Austin Hotel | 30 FLOORS

[KevinFromTexas]

http://downtownaustinblog.org/2011/0...-congress-ave/

Another Boutique Hotel Planned For Congress Ave?

2011 JULY 25

by @JacobDirr

It appears developers are pursuing a boutique hotel at the 800 block of Congress Avenue, in addition to one planned at the 400 block. We thought that once before, but this time different people are involved and it looks more certain.

The hotel, planned in the Bosche-Hogg Building — a historic building at Congress Avenue and Eighth Street plagued by low occupancy and bought out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy — will have 210 rooms and 120,000 square feet of office space, according to my intel.

Steve Drenner’s law firm is working to merge the parcels at 800 Congress — which is Hickory Street Bar — and 804 Congress, which is the Bosche-Hogg Building, according to my info. The firm is also seeking central urban redevelopment (CURE), which allows for greater density than Central Business District (CBD) zoning. (For nerds out there who care: they are seeking an 18:1 floor-to-area ratio.)

[BevoLJ]

I actually don't know if there is a deck up there or not. I just kinda assumed there was. I think I read somewhere that there was. Or maybe I read that about the old airport tower and for some reason was thinking about the Dell CMC so my mind just put it in the wrong building. Also when I replied I hadn't actually clicked on your link and didn't realize they had a picture of the new "tower" lol. How can they call that a tower? That is more of a wing to me.


That is cool news about another hotel. How the hell are they going to get over 200 rooms out of that building? Are they planning on building onto the building? Leaving it as is, I can't see how they could get near that many plus 100k ft of office. I gotta be missing something because that confuses me.

Also, how many headers does the DAB blog go through in a week? lol. Seems like every time I'm on there he has something new up. I like it.

Here is some number on the building. So they gotta be adding to it somehow.

http://www.ampcommercialsearch.com/a...ress/index.php

QUICK FACTS:
Original structure built in 1897
Three Story Addition in 1984
Remodeled in 1994
6 Floors
41,300 sq.ft. (Gross)
37,100 sq.ft. (Net Rentable Area)
13 to 16 foot ceilings

[KevinFromTexas]

They're asking for a change in the zoning for that lot which would allow for greater density. So I would assume they're planning to add some height to it. There's no way they could get 200 rooms into that building without increasing its height. Even the new boutique hotel planned 4 blocks to the south will only have 130 rooms and yet is 26 floors tall and about the same length and width of this building. It'll be interesting to see what comes of this.

[Myomi]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

They're asking for a change in the zoning for that lot which would allow for greater density. So I would assume they're planning to add some height to it. There's no way they could get 200 rooms into that building without increasing its height. Even the new boutique hotel planned 4 blocks to the south will only have 130 rooms and yet is 26 floors tall and about the same length and width of this building. It'll be interesting to see what comes of this.

This building will be about twice as wide as the one proposed on the 400 block. Further into the article it states that they are in the process of legally merging the 800 and 804 parcel into one lot to build this hotel. I bet this building will probably be a whole new structure with maybe a bit of the facade preserved. It seems that has already been done once at 804 Congress (thus most of the structure isn't worth preserving from a historical perspective).

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by Myomi

This building will be about twice as wide as the one proposed on the 400 block. Further into the article it states that they are in the process of legally merging the 800 and 804 parcel into one lot to build this hotel. I bet this building will probably be a whole new structure with maybe a bit of the facade preserved. It seems that has already been done once at 804 Congress (thus most of the structure isn't worth preserving from a historical perspective).

I'm still thinking it should be a good sized building. The article also said they're planning 120,000 square feet of office space.

I wonder how the CVC will affect that.

[KevinFromTexas]

Well, thanks to the Downtown Austin Blog again for breaking the story first. This will be another highrise. I figured it would be.

It's funny, Shonda Novak is doing this story. I thought of asking her about it today.

http://www.statesman.com/business/de...h-1658754.html

Developer plans boutique hotel at Congress and Eighth

By Shonda Novak
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Published: 8:29 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, 2011

A local developer plans to build a 28-story building that would include a 210-room boutique hotel and office space on land now occupied by the historical Bosch-Hogg building and the adjacent Hickory Street Bar & Grill at Eighth Street and Congress Avenue.

David Kahn, managing partner of Colina West Limited, an Austin-based limited partnership, is seeking a zoning change that would allow him to build a larger structure than current zoning permits, with as much as 265,000 square feet.

The building would include about 100,000 square feet of office space as well as two or three restaurants, a coffee bar, a plaza and a live music venue that potentially could hold 400 people. The hotel would occupy 12 or 13 stories above the office space, Kahn said.

Pending the zoning change and other city approvals, the project could break ground next summer and take up to two years to build, Kahn said.

[BevoLJ]

It says he co-developed Uchiko's building. I just ate there two nights ago. =) Good stuff!

At 28 stories that would make this taller than the other hotel planed on the 400 block. I wonder who he talking to for the 3 restaurants? Perhaps it is time for a downtown Uchi?

[Spaceman]

There are now four hotels planned for DT...Do we need that many??

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by Spaceman

There are now four hotels planned for DT...Do we need that many??

There are a lot more than four hotels planned.

[hookem]

Isn't it a coincidence that all these hotel proposals are happening right now all of the sudden? I know there has been talk of an additional convention center hotel, and the Marriot thing... but it seems to me like this has to be linked to 1 thing: F1.

Anyway, looks like we might see another downtown boom, and a bunch of cranes again... which is awesome! The skyline stayed static just long enough for people to update their photos of DT Austin (postcards, posters, TV news backdrops, etc).. then it's back to a building boom!

[Spaceman]

I hope you're right. In real estate it's better to have too little than too much, at least most of the time. I remember the high rise office building in Dallas that was shuttered last year due to no demand. The same can happen for hotels. F1 teams will be here for a week at best. Same for SXSW and ACL.
Maybe it is just my neurotic worrisome nature creating this concern or maybe my observations of the ebbs and flows of commercial development.

[cvillehorn]

Originally Posted by Spaceman

I hope you're right. In real estate it's better to have too little than too much, at least most of the time. I remember the high rise office building in Dallas that was shuttered last year due to no demand. The same can happen for hotels. F1 teams will be here for a week at best. Same for SXSW and ACL.
Maybe it is just my neurotic worrisome nature creating this concern or maybe my observations of the ebbs and flows of commercial development.

I think your reservations indicate prudence rather than pessimism. No one ultimately knows whats going to happen, and real estate certainly isn't a stranger to unpredictability. However, with respect to Circuit of the Americas, remember, F1 is just one of the scheduled events to take place there. MotoGP, V8 Supercars, etc will all likely have one dedicated week (end) in which to call it home, not drawing quite as many fans as F1, but still a significant number. Moreover, the real draw of increasing hotel capacity, as has been stated here before, is to accommodate Austin's growing demand for business conventions & corporate events that currently, it just can't pull off with the status quo. Hopefully this new boom will alleviate some of those constraints and foster a new era of tourism in Austin.

[Jdawgboy]

I agree with cvillehorn, F1 was the catalyst but its not just F1, Austin has long been lacking needed hotel space and we have the lowest number of hotel rooms out of every major Texas city. Fact is Austin looses out to surrounding areas for hotels, F1 guests next year will have to find hotel rooms as far as San Antonio and as far north as Waco and possibly as far east as Houston. Then there is MOTO GP, Super V8, as well as other major events that have yet to be announced because they are not done adding major races. Thats just races, lets add in additional festivals including major concerts at COTA, not to mention continued growth for SXSW. Then there are the conventions we lose out to. We have a good size convention center but we don't get a good amount of major conventions because of lack of hotel space. no I do not think that they are overdoing it at all.

[KevinFromTexas]

This says the Hickory Street restaurant closed. It occupies part of the lot where this tower will rise.

Austin Business Journal by Cody Lyon - 9/23

In one week, three of the city’s widely known culinary destinations — The Belmont at 305 W. Sixth St., El Abor at 3411 Glenview Ave. and Hickory Street at 800 Congress Ave. — all shuttered their doors. Could more closures be on the way?

[mars-man]

"Landlord and developer David Khan has plans for a high rise hotel at the spot but since that project is still a couple of years out he offered Puthoff and his partners a flexible lease to re-open the restaurant."

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/bl...ana=e_aus_real

[Spaceman]

Another projected hotel NOT being built....Just like the "skinny" hotel that was planned for the four hundred block..If the two big planned hotels don't break ground by mid-summer, then we we may have a problem..

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by Spaceman

Another projected hotel NOT being built....Just like the "skinny" hotel that was planned for the four hundred block..If the two big planned hotels don't break ground by mid-summer, then we we may have a problem..

These hotels are probably not being built because of the bigger hotels.

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by wwmiv

These hotels are probably not being built because of the bigger hotels.

Your right, also whoever gets going from the starting line first will be the ones to be built. We have to remember that there were a whole bunch of hotel proposals announced and so it boils down to who can get going first. Fact is Austin will get more hotels because we are way behind in rooms. SXSW will continue to get larger and Formula 1 is coming.

Also Austin is expected to be a travel destination hot spot in 2012

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/a...tspot-for-2012

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/05/416...ago-to-be.html

I would not worry about anything right now at all. 2012 is poised to be a great year for Austin economically and investments.

[hookem]

Originally Posted by mars-man

"Landlord and developer David Khan has plans for a high rise hotel at the spot but since that project is still a couple of years out he offered Puthoff and his partners a flexible lease to re-open the restaurant."

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/bl...ana=e_aus_real

It's kind of cool that they could reopen Hickory Street. So many Austin icons in the past would get shuttered because of a proposed development, and then the development would not happen and you'd lose both. I was really bitter when the first brewpub in Texas was closed for a highrise that didn't happen, then the location reopened as a crappy chain Fox and Hound, then closed again... would have been nice to have kept Waterloo Brewing around for those years.

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by hookem

It's kind of cool that they could reopen Hickory Street. So many Austin icons in the past would get shuttered because of a proposed development, and then the development would not happen and you'd lose both. I was really bitter when the first brewpub in Texas was closed for a highrise that didn't happen, then the location reopened as a crappy chain Fox and Hound, then closed again... would have been nice to have kept Waterloo Brewing around for those years.

I agree, they close down businesses that are generating money for the city and then they take forever for the redevelopment or they tear the whole thing down to make more surface parking. These businesses should be left where they are until construction is imminent as in right away, not months or years away.