^ So much for old Rainey Street. The new district will be pretty cool too but I'll still miss what used to be.

^ Is the high rise boom hurting the street vibe ?

No. It’s the same vibe of bars and restaurants. Some people in Austin just think rainy was never going to turn into high rises and that is ludicrous.

If it weren’t for the city rezoning the area to the CBD back in the early 2000’s the bars and restaurants wouldn’t exist- it’d still be a single-family neighborhood. Some bars/restaurants have been lost but high-density building has always been visioned as the long term plan after rezoning.

I’d say the sheer amount of construction is currently hurting the street vibe as it’s not easy to get around. The main way into this area from Cesear Chavez is currently blocked off.

can't they put like bars and restaurants at the street levels of all these new towers?

I think the bars were just a money grab. None of that stuff was there 15 to 20 years ago. It was something neat and different, but it's not like this was some old historic Austin district of bars that suddenly went vertical. They were old houses falling down that the owners cashed in on and decided to move out, and bars were able to move in once the zoning rules changed for the neighborhood. This was a temporary phenomenon. It's also a nightmare to navigate, so I'm not sure why anyone would want it to continue the way it was.

They are, and there will be more bars/restaurants than there were when the street was just bungalows. I believe the U/C Paseo and Modern Austin towers permanently replaced three bars and will have around 10 between upon completion.

Thanks, but I meant Austin CBD overall.

Truth - I can't stand the layout of the streets in that area. The vibe of Rainey is/was/has been super cool with the bungalows and trees - I'll give it that. But it's not historic, as many have said. The beauty of this is that this pop-up scene can be recreated in other areas. Is it the same? No. But Rainey was also unlike anything else that came before it as well. What comes next may be equally unique in some other way.

Anyone know when the controlled demolition of the Frank Erwin center will be? I really want to be there for that.

A “construction notice to proceed” is expected this June. Demolition will be a phased process with completion expected by October 2024.

Hmm, if there's no big implosion/ceremony, a lot of lifelong Austinites are going to be upset. We need an event in order to get closure.

Agreed haha we need an implosion event for this one!

Residential high-rise plans advance at Irene's, Taquero Mucho site in west downtown Austin

https://towers.wpenginepowered.com/w...C1-18-copy.jpg

https://towers.wpenginepowered.com/w...-1536x1469.jpg

https://towers.wpenginepowered.com/w...9-1536x917.jpg

https://towers.wpenginepowered.com/w...1-1536x858.jpg
https://www.austintexas.gov/citycler...tings/22_1.htm

I like it. Do it.

I love it!

Build this one now!

Looks really nice!

The building overall is fine, but that entrance is spectacular

Really, really like this design.