'Progress is being made' on rezoning request for huge Statesman PUD
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Despite Austin City Council's decision to again postpone addressing a rezoning request that could result in the transformation of the former Austin-American Statesman headquarters into a district of mixed-use towers, there are signs developer Endeavor Real Estate Group LLC is making progress.
City Council on Sept. 29 did not vote on the request for a planned unit development, or PUD, for the property at 305 S. Congress Ave. It was the fourth postponement of the PUD vote, which would allow Endeavor to build taller and denser on the 19-acre tract just south of Lady Bird Lake than typically allowed.
"I think we can actually get through this," Mayor Steve Adler said.
At stake is a plan to build 1.5 million square feet of office space, more than 1.6 million square feet of residential space, 220,000 square feet of hotel space and 150,000 square feet of retail space across six towers. 305 South Congress would also integrate into Austin’s South Central Waterfront Initiative, the city's long-term vision to bring dense, mixed-use development to the south side of Lady Bird Lake.
Council voted 10-0-1, with Council Member Vanessa Fuentes absent, to punt the vote to its Oct. 13 meeting.
"We were very pleased that the City Council deliberated on so many of the issues surrounding the project," said attorney Richard Suttle of Armbrust & Brown PLLC, representing Endeavor. "The mayor did a masterful job of organizing and leading the productive discussion. While an actual vote was postponed, many questions were answered and direction was given to us and the city staff. Council members were able to express their interests and the feedback was constructive. And many issues were resolved. It appears progress is being made."