AUSTIN | Project Updates Thread Part II

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by Urbannizer

Travis County Searches for A/E Firm to Renovate Historic Federal Courthouse

good to hear!

[Maximusx1]

Originally Posted by Urbannizer

Travis County Searches for A/E Firm to Renovate Historic Federal Courthouse

Thanks for posting the update.

Any idea if they also have access to or plans to buy the half block to the north? They could build the tower courthouse they always wanted.

Those buildings to the north that face 9th street are horrendous, no CVC and prime for tear down. What a great trade that would be to preserve the 3rd/4th/Guad/San Antonio block and then get a rejuvenation of both the historic building and a new office tower with hundreds of people in that underutilized corner of downtown. Yes please!

[resansom]

Thanks for all of the new photos, corvairkeith!

[We vs us]

CVS update: FALSE ALARM.

Had a chance to chat with one of the workers on my lunch break. Turns out they're redoing the whole building to include offices on the second floor. Not clear if they'll be used by CVS or for sale, but either way, the pharmacy proper is supposed to reopen in June.

[Sigaven]

Originally Posted by We vs us

CVS update: FALSE ALARM.

Had a chance to chat with one of the workers on my lunch break. Turns out they're redoing the whole building to include offices on the second floor. Not clear if they'll be used by CVS or for sale, but either way, the pharmacy proper is supposed to reopen in June.

Any word on if they're gonna do anything with the exterior? (ie.........restore it to its original appearance maybe?!)

[KevinFromTexas]

Today I noticed what looked like a drilling truck on the lot north of the St. David's Medical Center at 32nd Street.

[MichaelB]

RE: CVS. It's hard to tell yet... but it looks like a combo.
Not a full restore.... but more details than it had.
All the 80s blue tile is gone.
New windows.
Better detail paint.
I'm just happy they didn't tear it down and are working to bring out the detail that
was left.!

[jbssfelix]

Crestview Commons on N Lamar in the Midtown/Crestview Station TOD is coming along nicely. Parking podium is nearly complete and a massive order of lumber has been delivered, so hopefully unit framing will start soon.

[The ATX]

A site plan was filed yesterday for another West Campus student housing project. This one is called Villas on Nueces on the 2300 block. The floor count isn't listed, and oddly enough there is a Villas Nueces on the 2200 block.

Site Plan:
https://abc.austintexas.gov/web/perm...ertyrsn=279033

The location from Streetview:

[wwmiv]

It may be an expansion project. If so, we should expect something similar to the existing design. This is not uncommon at all to see multiple phases of student oriented apartments over a multi-year period, even when expansion wasn't part of the original vision.

[The ATX]

Here's an extensive Historic Landmark Commission presentation about the 2203 Nueces site (see my previous post). The only building info is that it will be a "mid-rise".

http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=277084

[The ATX]

A site plan was filed today for "610 East". This "...development includes a high rise mixed use building..." and is proposed for the Velocity Credit Union block. Based on the CVCs in the area this is another angled tower on a podium. This area is getting busy.

https://abc.austintexas.gov/web/perm...rtyrsn=1115848

[The ATX]

This is getting confusing. Another site plan for a "high rise mixed use' was filed today. This one is called "705 East" and is on E. 12th.

https://abc.austintexas.gov/web/perm...ertyrsn=879248

[MichaelB]

..... as long as they don't fuck with Symphony sq...... OR create a crappy visual
backdrop..... !!!!!!! Hopefully smart enough developer to see the asset.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by MichaelB

..... as long as they don't fuck with Symphony sq...... OR create a crappy visual
backdrop..... !!!!!!! Hopefully smart enough developer to see the asset.

I hope you're right. Both of these two new proposals appear to be the same developer. I suspect the Brackenridge Tract and Med School are the catalyst for all this development. Snuck in between the CVCs in this small area we have:

Mirabeau Hotel & Residences
11th & Sabine Residential
610 East Mixed Use
705 East Mixed Use
The Huston

[drummer]

It seems to be that 610 East and 705 East will block the views of downtown for the folks a couple blocks to the east who wanted to kill One Two East a while back....should we accommodate for them and drop these down to a couple floors each?

[lzppjb]

Nice work, ATX.

[KevinFromTexas]

That area of the skyline is boring, but that area of downtown is even worse and needs help in the pedestrian attractiveness territory. These projects along with the Brackenridge redevelopment are really going to take an ugly corner of downtown that really does have some unique features and assets and turn it into a hub. It's crazy to think we're looking at the possibility of there being 10 new towers in that area when you include the Brackenridge redevelopment.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

That area of the skyline is boring, but that area of downtown is even worse and needs help in the pedestrian attractiveness territory. These projects along with the Brackenridge redevelopment are really going to take an ugly corner of downtown that really does have some unique features and assets and turn it into a hub. It's crazy to think we're looking at the possibility of there being 10 new towers in that area when you include the Brackenridge redevelopment.

Merck was just the beginning, IMHO.

[H2O]

I think this filing is in direct response to the proposed CVCs. I know Velocity was already thinking about this, because an architect friend of mine was talking to them about moving the credit union branch over to the site with the existing CVC, so that they could sell the existing branch site for a high rise. That would not be possible with the proposed CVC. But this is moving much faster than would normally be the case.