AUSTIN | Projects & Construction II

[bigdogc]

i think a lot of foreign investments are made in the upcoming highrises, see spring and the W. both of these places have out of towners buying, so your idea on freeing up neighborhoods isnt really justified.

but i like your ideas. i would love to drink until 6am!

[Trevorwt]

then at 6am you can take the bus home. no drunk driving!

I am at Schlotzsky on South Lamar right now...does anyone have a photo of whats going up behind it?

[KevinFromTexas]

I got the official building heights for Palisades West, and surprise, it's a highrise.

Palisades West I is 117 feet, 6 inches tall to the mechanical screens. The building has 7 floors. And 102 feet, 6 inches to the main roof. The building's roof is 1,126 feet, 6 inches above sea level. This makes it one of the highest elevation buildings in Austin. The building's roof is actually higher up than the crown of Frost Bank Tower in downtown.

Palisades West II, the shorter 5-story will be 83 feet, 6 inches tall to the mechanical screen and 68 feet, 6 inches to the mainroof.

[AustinSloanie]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

Im so glad they are going to finally put lighting on the AMILI, I think it will look really neat.

While we're on the topic of lighting, maybe someone can help answer something I've been wondering about for a while...

As recently as 2004, I remember the 301 Congress office tower used to be lit at night using parallel white (neon?) lights along the top of the angled roof and along one of the balconies (see pic below). Does anyone know why they stopped doing this? It'd be nice to see that little building illuminated at night again--since otherwise it's almost impossible to spot from a distance.

[KevinFromTexas]

One of those lights on the 20th floor setback caught on fire several years back and they haven't turned them back on since. I wish they'd re-light it too. Our skyline is too dark. And that building was always lit from the time it was built. I miss seeing it at night.

[TXLove]

Originally Posted by AustinSloanie

While we're on the topic of lighting, maybe someone can help answer something I've been wondering about for a while...

As recently as 2004, I remember the 301 Congress office tower used to be lit at night using parallel white (neon?) lights along the top of the angled roof and along one of the balconies (see pic below). Does anyone know why they stopped doing this? It'd be nice to see that little building illuminated at night again--since otherwise it's almost impossible to spot from a distance.

I really wish they would start lighting that building again

[Gallup]

How is downtown Austin ever supposed to be pedestrian friendly when all we have to delineate a crosswalk are a couple of white stripes? I mean damn. You walk around downtown at rush hour and those crazy sons a 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 in cars will mow you over. I just had a guy so worried about catching a red light that he floors it and when he realized I was in the crosswalk at the end of his turn he about shite himself. To make matters worse, I was outside of the crosswalk because the cars I had just passed were completely covering the walk leaving the three ofus no choice but to walk out into the street. Austin should implement some kind of plan where when a certain intersection hits a certain amount of pedestrian crossings a day that we add pavers to the intersection. If some suburban cowboy comes into the city and sees that he is approaching red light, he/she will notice that the different colored area before the light isn’t for him to park on. These auto-junkies have no respect for crosswalks in the suburbs because they are hardly used. In an area with a couple thousand times the pedestrian traffic, we need a new system. There have to be heavyweights out there reading my rant, what can be done to help make pedestrians not only feel safer, but actually be safer?

[Dragonfire]

Gallup, if you think it's bad being a pedestrian in downtown Austin, don't ever go to Paris. The drivers there actually TRY to run you over.

One of the problems I see with the crosswalks is the actual lights to allow pedestrians to cross are too short... you have to pretty much run across the street just to make it before the stop light goes on.

[Saddle Man]

I'm right there with you Gallup. The same thing happens to me all the time.

[WestAustinite]

I just got back from Dubai and pedestrians are target practice there. Still, I agree that Austin has done little or nothing to promote a pedestrian friendly environment. For instance, can you imagine why Austin continues to keep 4th Street by Fado and Halycon open after 7PM when there are literally hundreds of people who are forced to walk out in the street because the pedestrian "sidewalks" are ridiculous?

[AustinSloanie]

Here's a pic of Austin I took a couple of days ago from about 2 miles up on a JetBlue flight. (Not the best quality, i know, but cool nonetheless)

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by AustinSloanie

Here's a pic of Austin I took a couple of days ago from about 2 miles up on a JetBlue flight. (Not the best quality, i know, but cool nonetheless)

It is really interesting to see the linear nature of the city.... as opposed to most cities whose basis shape is related to a circle (or part there of)

[Raining Inside]

Yeah, Austin has pretty much developed north/south along IH-35. That's what having just one main highway for several decades will do. Although the Hill Country has kept Austin from spreading too far west.

[hismasterplan]

Hey guys, I'm Will. I used to post here years ago. I was seeing all these articles about downtown projects and it reminded me of these forums so recently I decided to come back. I had trouble signing up but now I'm finally in!

I'm in Chicago for college now but I'll be back in the spring to go around and take pictures downtown and post them here.

It's amazing seeing our city grow so much in a short amount of time. I'm more into the art of skyscrapers so I wouldn't exactly call myself a developmentalist. Thanks for keeping these threads going.

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by Raining Inside

Yeah, Austin has pretty much developed north/south along IH-35. That's what having just one main highway for several decades will do. Although the Hill Country has kept Austin from spreading too far west.

And now I'm realizing... with the growth along town lake.... it is a big "T"!!!!!!!!!

[andrew.A..T..X]

Originally Posted by hismasterplan

Hey guys, I'm Will. I used to post here years ago. I was seeing all these articles about downtown projects and it reminded me of these forums so recently I decided to come back. I had trouble signing up but now I'm finally in!

I'm in Chicago for college now but I'll be back in the spring to go around and take pictures downtown and post them here.

It's amazing seeing our city grow so much in a short amount of time. I'm more into the art of skyscrapers so I wouldn't exactly call myself a developmentalist. Thanks for keeping these threads going.

Welcome

[Sexas]

Originally Posted by Gallup

How is downtown Austin ever supposed to be pedestrian friendly when all we have to delineate a crosswalk are a couple of white stripes? I mean damn. You walk around downtown at rush hour and those crazy sons a 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 in cars will mow you over. I just had a guy so worried about catching a red light that he floors it and when he realized I was in the crosswalk at the end of his turn he about shite himself. To make matters worse, I was outside of the crosswalk because the cars I had just passed were completely covering the walk leaving the three ofus no choice but to walk out into the street. Austin should implement some kind of plan where when a certain intersection hits a certain amount of pedestrian crossings a day that we add pavers to the intersection. If some suburban cowboy comes into the city and sees that he is approaching red light, he/she will notice that the different colored area before the light isn’t for him to park on. These auto-junkies have no respect for crosswalks in the suburbs because they are hardly used. In an area with a couple thousand times the pedestrian traffic, we need a new system. There have to be heavyweights out there reading my rant, what can be done to help make pedestrians not only feel safer, but actually be safer?

We need to send our city manager to Tokyo and Hong Kong, the pedestrian system over there just so nice. Pedestrian guardrail everywhere, three set of lights per crosswalk (one for walker, one for driver, and timers for both) And ticketing driver who stop on the crosswalk section of the road during red light.

[DTAustin]

Originally Posted by Gallup

How is downtown Austin ever supposed to be pedestrian friendly when all we have to delineate a crosswalk are a couple of white stripes? I mean damn. You walk around downtown at rush hour and those crazy sons a 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 in cars will mow you over. I just had a guy so worried about catching a red light that he floors it and when he realized I was in the crosswalk at the end of his turn he about shite himself. To make matters worse, I was outside of the crosswalk because the cars I had just passed were completely covering the walk leaving the three ofus no choice but to walk out into the street. Austin should implement some kind of plan where when a certain intersection hits a certain amount of pedestrian crossings a day that we add pavers to the intersection. If some suburban cowboy comes into the city and sees that he is approaching red light, he/she will notice that the different colored area before the light isn’t for him to park on. These auto-junkies have no respect for crosswalks in the suburbs because they are hardly used. In an area with a couple thousand times the pedestrian traffic, we need a new system. There have to be heavyweights out there reading my rant, what can be done to help make pedestrians not only feel safer, but actually be safer?

I think it's an enforcement problem. The law is that you are supposed to stop your car at the white line, but nobody in Austin ever stops on the white line. I saw a blind guy walk into a car and wonder where he was because the driver was sitting in the middle of the crosswalk on Congress. The police need to start ticketing for this offense (as well as throwing cigarettes out car windows - sorry this really bothers me). Once people realize that the law will be enforced, they will comply.

[priller]

A few photos from the last 2 days.

Legacy:






Four Seasons Residences. Looks like the old parking lot is cleared off and they've starting digging the hole:




The Shore.




Spring.










Church reflected by Rusk building:




Very low rez version of a huge panorama:

[KevinFromTexas]

Great pics there priller. Love the pano.