[Urbannizer]

Huge project planned for Statesman site

A massive mixed-use project calling for 3.5 million square feet of development — including one building taller than Frost Bank Tower in downtown Austin — is being proposed for a prime waterfront site that currently houses the Austin American-Statesman just south of Lady Bird Lake.

A master plan for the high-profile 18.9-acre tract at 305 S. Congress Ave. envisions building on more than 6 acres of the site. There would be six or seven buildings, from office towers as high as 40 stories to condominiums or apartments, one or two hotels, retail and restaurant space, and possibly even a grocery store. The high rise buildings’ 3.5 million square feet would be 2.5 times the total area of Barton Creek Square mall.

The remaining 12.5 acres would have public uses. Those could include a 7.5-acre waterfront park, plazas, new roads, sidewalks and more connections to and along the Butler Hike and Bike Trail and Lady Bird Lake, with a boardwalk and pier also contemplated. The vision also includes an amphitheater and enhanced bat-viewing area by the Congress Avenue Bridge.

One rendering of the project — which is being called 305 S. Congress — depicts a potential pedestrian bridge across Lady Bird Lake, which would connect the development to the lake’s north shore.

The Atlanta-based Cox family — former owner of the American-Statesman — is working to redevelop the site in partnership with Austin-based Endeavor Real Estate Group. On Monday, Richard Suttle Jr. — the Austin attorney representing the Cox family — presented preliminary plans for the project to the city of Austin’s South Central Waterfront Advisory Board.