AULCC/...ct_PLAN_02.pdf

StateHouse expansion - 1221 South Congress

67 feet 6 inches - 4 floors.

ftp://ftp.ci.austin.tx.us/ATD_AULCC/...on_PLAN_02.pdf

Jdawgboy · #**232** Posted **Apr 27, 2018, 1:49 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Hopf Tract - 4411 South Congress (at St. Elmo).

64 feet with 5 floors.

ftp://ftp.ci.austin.tx.us/ATD_AULCC/...ct_PLAN_02.pdf

StateHouse expansion - 1221 South Congress

67 feet 6 inches - 4 floors.

ftp://ftp.ci.austin.tx.us/ATD_AULCC/...on_PLAN_02.pdf

That split intersection is going to end up becoming pretty dense, I'm really excited about how that area is turning out.

The ATX · #**233** Posted **Apr 28, 2018, 5:12 AM**

The North end of SoCo is really going to look different in a couple years. That's a large strip of demo and redevelopment from State House to City View, and the St. Vincent demo/redevelopment is only a block South of State House. That side of Congress will get a big increase in foot traffic with the new retail. Right now it's rather dead when compared to the rest of SoCo.

NYC2ATX · #**234** Posted **Apr 28, 2018, 9:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by The ATX

The North end of SoCo is really going to look different in a couple years. That's a large strip of demo and redevelopment from State House to City View, and the St. Vincent demo/redevelopment is only a block South of State House. That side of Congress will get a big increase in foot traffic with the new retail. Right now it's rather dead when compared to the rest of SoCo.

Now if they could hammer out a deal/plan to redevelop the Congress frontage of the Texas School for the Deaf into active uses, we'd really be cookin' with gas..

Urbannizer · #**235** Posted **Apr 30, 2018, 4:13 PM**

Music Lane by Darius Fontenette, on Flickr

Hotel Magdalena by Darius Fontenette, on Flickr

Jdawgboy · #**236** Posted **Apr 30, 2018, 5:44 PM**

My biggest concern is SoCo losing many of the local shops that made it what it has become. It's nice they are adding more retail space but something needs to be done about rising rents. Maybe these new projects could focus on local businesses.

The ATX · #**237** Posted **May 1, 2018, 5:05 PM**

A site plan was filed today for a mixed use project at 1608 S. Congress. That address is a bookstore, but the current use of the site is vacant. So it must be this lot:

https://abc.austintexas.gov/web/perm...ertyrsn=331988

The ATX · #**238** Posted **May 2, 2018, 8:51 AM**

The State House project is going to add several retail spots on Soco and on Academy where there are currently none:

ftp://ftp.ci.austin.tx.us/ATD_AULCC/...on_PLAN_02.pdf

Here's the site from Streetview. A convenient place to live, but not much for SoCo visitors:

MichaelB · #**239** Posted **May 2, 2018, 2:24 PM**

Re: Statehouse... BINGO! Another place we bemoaned as a misplaced suburban complex. Glad to see this as well.

KevinFromTexas · #**240** Posted **May 2, 2018, 5:31 PM**

I don't know. I don't think the Alexan Congress was the worst space. Yes, it wasn't some big shiny building, but it had what mattered. Residential above retail. Even the parking was limited. We'll be losing a 4-story "suburban" building and gaining a 4-story office building. Except for maybe the parking, which may be underground, I can't see that it's much of a change. I do agree that the State House project will be an improvement. I guess those trees are doomed. My big gripe with that stretch of South Congress is the wimpy sidewalks. I'd like to see them widened.