From that pic you can clearly see that the convention center was designed to go over to the 3 blocks across the street. Question is does the City of Austin already own those blocks?

Nope. I totaled up the appraised values of the properties, and excluding the Railyard Condos and the Christian Science properties (values weren't listed), it came to over $35.5m.

Moscone Center in San Francisco just approved a 500,000 s/f expansion underground at a cost of $500 Million to be designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, LLP, to be funded by an additional 1% hotel tax for 32 years. SF has only the 15th largest Convention Center in the country and is losing out on big Conventions. They are starting to schedule new Conventions for years in advance and also have a 25 year plan for further expansion.
I can easily see how Austin could use those 3 blocks across the street AND expand underground the street into the new 3 blocks for years to come. Sure, downtown Austin is being built up dramatically, but look at San Francisco! It can certainly be done in Austin.

Yeah, even if they were to close Red River to connect a new section of convention center on that block, they could only muster another 97,625 out of it with one level. And that's gross square feet. That block is 275 by 275 feet. Red River is 80 feet wide. So you would have an area of 275 by 355 feet to build on.

Does the convention center parking garage have exhibit space on the ground floor? Because if not, that seems like the most convenient expansion method. Even if they need to tear down and rebuild the garage, build it with 1 or 2 floors of exhibit space with the parking levels above it. Then maybe connect with a skybridge to the main building. It would be a lot cheaper than going underground.

Those city/convention parking garages west of San Jacinto were up before I moved to Austin in '93. Me think; the plan long ago...before the 1990's...was to use the 3 blocks in discussion for the convention center. Why else build the parking garages away from the convention center? Any long time Austinite have any info on why those garages were built west of San Jac [ok San Jacinto]?

AND why have no developers built on those three blocks across the street from the convention center? Me think again; others know something the public does not! Any thoughts?:D

Awwww...shucks! I was looking forward to more stucco on a hotel. [Hey Kevin...Where is the tounge-in-cheek emoticon?]

The building looks great!

The convention center was built in 1992. So yes, the white parking garage (for the convention center) was probably built around the same time. The reddish brown one next to it, though, is actually the garage for One Congress Plaza. So I'm wondering how that would go. It's one thing to tear down a city owned garage to expand the convention center, but the other garage is privately owned.

I was referring to the parking garage on land that the city commandeered via eminent domain (after the convention center was built):

http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/...ctory-at-last/

It's right next to the convention center.

Rendering of the new Sky Rio.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2841/9...772294c4_b.jpg

This is located in the West Campus District, off MLK JR Blvd.

"Commandeered" is a good term. The Hilton which is on city land and will become city property...I think after 30-40 years after completion was supposed to have major underground parking. The developer said they could not do the project with that requirement. Hence the city "took" the land for the purpose of a convention center garage.

And don't forget the Convention Center owns and operates Palmer Events Center on Barton Springs (70,000/131,000 SF).

A mixed-use tower is planned for Austin

and a comment on HAIF:

Trinity Place? Seems like a pretty good place for some condos/apartments stacked on top of a hotel.

^^^I was going to guess Waterloo Park Tower

but it looks like their application expired on July 12.

Hey did anyone see the 58 story tower advertisement at the bottom of the page? Is that a joke. It's supposed to be in midland. That better be a joke. If you're going to build a tower like that why would you build it in midland?:shrug::shrug:

It was discussed on the last page.

It's no joke, they are going to build a 58 story mixed use tower in Midland. They already stated that the office portion of the tower is 40% leased.

Here's the thread for it.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=204483

Be careful with the cookie for that project. It will follow you around like a perpetual case of the mumps!:runaway::runaway: