[Urbannizer]

Extension of downtown Austin skyline to continue south of Lady Bird Lake

While formal city approvals are likely months away, council members also considered plans for a 510-foot residential tower at the nearby Cidercade property on Lady Bird Lake in early September.

The nearby lakeshore project from Endeavor Real Estate Group would include 200 condominiums and 8,000 square feet of ground-level commercial space, replacing the arcade bar now operating at 600 E. Riverside Drive.

Plans for the nearly 50-story tower are required to move through initial city development assessments before official PUD rezoning. PUDs are typical for larger, complicated projects to grant more flexibility and building entitlements in exchange for public benefits like parkland, affordable housing or utility improvements.

The new tower will be situated off Riverside, away from the waterways where Cidercade currently sits. The redevelopment will also reduce impervious cover—surfaces like buildings and parking lots that can't absorb rainfall—by about 14%. Other benefits planned include:
Pedestrian-facing commercial space to "activate" the Riverside corridor
The restoration of up to 10,000 square feet as a "floodplain forest" with various plant types
New water quality treatment infrastructure for the tower, as well as some Riverside Drive runoff that currently drains into the lake
Energy-efficient building standards
While it's a residential project, no on-site affordable housing is proposed, and Endeavor would instead contribute to the city's affordable housing fund.