AUSTIN | Project Updates Thread Part II

[We vs us]

Great update today!

[StoOgE]

What is that little blue building next to the tracks on electric?

I assume it's some boring city thing like a water tank or something. It's a nice enough looking building assuming it's something like that and not a secret cult meeting location

[Echostatic]

Originally Posted by StoOgE

What is that little blue building next to the tracks on electric?

I assume it's some boring city thing like a water tank or something. It's a nice enough looking building assuming it's something like that and not a secret cult meeting location

https://austinenergy.com/ae/about/be...strict-cooling

[paul78701]

delete

[paul78701]

Originally Posted by Urbannizer

Are there plans for ground floor retail in that new office building that Whole Foods will be moving into? I don't recall.

[paul78701]

Multimodal-friendly Shoal Creek residences in the works:
https://urbanize.city/austin/post/mu...-affordability

A new residential building that embraces multimodality is in the works for downtown Austin. Plans for Shoal Cycle, an infill redevelopment at 812 West 11th Street, were submitted to the city on Monday and include a request for a height increase.

[drummer]

Originally Posted by paul78701

Multimodal-friendly Shoal Creek residences in the works:
https://urbanize.city/austin/post/mu...-affordability

I like this for that area.

[KevinFromTexas]

Capital view corridor height determination for 811 and 901 Trinity Street.
https://abc.austintexas.gov/public-s...rtyrsn=3286201
https://abc.austintexas.gov/public-s...ertyrsn=272696

-

A site plan was filed Tuesday for a project called "Rainey Tower". The address is listed as 78 Rainey Street, and it's for the lots 78-84 Rainey.

The applicant Is proposing Mixed-Use development along with associated

https://abc.austintexas.gov/public-s...rtyrsn=5752886

You'll remember, this is what was originally planned there, but we had written it off as dead - or possibly scaled down. I think I read 4 floors? "Rainey Tower" sounds taller than 4 floors, though.

[ILUVSAT]

^^^The link stated that the proposed use is "multifamily/cocktail lounge/retail." Maybe it's 4 (or 5) levels of multifamily above 2 levels of bar/retail (like in the rendering)?!?

I agree. Four levels in total seems like a weird investment on that expensive piece of property.

[We vs us]

I've been wondering about this project. I really loved the idea initially (what, back in 2017?) as a way to keep some level of scale and approachability to that strip of Rainey. Buuuuuuut . . . . now . . . . "scale" on Rainey is kinda laughable. We all know where things are trending.

It's a pretty big parcel -- maybe they'll try to fit two towers in there!

[Novacek]

I mean I really love the stuff in front and at bottom. Just make the high part X stories higher, using the FAR gained from the front part.

[Armybrat]

The noise factor from the bars & outdoor venues in that rendering could be a negative for the apartments above.

[Urbannizer]

Soil testing at the surface lot at 11th and Curve St, across from Old Thousand. No pic as I was driving by.

[H2O]

Originally Posted by Novacek

I mean I really love the stuff in front and at bottom. Just make the high part X stories higher, using the FAR gained from the front part.

I was told about a year ago that they were abandoning the office component because it didn't pencil. They were going to stick with bar / restaurant / food truck court. They must have figured out that a larger apartment component did pencil.

[kingkirbythe....]

One Weird Trick for Fixing Downtown Austin’s Density Bonus Program

https://austin.towers.net/one-weird-...bonus-program/

It’s become pretty clear over the last few weeks that the debate currently brewing over possible updates to Austin’s so-called Downtown Density Bonus Program has the potential to break out into a CodeNEXT-style debacle, a sort of proxy war between the bitterly opposed local perspectives you might describe in heavily ironic Tony Robbins-style terms as a “Growth Mindset” versus a “Fixed Mindset” — accepting and even encouraging Austin’s ongoing growth as an inevitability, or using every available lever on the municipal control panel to try and slow it down.

[Urbannizer]

https://www.virtualbx.com/constructi...ustin-complex/

Austin (Travis County) — A Request for Proposals for project control services has been issued and the first of two mandatory pre-proposal teleconferences for Phase 2 of the North Austin Complex is scheduled for Tuesday, April 27 at 10 a.m.

The Texas Facilities Commission issued the RFP on April 19 and proposals are due May 11. There will be a second mandatory pre-proposal teleconference on April 28 at 10 a.m. Pre-registration is required for each teleconference.

Phase 2 has three major components:

A new state office building, approximately six stories in height, totaling 302,000 gross square feet, to be located along the east edge of the John H. Winters campus. It will be south of 51st Street in the vicinity of Guadalupe and Lamar.
A new multi-level parking structure, six levels above grade, for 2,000 vehicles. It is to be located on the east side of the campus, west of Guadalupe and within the existing surface parking area.
A connection to the Central Utility Plant in the garage constructed in Phase 1, and an expansion of plant equipment to accommodate Phase 2.

[chinchaaa]

That is an absurd amount of parking. 5k spaces?? How many people will be working at these offices?

I wonder if some of this parking is for the light rail?

[atxsnail]

Originally Posted by chinchaaa

That is an absurd amount of parking. 5k spaces?? How many people will be working at these offices?

I wonder if some of this parking is for the light rail?

Yeah it really sucks that the vast majority of state workers cannot afford to live even remotely close to this campus, nevermind downtown. In a better version of Austin, the Triangle is twice as tall, the Austin State Hospital and DPS campuses on Lamar/Guad have housing, and HHSC employees can afford to live in those places if they choose.

In reality nearly everyone who isn't an executive drives in from RR, Pflugerville, and Hutto. The ones who can afford central Austin at their current salaries don't live there because they either started from the bottom 15 years ago and already have a house in the 'burbs or they were appointed by the governor and commute in from Rollingwood or someplace like that. They almost have to plan for 1-car per employee plus room for visitors.

I think these garages will be technically off limits for anyone not there on state business but most state parking garages aren't gated. Many of the more attractive spaces near the ground are reserved in the current state garage off Lamar. During a normal work day the garages will be nearly full except for the top floor. I would expect the same situation here in the new ones. Anyone who would be inclined to park there to ride the train would probably be happier parking on the street or trying the cap metro P&R at the Triangle.

[We vs us]

Agreed. The parking is atrocious, even if a necessary evil.

Do we know what agencies are going here? Does this consolidate offices from other parts of the city? I'm wondering if, between this and the new north capitol complex whether this is a step in relocating the folks in the Hobby Building.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by atxsnail

Yeah it really sucks that the vast majority of state workers cannot afford to live even remotely close to this campus, nevermind downtown. In a better version of Austin, the Triangle is twice as tall, the Austin State Hospital and DPS campuses on Lamar/Guad have housing, and HHSC employees can afford to live in those places if they choose.

In reality nearly everyone who isn't an executive drives in from RR, Pflugerville, and Hutto. The ones who can afford central Austin at their current salaries don't live there because they either started from the bottom 15 years ago and already have a house in the 'burbs or they were appointed by the governor and commute in from Rollingwood or someplace like that. They almost have to plan for 1-car per employee plus room for visitors.

I think these garages will be technically off limits for anyone not there on state business but most state parking garages aren't gated. Many of the more attractive spaces near the ground are reserved in the current state garage off Lamar. During a normal work day the garages will be nearly full except for the top floor. I would expect the same situation here in the new ones. Anyone who would be inclined to park there to ride the train would probably be happier parking on the street or trying the cap metro P&R at the Triangle.

Hopefully some of the employees will be able to start taking the orange line (or Red + orange, which I think will be common for commuting).