AUSTIN | Project Updates Thread Part II

[Urbannizer]

Tru By Hilton

[LoneStarMike]

Originally Posted by Urbannizer

Anyone have access to this article?

Here's the non-paywall version

[WestAustinite]

This is woefully out of date. Has anyone on this forum updated this in the past?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Austin,_Texas

[Echostatic]

I kept that article up to date for a while but I slacked off when I moved to Minneapolis and someone changed the table template to something more tedious to edit. It's pretty annoying to find acceptable sources for the shorter buildings on the list.

[Lobotomizer]

Originally Posted by Echostatic

I kept that article up to date for a while but I slacked off when I moved to Minneapolis and someone changed the table template to something more tedious to edit. It's pretty annoying to find acceptable sources for the shorter buildings on the list.

The Austin wiki page leaves a lot to be desired. For instance, the skyline photo is zoomed in on like four buildings at Congress and Cesar Chavez. Why would someone choose this as the skyline image to show what our downtown looks like? It's perplexing.

Nevermind, it looks like someone updated the image in question, thankfully!

[The ATX]

I used to keep it updated several years ago, but someone else kept screwing it up. So I gave up and started putting together my own list which I post in the sticky development links thread.

[gillynova]

So weird someone else kept changing it but I'm sure a TON of people, outside of Austin, goes to wiki pages instead of this forum

[WestAustinite]

Originally Posted by gillynova

So weird someone else kept changing it but I'm sure a TON of people, outside of Austin, goes to wiki pages instead of this forum

Absolutely. This forum does even show up in the search results when you Google "Tallest Buildings in Austin". Wikipedia is #1 and that's the source most people are likely to consult and trust.

[StoOgE]

Hey y'all, I was never the most active user here, but wanted to pop in. I moved from Austin to Asheville about a year ago and have been less in the loop.

I just went back home to visit my parents and man the skyline has changed a lot in the last year

The Republic and Waterline are absolute game changers to the skyline as is the other large project in Rainey (I dont remember which other one got off the ground)

One negative I do have is it really does seem like lots of stuff has closed down. South Lamar where I lived has a ton of construction going on but lots of beloved businesses are gone and there seemed to be a decent amount of available retail space. Downtown similarly had large pockets that just didn't have much foot traffic at night. I dont know if the pedestrian patterns have just changed or if developers got out over their skis a bit too much during the post pandemic but it was very strange just a year later feeling a pretty big shift in the vibe of places I was very familiar with.

[myBrain]

Originally Posted by StoOgE

One negative I do have is it really does seem like lots of stuff has closed down. South Lamar where I lived has a ton of construction going on but lots of beloved businesses are gone and there seemed to be a decent amount of available retail space. Downtown similarly had large pockets that just didn't have much foot traffic at night. I dont know if the pedestrian patterns have just changed or if developers got out over their skis a bit too much during the post pandemic but it was very strange just a year later feeling a pretty big shift in the vibe of places I was very familiar with.

I think in some places construction might have an effect, but by and large, people just aren't going out and spending like they used to. Young people in particular are feeling squeezed, and staying home, and the hospitality industry is feeling it. I would imagine a lot of these empty retail spaces remain empty for some time, it's just not a good time to start/expand a business.

I also think that the development out in the neighborhoods is having an effect. Speaking from my own experience, when I first moved into my neighborhood 8 years ago there wasn't much to do, so we'd end up going downtown regularly. But now there are numerous bars, restaurants, and coffee shops within walking distance of me, and they're not only less of a hassle to get to than DT but cheaper as well, there's no reason for me to leave. There are many other neighborhoods that have seen similar change.

[clubtokyo]

Yeah and the suburbs are starting to get "Austin vibe" things, so less people leaving there bubble.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by clubtokyo

Yeah and the suburbs are starting to get "Austin vibe" things, so less people leaving there bubble.

WFH is a big part as well. If you don't leave the suburb for work, you'll stick around more for after work stuff too.

[gillynova]

Originally Posted by StoOgE

Hey y'all, I was never the most active user here, but wanted to pop in. I moved from Austin to Asheville about a year ago and have been less in the loop.

I just went back home to visit my parents and man the skyline has changed a lot in the last year

The Republic and Waterline are absolute game changers to the skyline as is the other large project in Rainey (I dont remember which other one got off the ground)

One negative I do have is it really does seem like lots of stuff has closed down. South Lamar where I lived has a ton of construction going on but lots of beloved businesses are gone and there seemed to be a decent amount of available retail space. Downtown similarly had large pockets that just didn't have much foot traffic at night. I dont know if the pedestrian patterns have just changed or if developers got out over their skis a bit too much during the post pandemic but it was very strange just a year later feeling a pretty big shift in the vibe of places I was very familiar with.

Welcome back fam!

Honestly, I work in downtown and go out at night every other weekend (West 6th and East 6th only). I say, it's still pretty lit and there's a good amount of foot traffic, especially when there's a big UT game (Saturdays) or when the Super Bowl happened.

I haven't really gone to dirty except on the first night they put up the rails. It was kind of dead but it was also the same time frame when it was about to snow in Austin

Rainey street is pretty much dead at this point and will only come back once Paseo and Modern are completed and activate those parts. Waterline will for sure bring in more traffic when they open up that part of the street

[drummer]

I actually love that the suburbs are getting more to do. I live in Georgetown and the square and surrounding areas are way better than they used to be. I still enjoy downtown Austin, of course, but if I can enjoy quality music, meals, entertainment, beer, etc., literally five minutes from my house, I'm not complaining. On top of that, Georgetown has some awesome parks and trails.

[Urbannizer]

Originally Posted by Urbannizer

Central Health moves forward with new clinic, HQ at Hancock Center in north central Austin

[gillynova]

Kind of sad we won't be seeing any new cranes in the downtown core for awhile after Waterline

[enragedcamel]

Yeah, Austin downtown development is done for a good while I think. All economic indicators are showing that we're about to enter a recession.

[ILUVSAT]

Originally Posted by enragedcamel

Yeah, Austin downtown development is done for a good while I think. All economic indicators are showing that we're about to enter a recession.

"All economic indicators"? To what specific indicators are you referring?

As predicting a recession is not quite a science - I have found only two of five key indicators showing a moderate or higher risk factor of a recession in the coming 12 months.

In fact, almost everything I have read - from academic and Wall Street economists surveys, to the Dallas and NY Fed reports, to JP Morgan (and other financial institutions) - all seem to indicate an overall "low" chance of a recession in 2025.

I'm not trying to pick a battle here. I'm just inquiring as to how you can support that bold claim.

Yes, a recession could slow the progress of some projects. However, I believe it has more to do with the availability of cost-effective capital leading to greatest margin possible. Tower projects take years. Developers are looking at financial situations years out - not necessarily in the near-term. Interest rates hurt. And, there is wide speculation that we may see cuts in the second half of 2025.

New cranes will return to the Austin skyline. And, sooner than one may think.

[ATX2030]

Originally Posted by Urbannizer

Demo underway.

Via LinkedIn:

Site is active today with prep underway.

[enragedcamel]

Originally Posted by ILUVSAT

"All economic indicators"? To what specific indicators are you referring?

As predicting a recession is not quite a science - I have found only two of five key indicators showing a moderate or higher risk factor of a recession in the coming 12 months.

In fact, almost everything I have read - from academic and Wall Street economists surveys, to the Dallas and NY Fed reports, to JP Morgan (and other financial institutions) - all seem to indicate an overall "low" chance of a recession in 2025.

I'm not trying to pick a battle here. I'm just inquiring as to how you can support that bold claim.

Yes, a recession could slow the progress of some projects. However, I believe it has more to do with the availability of cost-effective capital leading to greatest margin possible. Tower projects take years. Developers are looking at financial situations years out - not necessarily in the near-term. Interest rates hurt. And, there is wide speculation that we may see cuts in the second half of 2025.

New cranes will return to the Austin skyline. And, sooner than one may think.

https://bsky.app/profile/jrothst.bsky.social/post/3liin7up3ck2z

It seems almost unavoidable at this point that we are headed for a deep, deep recession. Just based on 200K+ federal firings & pullback of contracts, the March employment report (to be released April 4) seems certain to show bigger job losses than any month ever outside of a few in 2008-9 and 2020.

Add on to that enormous private market uncertainty - how could you hire in these conditions? - and this is going to be very, very bad.

...

This will show up in the March report, to be released on April 4. Why not in the February report, coming out March 7? Because that asks for employment in the pay period including Feb. 12, and the firings were nearly all too late for that.

https://www.usnews.com/news/economy/arti...my-as-expectations-reach-recession-level

Consumers Sound Alarm on Trump Economy as Expectations Reach Recession Level

The sharp drop in consumers’ expectations about the economy brings one of the Conference Board’s metrics below the recession level threshold.

---

A sharp drop in consumer confidence in February has brought Americans’ expectations about the future course of the U.S. economy to a level that often signals a recession on the horizon.

The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index fell by seven points to 98.3. The present situation index – a measure of current business and labor market conditions – fell 3.4 points to 136.5, but it was the expectations index that reflects consumers’ outlook of future economic conditions that tumbled 9.3 points to 72.9. That brings it below the 80 threshold that usually serves as a warning of a recession ahead.

“In February, consumer confidence registered the largest monthly decline since August 2021,” said Stephanie Guichard, senior economist of global indicators at the business organization. “This is the third consecutive month on month decline, bringing the Index to the bottom of the range that has prevailed since 2022.”

“Views of current labor market conditions weakened,” Guichard added. “Consumers became pessimistic about future business conditions and less optimistic about future income. Pessimism about future employment prospects worsened and reached a 10-month high.”

Trump has also been saying that he wants to reduce demand, because he's obsessed with the 10-year bond yield rate and wants to bring it down. You know what happens when aggregate demand decreases? Yeah.