Austin | The Liberty (14th & Lavaca) | 413 Feet | 32 Floors | Proposed

[KevinFromTexas]

AUSTIN
South Texas developer planning office-apartment project near Capitol

By Shonda Novak
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Friday, October 09, 2009

A Rio Grande Valley developer wants to build a 12-story mixed-use project with apartments, offices, shops and an upscale restaurant near the Capitol.

Palmco Inc., a builder with offices in Austin and McAllen, is proposing to erect its Capitol Terrace project for the southwest corner of Lavaca and 14th streets. It would have 30 apartments — housing aimed at lobbyists and others with business at the Capitol or state agencies — as well as 61,000 square feet of office space on five floors, said John Donisi, an attorney and partner with Drenner & Golden Stuart Wolff LP.

The law firm is representing Palmco in its request for a variance to local zoning laws to construct a taller building than what city rules allow in the area. As proposed, Capitol Terrace would stand as tall as 163 feet in an area where zoning rules limit building heights to 120 feet.


Jerry Lammers ALAMO ARCHITECTS, INC. The Capitol Terrace project would have 30 apartments —primarily for lobbyists and others with state business — and 61,000 square feet of office space on five floors.

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[KevinFromTexas]

New mixed-use project planned for downtown

By Shonda Novak | Thursday, October 8, 2009, 12:32 PM

A South Texas developer is proposing to build a 12-story building with apartments, offices, shops and a white-tablecloth restaurant near the Capitol.

Palmco, Inc., a developer and builder with offices in McAllen and Austin, wants to build Capitol Terrace at the southwest corner of Lavaca and 14th streets.

It would have 30 upscale apartments, aimed at lobbyists and others with business at the Capitol or state agencies, as well as five floors (61,000 square feet) of office space, said John Donisi, an attorney and partner with Drenner & Golden Stuart Wolff LP.

The firm is representing Palmco in its request for a zoning change to build a larger, taller building than city rules allow.

The developer plans a building with up to 163 feet high, where zoning now limits it to 120 feet.

Pending necessary approvals from the city, Palmco would start construction in the second quarter of 2010.

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[Samwill89]

I know that is a sketch rendering, but I think I am digging the design. As long as it doesn't look like the fake urban stuff in West Campus, I am very thrilled about this.

[Downtown_Austin]

Originally Posted by Samwill89

I know that is a sketch rendering, but I think I am digging the design. As long as it doesn't look like the fake urban stuff in West Campus, I am very thrilled about this.

could be brick, but likely stucco. the drawing gives it "presence", but we're used to seeing drawings do that. my expectations are low, as it's pretty squat and who knows how committed they are to executing on the ground floor retail/restaurant, but it'll be better than what's there now.

if they hold true to great streets and genuinely activate the streetscape by providing good access to ground floor retail, then this could be a terrific addition to "Uptown"

My2

[KevinFromTexas]

It's a good height too. Taller than a few buildings, but shorter than others. 163 feet would make it fit in well I think.

Westgate Tower (261 feet)
Clements State Office Building (237 feet)
Wells Fargo Tower (234 feet)
Travis County Jail (204 feet)
Doubletree Austin Guest Suites (183 feet)
Cambridge Tower (181 feet)
Moonlight Towers (165) (There's one up the street at 15th & Guadalupe).
Capitol Terrace (163 feet)
Texas Medical Association (156 feet)
La Vista on Lavaca (143 feet)
Daniel Price Building (137 feet)
Executive Office Building (133 feet)
Texas Assoc. of Counties Bldg. (132 feet)
1108 Lavaca (126 feet)
1616 Guadalupe (126 feet)
Penthouse Condominiums (119 feet)

[MichaelB]

it's a cube. A stucco or brick cube. ugh

[KevinFromTexas]

It's alright. It kind of reminds me of some of the old department store buildings in New York. Let's face it, for it to not be squatty, it would have to be more narrow, which would mean it would have to be taller to achieve the same square footage. And with the Capitol nearby I doubt many people would go for that. I think this is a pretty good height, and yes even shape considering the location. My main concern is the facade design/materials and making sure that it really does help the street level.

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

It's alright. It kind of reminds me of some of the old department store buildings in New York. Let's face it, for it to not be squatty, it would have to be more narrow, which would mean it would have to be taller to achieve the same square footage. And with the Capitol nearby I doubt many people would go for that. I think this is a pretty good height, and yes even shape considering the location. My main concern is the facade design/materials and making sure that it really does help the street level.

you know Kevin, in my fantasy I saw it having the potential of a 20's building, just as you say, like an old department store. If the finish out is that detailed I would be thrilled, but this has the potential of being as bad as the building at 12th and Lavaca...across from Westgate. (same folks as the tragic ABC bank on 5th). So....lets hope it lives up to our fantasies. The architect is the same person who did the Neiman's at the Domain. So... maybe there is hope! Just tired of boring infill.!

[electricron]

Why do developers always want to avoid zoning restrictions?

The developer plans a building with up to 163 feet high, where zoning now limits it to 120 feet.

163/120 = 1.358, that's more than one third taller than what the city had previously zoned.

What wrong with living with a 12 story 120 feet tall building, allowing 10 feet per story? Do the developers really need some 20 feet tall stories?

[JAM]

Originally Posted by electricron

Why do developers always want to avoid zoning restrictions?

Maybe because they are ridiculous? It is DOWNTOWN isn't it? I can't figure out why people are so against tall buildings downtown..... Where are you supposed to put the tall buildings if you don't put them DOWNTOWN?

[Downtown_Austin]

Originally Posted by JAM

Where are you supposed to put the tall buildings if you don't put them DOWNTOWN?

That sums up so much of the ironic hyperbole spewing from the ANC cronies.

[H2O]

Originally Posted by electricron

Why do developers always want to avoid zoning restrictions?



163/120 = 1.358, that's more than one third taller than what the city had previously zoned.

What wrong with living with a 12 story 120 feet tall building, allowing 10 feet per story? Do the developers really need some 20 feet tall stories?

10 feet floor to floor is adequate for parking and residential, but too low for retail and office. Even residential is better if it is 11 or 12 feet floor to floor, because there is usually HVAC ducts and other things like sprinkler piping below the structural ceiling. Office is usually 12 - 14 feet floor to floor and retail should be between 14 -20 feet to create pleasant spaces.

[H2O]

Originally Posted by MichaelB

you know Kevin, in my fantasy I saw it having the potential of a 20's building, just as you say, like an old department store. If the finish out is that detailed I would be thrilled, but this has the potential of being as bad as the building at 12th and Lavaca...across from Westgate. (same folks as the tragic ABC bank on 5th). So....lets hope it lives up to our fantasies. The architect is the same person who did the Neiman's at the Domain. So... maybe there is hope! Just tired of boring infill.!

I think the sketch suggests an appropriately porportioned and detailed infill building in the tradition of the Chicago School. Not all buildings need to be foreground buildings screaming "look at me!" It will all come down to the materials and detailing used, something that can't be reasonably interpretted from an early concept sketch. Those decisions have probably not even been made yet, since they are jsut at the zoning stage.

[Scottolini]

14th and Lavaca certainly is downtown. I've never heard anyone say differently until now. The only question I've heard raised is whether 15th or MLK (19th) is considered the northern boundary. I say MLK, along with I-35, the Colorado River, and Lamar. A more compact boundary would replace West for Lamar, the river with Cesar Chavez, and like I said before 15th for MLK. This location is still well within those boundaries.

[ATXboom]

NYC... where did you get your thoughts or info regarding downtown?

As long as I've lived in Austin (15 yrs) it has been very clear that downtown is MLK to the river and I-35 to Lamar. Original downtown plat is something like 20 blocks x 20 blocks.

I'll take 50, 10 story buildings any day... look at NYC, San Fran and Chicago. This area needs it.

The effect the 4 or so currently proposed 15-20 story hotels and apartments will have a profound affect at street level downtown.

[KevinFromTexas]

For reference, here are the companies involved:

The architects:
http://www.alamoarchitects.com/

The developers. This is their Austin office, which doesn't offer much on their site.
http://www.palmcoinc.com/

Here's their McAllen office.
http://palmcoinc.com/palmco/

[hookem]

For a mid-rise (low-rise?) zoned area, something like this is good. I like the fact that the full height/mass of the building is right at the street; no setbacks. There seem to be surprisingly few of these in Austin. The point towers are great to make the skyline look impressive from a distance, but on street level this kind of building adds more to the dense, urban canyon feel.

We need more of the effect shown in this pic by Samwill89 pic.. imagine if those buildings were all 12 story instead of many being 4-6.

[Downtown_Austin]

Here is the site as it looks today

[LoneStarMike]

Comment from October 9, 2009:

Originally Posted by Downtown_Austin

Here is the site as it looks today

Fast forward 11 years:





It's still on the Downtown Austin Alliance's Emerging Projectspage as of September 20, 2020.

Developer's website.

Sabot Development - 14th & Lavaca – Downtown Austin Hotel Site

If you scroll through the images, you an see that gas-station looking building, so this has to be the same project.

From the Austin Business Journal - February 6, 2020:

High-rise luxury hotel pitched for nearly half-acre downtown near SXSW Center

Jim Young may be considered a minor player when it comes to real estate development in booming Austin. But his ties to the community and ability to move quickly on a deal can sometimes put him ahead of the crowded field.

That’s certainly how he and business partner Vinyl Manohar, of Twin Crest Capital, were able to acquire on Jan. 6 a nearly half-acre tract at the corner of 14th and Lavaca streets in downtown Austin. The parcels at 301 and 303 W. 14th St. and 1304 and 1308 Lavaca St. are across 14th street from the wave-shaped SXSW Center.

[SNIP]

The best and highest use of the site is a hotel because of its proximity to the Texas State Capitol and the University of Texas at Austin, the property owners said. The site also doesn’t have enough space for the amount of parking that an apartment tower would require.

[SNIP]

While Young has already gotten offers to buy the 14th and Lavaca site, he said he wanted to determine the land’s highest value by showing how large a building could be built on the site and offering it for sale as a potential hotel site. About 95% of the site is outside of the capitol view corridor, he said.

Manohar said the ultimate goal is to develop a hotel at the site, and he’s already in conversations with Ace Hotels, Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott. Taking the property to market will allow the developers to create equity that will allow them to finance the hotel project, he said.

Conceptual plans for call for a luxury, 12-story hotel with 192 rooms, 7,000 square feet and a rooftop bar, Manohar said.

He purchased the site in early January of 2020 back when we were stiill normal. I don't know what effect COVID 19 will have on this project.

[The ATX]

I changed the thread title to reflect the hotel proposal. The ABJ article describes it as 12-stories while the rendering shows 18. I can finally remove the Capitol Terrace office project from my list projects. The ABJ article about Sabot's hotel proposal was posted before, but I never realized that it was the same site as the Capitol Terrace project.