Austin Projects & Construction

[Mopacs]

Update on the Mueller airport redevelopment in Austin...

Earlier this week, the retail portion of the redevelopment along I-35 was officially anounced (includes Best Buy, Bed Bath Beyond, Marshall's, etc). Today comes news of the first urban apartment complex in the works. A very attractive 4-story development... see article below:

http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/realestate/08/23mueller.html


MUELLER AIRPORT

Developer chosen for first apartments at Mueller

Simmons Vedder will build the first residential component in former airport's transformation.




By M.B. Taboada
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, August 23, 2006

After years of planning, the transformation of the former Robert Mueller Municipal Airport is ready for takeoff. Major components are under construction, including the Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas, offices and the first stores.

Simmons Vedder & Co. will start work early next year on Mueller's first residential component, an apartment complex on Aldrich Street at Airport Boulevard, at the entrance to the 711-acre site.

The Texas-based company will break ground on a four-story, 422,000-square-foot complex.

The apartments, which will include two swimming pools, a fitness and business center and a covered parking garage, will be available for tenants during the first quarter of 2008.

Rents will range from $925 a month for one-bedroom units to $2,100 for three-bedroom units with 1,361 square feet. However, 10 percent of the units will be priced lower and reserved for people who make up to 60 percent of Austin's median income to match master developer Catellus Development Corp.'s commitment to providing affordable housing.
The first home builders will be named later this year. There's already a list of people who want to live at Mueller, where apartments, townhouses, condominiums and single-family houses must meet strict green building and community design standards.

For example, the apartments will have heat-reflecting metal roofs and energy-saving features, and half of the construction debris will be salvaged or recycled.

Simmons Vedder develops commercial and residential projects across the country. In Austin, its highest-profile project is the apartment complex at the Triangle, a 22-acre residential/retail project in Central Austin. It's also a developer of two large mixed-use projects in Williamson County.

"It's exciting to add the first residential component to the Mueller redevelopment," said John Burnham, development manager for Simmons Vedder. "It's a critical step in the redevelopment process."
The rental units will be designed as one building but will have the appearance of four distinct buildings because of varying architectural designs.

The residential development comes on the heels of the announcement of plans for the first three anchor retailers: Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond and Marshalls expect to open stores in April at the northwest quadrant, at East 51st Street and Interstate 35.

"These are two huge milestones," said Matt Whelan, who is the senior vice president of the project for Catellus. "We are very happy with the pace of the project, and it will likely just pick up from here."

The mixed-use development is the largest public-private venture in Austin's history and will transform the former airport into an urban village of homes, stores and offices. The Mueller project is expected to add $1 billion to the city's tax base and house up to 10,000 residents and generate thousands of jobs.

The Mueller project has been 20 years in the making, starting with visionaries from the surrounding neighborhoods who began discussions on the potential for the land once the airport closed, which it did in 1999.
Jim Walker, a spokesman for Mueller-area neighborhood groups, said he's not as concerned about which builders sign on as long as they adhere to the master plan and vision of providing affordable housing and work for area residents.

"If any company is serious about committing to all those things, they can be a part of Mueller," he said.

Walker said when the city and Catellus signed the deal in December 2004, it marked only the halfway point for the neighborhoods. The recent announcements might equate to the completion of a contract, but it means something more to the neighborhood, he said.
"It's the beginning of the relationship with the master plan and the surrounding community," Walker said.

Much of the site is still largely open space, home to the occasional jack rabbit that darts across the parched fields. But there's plenty of activity at the western edge of the site.

What looks like a huge crater near the Aldrich Street entrance will become a 30-acre lake, the centerpiece of the first of several parks.
Major medical facilities are under way, including the Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas, which is scheduled to open next year, and Strictly Pediatrics Ambulatory Surgical Center, a children's specialty medical facility.

Work also has started on Austin's second Ronald McDonald House, which will house families of patients at the hospital.
As the project develops, other tenants will move into the development. The University of Texas will begin in November the first phase of the Dell Pediatric Research Institute. The educational nonprofit Southwest Educational Development Laboratory will move its headquarters from downtown to Mueller during fall 2007.
[email protected]; 249-7053


ON THE WEB: If you're interested in housing at Mueller, sign up for updates at www.muelleraustin.com/register.html.




1. Retail: Work has started on major retail at Interstate 35 and East 51st Street.
2. Strictly Pediatrics Ambulatory Surgical Center: Work has started on a four-story building housing children's medical services.
3. Ronald McDonald House: Work has started on a 15-room facility for families of patients at the hospital that will open early next year.
4. University of Texas: Work starts in November on the first phase of the Dell Pediatric Research Institute.
5. Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas: The hospital is scheduled to open in early 2007.
6. Southwest Educational Development Laboratory: The headquarters of the educational nonprofit will move next fall from downtown to Mueller.
7. Apartments: Simmons Vedder will start work next year on 442 apartments.
8. Visitors center: The former executive terminal is being converted into a visitors center and offices for Catellus Development Corp.
9. Lake park: Work has started on a lake that will be part of a 30-acre park.


New Lake...

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Retail press release from Muelleraustin.com

http://www.muelleraustin.com/news/BB_BBB_MarRetail_Release.pdf

REGIONAL RETAIL LANDS AT MUELLER
–––––––––––
Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Marshalls Become First Tenants at I-35 Regional Retail

AUSTIN, Texas – Aug. 21, 2006 – Mueller continues to take shape as its first three anchor retailtenants, Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond® and Marshalls, become a part of the first phase ofregional retail along I-35. The opening of the regional retail center is planned for Spring 2007.


“We’re thrilled to have these national brands as partners helping us create this unique and exciting new retail destination,” said David Ross, director of development of CatellusDevelopment Group, the master developer of the Mueller community. “The quality of products and services provided by our retail tenants will be an added convenience for the people who will work and live in the community and throughout the region.”

The regional retail component of Mueller is approximately 366,000 square feet on 36 acres along the frontage of I-35 between the 51st Street and Airport Boulevard exits. These first three tenants are the start of the first phase of regional retail that will accommodate seven to
10 major anchor stores, plus a number of smaller shops and restaurants.

“We look forward to giving our Austin customers another exciting Bed Bath & Beyond,”
said Bari Fagin, Director of Public Relations of Bed Bath & Beyond. “We are proud to be aretailer in the Mueller development and are eager to see the progression of this site.”
“We are delighted to be a part of this important and visible development in Austin,” said Amy Cafazzo of Marshalls. “This will be our third location in the Austin area and will significantly reduce the travel time to our store for those who live in central Austin.”

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Site plans were released some time back, indicating the tenancy of the aforementioned stores... The Kohl's on this site plan is not yet confirmed: