AUSTIN | Projects & Construction III

[nixcity]

Which will be the next highrise to break ground?? Seems like there are 3 viable options, the one on Rainey, Seaholm or 5th and Bowie. Hopefully at least one of them will be before the end of the year. If so we could definately say it was a good year.

[BevoLJ]

My guess is Skyhouse. Wasn't it already supposed to start?

[The ATX]

My guess is 3 Eleven Bowie. One of the last articles about it in the Statesman said they had the equity and expected to start construction in September. Then again, developers seem to have their own calendars that have 24 months or something in them.

[KevinFromTexas]

Seaholm is still doing some planning I think. I was told they'd submit their site plan sometime in the fall, so hopefully in the next month they'll do that.

SkyHouse has submitted their site plan and is awaiting update.

3rd & Colorado is the same, awaiting update.

3 Eleven Bowie's site plan is in review.

I've been checking those almost daily. When they approved and released the site plan for the JW Marriott, it was announced a few days later by the American-Statesman that it would break ground.

[actham]

I noticed last week that there were traffic barriers sitting in the middle of the 7Rio site. I was just looking up there from 6th and Rio Grande so I'm not sure what it was all about. Has 7Rio ever showed plans for the apartment version of the tower? I don't remember seeing them.

[KevinFromTexas]

Yes, 253 feet with 24 floors according to the site plan.

[LoneStarMike]

Originally Posted by actham

I noticed last week that there were traffic barriers sitting in the middle of the 7Rio site. I was just looking up there from 6th and Rio Grande so I'm not sure what it was all about. Has 7Rio ever showed plans for the apartment version of the tower? I don't remember seeing them.

Revised site plan for this project here (Submitted October 25, 2011)

If it doesn't load the first time, just refresh the page.

You can scroll down to pages 15 & 16 for the elevations.

[BevoLJ]

Y'all are all over those site plans. I wish I knew how they worked.

Someone should make a thread in the Austin section and do a list that you keep updated. Somewhere that everyone can go to be able to find those site plans easily with links to check for new updates or new elevations plans or the like.

If anyone wanted to find the site plans for the High-rise projects and list them, Kevin or I can edit the links into the OP List for this thread.

Edit: I updated the OP and added links for the "Transformation of South Lamar" and "North Burnet/Gateway Projects" threads.

[SecretAgentMan]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Seaholm is still doing some planning I think. I was told they'd submit their site plan sometime in the fall, so hopefully in the next month they'll do that.

SkyHouse has submitted their site plan and is awaiting update.

3rd & Colorado is the same, awaiting update.

3 Eleven Bowie's site plan is in review.

I've been checking those almost daily. When they approved and released the site plan for the JW Marriott, it was announced a few days later by the American-Statesman that it would break ground.

Seaholm site plan has already been submitted, and is close to being approved. In fact they already have the site demolition and excavation permit, but are waiting on some other paperwork to be finalized before starting.

[The ATX]

ABJ reports a new tower called "Waterloo Tower" is in the works for 12th and Red River where Brick Oven Pizza is. I may be off on my math here, but it looks like they need a 14:1 FAR based on the site and proposed square footage

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/pr...thing-big.html

[The ATX]

YNN is running a story tonight on the the Waterloo Tower. The tower proposal goes to the City Council for approval on 09/27, (The Planning Commission has already approved it.) and it should be anywhere between 20 to 40 stories.

[KevinFromTexas]

Here is the article.

http://austin.ynn.com/content/local_...vertical-again

9:43 AM
Business Now: Downtown goes vertical again
By: YNN Staff

Another new building could be going up in Downtown Austin.

The landowner of The Brick Oven pizzeria, located at 12th and Red River Streets, has decided to build bigger. The restaurant has been at that location for about 30 years. Now, owners are trying to rezone the land and build a 20 to 40 story building on the property.

[Syndic]

My first thought? "Isn't that like solidly in the Capitol View Corridor?" Looked at a map and I guess not. It seems to stop at Red River, for some reason.

[The ATX]

Even if this gets built at only 20 stories it will be all alone at that spot. At 40 stories it would stick out as much as the Planetarium tower would.

[JoninATX]

Nearly a third of $1.2 billion from recent Austin bond elections remains unspent

By Sarah Coppola
Monday, Sept. 3, 2012

The City of Austin has yet to spend nearly a third of the $1.2 billion in bond money that voters approved in four bond packages over the past 15 years.

That means dozens of projects — from swimming pool renovations to street repairs — aren't done.

City officials say most of the remaining projects are being designed, are under construction or will break ground soon, and that the city will spend most of the remaining $356 million in the next three years.

The City Council will ask voters in November to OK an additional $385 million bond package to renovate branch libraries, build a fire station, renovate an arts center and build low-income housing, among other projects.

City officials note that bond projects tend to be large and complex, and that many factors can delay them, from having to move utility lines to redesigning features when unforeseen problems crop up.

"You can encounter all types of issues when you get deeper into a project," said Mike Trimble, the city's capital planning officer for the past two years. "Our goal is to move forward and make sure bond dollars are spent as intended."

Critics say voters should be wary of approving another bond package until the city wraps up more of the prior projects.

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...m-2449938.html

[JoninATX]

HID Global to build new Austin distribution center, create 276 jobs

By Amy Denney
September 5, 2012

The State of Texas plans to invest $1.9 million from its Texas Enterprise Fund in HID Global Corp., which will build a manufacturing and distribution center and create 276 jobs.

The company identified 19 acres of land at 601 Center Ridge Drive behind the Shops at Tech Ridge development as the ideal location for its manufacturing and distribution center. The company's Business Information Form, submitted to the City of Austin, indicates HID Global would like to begin construction on the $30 million, 200,000-square-foot center by the end of 2012 and finish by the end of 2013. “Texas is an ideal location for investing in the construction of our new state-of-the-art facility, thanks to its business-friendly climate and state and local incentives,” said Rodney Glass, HID senior vice president of global quality and operations, in a Sept. 5 news release from the governor's office. The City of Austin has proposed its own performance-based grant for $920,576 over a 10-year period in exchange for HID Global's creation of 276 jobs with an average salary of $51,398. Austin City Council will hear a presentation Sept. 12 and vote on the grant at its regular Sept. 27 meeting. HID Global, based in Irvine, Calif., is a secure identities solutions company with offices located throughout the world.

http://impactnews.com/articles/hid-g...reate-276-jobs

[corvairkeith]

Some shots from around downtown this afternoon. First site prep for the JW Marriott is well under way.







The Whitley tower seems to be pretty much topped out.













Site prep has started for the IBC Bank building.

[KevinFromTexas]

Nice update. I'm glad to see the IBC Bank Plaza starting. I was by there a week ago and they hadn't started yet. I don't even think they had the fencing up yet.

[JoninATX]

GM creates Austin technology center

Friday, September 7, 2012, 08:31 AM

General Motors Corp. announced Friday it will create an IT (information technology) Innovation Center in Austin that will employ up to 500 people.

The giant car maker said it wants to advance its information technology capabilities to keep up with advances in its business. The Austin center will be the first of four IT centers that the company expects to announce over the next year.

The company said it wants to use IT to drive down its cost of operations while improving the speed of development of new products and services.

It expects to hire software developers, project managers, database experts, business analysts and other information specialists to the new center.

It said it chose Austin because Central Texas already has a strong supply of such workers.

“We want IT to keep up with the imagination of the GM business partners and to do that, we plan to balance the employment model over the next three years so that the majority of our IT work is done by GM employees focused on extending new capabilities that further enable our business,” said GM Chief Information Officer Randy Mott.

“The IT Innovation Centers are critical to our overall IT business strategy and transformation.”

Although GM said its target for the Austin Center was 500 jobs, Mott acknowledged that, over time, GM’s addition of IT jobs might expand to close to 10,000 jobs companywide.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/conte...omputer_c.html

[Jdawgboy]

Uple

Originally Posted by JoninATX

GM creates Austin technology center



http://www.statesman.com/blogs/conte...omputer_c.html

This likely has a lot to do with the new racetrack. Look for more companies like this to move into the Austin area over the next couple of years.