The Mueller airport redevelopment has kicked off construction of the first of its residential component. Having been months since I last visited, I thought I'd drive around and get some shots of the new homes popping up near Airport Blvd...
That place is going to be awesome in a 10 years or so when everything is built out and matured some.
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"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." -- Galileo
We did the same thing today! I will say that I was very pleasantly surprised by several things in the development. While stylistically the development is not our "cup of tea".... we really understood the mass appeal of the design. We talked to sereral folks we knew and heard their very positive response to what they were seeing. I also liked the fact that there was a wide range of builders and price range. Land use was as good as I think you will see in that type of development. Homes were really on the least of mount of land possible... and then great amounts of room was used for green space, trails, playscapes, lakes.
Almost everything out there that has been build has been sold! Looks like it is being received very well.
Of course I would have loved to have seen a more modern option in the designs, but hey, I am a minority. These homes have really hit the target for the mass market of the moment.
Great pics. This whole process of redeveloping the old airport has been very interesting. And I think it is such a cool thing that they left the old control tower. Gotta leave it, it's basically an Austin landmark. How cool is it that you can see it from some of those neighborhood streets.
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My girlfriend has a dog named Kevin.
Great pics. This whole process of redeveloping the old airport has been very interesting. And I think it is such a cool thing that they left the old control tower. Gotta leave it, it's basically an Austin landmark. How cool is it that you can see it from some of those neighborhood streets.
Its intriguing to speculate what might occupy the former control tower. I'd love to see the top floor opened to the public in some form... as an observation deck or a restaurant. The lower floors were occupied by FAA offices as I recall.. there's possibilities there too.
I'm also curious about the base of the tower, where the terminal building used to be. Perhaps a new structure will surround the bare concrete base? The project maps seem to indicate the tower will be situated within a park setting. I guess we'll see. Lots of opportunities there.
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Its intriguing to speculate what might occupy the former control tower. I'd love to see the top floor opened to the public in some form... as an observation deck or a restaurant. The lower floors were occupied by FAA offices as I recall.. there's possibilities there too.
I'm also curious about the base of the tower, where the terminal building used to be. Perhaps a new structure will surround the bare concrete base? The project maps seem to indicate the tower will be situated within a park setting. I guess we'll see. Lots of opportunities there.
Even though it's not "officially" open to the public as an observation deck, an adventuresome couple made their way to the tower, went inside and up through it to the top and posted the video on Youtube.
It was added in January, 2008 and looks to be taken right around then as the "Noel" Christmas decoration is visible on the outside of the tower.
It's filthy inside, there's a turd and a dead bird and other crap in the stairwells near the top and lots of old paperwork in boxes and binders just scattered around. The whole thing is 7:53 and they don't get to the top until the last minute or so.
You also get occasional glimpses of Mueller construction on the way up and just before they make it into the top of the tower, they're on the outside part just below and you get a couple of quick looks at the skyline far off in the distance.
Its intriguing to speculate what might occupy the former control tower. I'd love to see the top floor opened to the public in some form... as an observation deck or a restaurant. The lower floors were occupied by FAA offices as I recall.. there's possibilities there too.
I'm also curious about the base of the tower, where the terminal building used to be. Perhaps a new structure will surround the bare concrete base? The project maps seem to indicate the tower will be situated within a park setting. I guess we'll see. Lots of opportunities there.
Any updates on what they're doing to the old tower? There has been speculation for 10 years and I saw a snippet on KXAN or KVUE where they confirmed that plans were under development...... and nothing.
Any updates on what they're doing to the old tower? There has been speculation for 10 years and I saw a snippet on KXAN or KVUE where they confirmed that plans were under development...... and nothing.
See post #439 for some info. Plans are starting to move forward.
Hugh range! Look at the Mueller site for all details. As part of the land deal, 25% are "affordable" housing. As low as $100,000. THe "David Weekley" homes are the most economical, starting in the upper 2oo's for 1500 and up sq ft. On the upper end.... there are some 3000+ sq ft homes that start at $700,000. These are in the minority. (But you can tell the difference in quality of construction, and finishes.) Everything felt solid, though materials varied widely. Check out the site at
Hugh range! Look at the Mueller site for all details. As part of the land deal, 25% are "affordable" housing. As low as $100,000. THe "David Weekley" homes are the most economical, starting in the upper 2oo's for 1500 and up sq ft. On the upper end.... there are some 3000+ sq ft homes that start at $700,000. These are in the minority. (But you can tell the difference in quality of construction, and finishes.) Everything felt solid, though materials varied widely. Check out the site at
muelleraustin.com
Thanks for that. I actually just bought a house in suburbia but wanted to see if these were comparable in price. Not so much but still nice. Seems they are "shotgun" style in the price range I was looking at.
Hugh range! Look at the Mueller site for all details. As part of the land deal, 25% are "affordable" housing. As low as $100,000. THe "David Weekley" homes are the most economical, starting in the upper 2oo's for 1500 and up sq ft. On the upper end.... there are some 3000+ sq ft homes that start at $700,000. These are in the minority. (But you can tell the difference in quality of construction, and finishes.) Everything felt solid, though materials varied widely. Check out the site at
muelleraustin.com
Nothing as low as $100k in the first phase, I think the affordable row houses were in the $120s. The biggest flaw at Mueller IMO is The Gap, where if you make 80% of MFI plus $1 you are booted out of the affordable program, but the price jump is about $100k. The effect is to effectively ban middle class families from Mueller.
Nothing as low as $100k in the first phase, I think the affordable row houses were in the $120s. The biggest flaw at Mueller IMO is The Gap, where if you make 80% of MFI plus $1 you are booted out of the affordable program, but the price jump is about $100k. The effect is to effectively ban middle class families from Mueller.
Yep and if you want to live there comfortably you really need $400k or so. I've been in several of the homes that are ~$250 - $300 or so and they are 37 feet wide. The 1700-1800sq/ft you get is cram packed and the floor plans suffer because of it.
I am really hoping for an observation deck. The tower isn't all that tall, only 86 feet, but because of how close it is to downtown, the views would be good. I would imagine you'd be able to just about any highrise up and down I-35 and within Central Austin. If a park is going to surround it, they might just be planning an observation deck for it.
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My girlfriend has a dog named Kevin.
I've been out to Mueller a bunch of times in the past months. I _REALLY_ want to move there. The only problem is that you can't really get in there without about $260k. That's for a pretty small crappy home. If you want anything fairly nice you need to have at the minimum $300k. What's interesting though is that if you go out to Kyle, Buda, Cedar Park, or Round Rock you can get a house twice the size for the same amount of money. Must be location, because there are no good ways of getting into town from the suburbs (M1EK can attest to this I'm sure!)
I've talked to a couple of the builders out there and their phase 1 stuff sold out without people even looking at the floor plans. As a result they are increasing their prices by 10% pretty much across the board! I'm hoping by the time I'm ready to buy the market there will cool off and prices will come down. I really want the apartments to be ready there by the time my lease runs out so I can give the neighborhood a test drive for a few months and save a bit more cash to get the house I want there.
I've been out to Mueller a bunch of times in the past months. I _REALLY_ want to move there. The only problem is that you can't really get in there without about $260k. That's for a pretty small crappy home. If you want anything fairly nice you need to have at the minimum $300k. What's interesting though is that if you go out to Kyle, Buda, Cedar Park, or Round Rock you can get a house twice the size for the same amount of money. Must be location, because there are no good ways of getting into town from the suburbs (M1EK can attest to this I'm sure!)
Not to pick a nit, but I think the $260 homes are 1700-1800sf. That's a pretty good sized home. I'd say anything over that is large. Yes I know suburban houses have exploded in size in recent years, but that doesn't make 1800sf "small" anymore than a Taurus is a compact car because it's smaller than a Hummer...
This place looks awesome! I love how the homes all vary from one another, with differences rather than all cookie cutter designs. It is an awesome neighborhood right in the middle of the city.
This place looks awesome! I love how the homes all vary from one another, with differences rather than all cookie cutter designs. It is an awesome neighborhood right in the middle of the city.