Mueller Area Development Updates

[M1EK]

I appreciate the friendly words. Please remember when reading this that this is not something I've just come to with no knowledge - I'm intimately familiar with Mueller from the getgo, and have formed these opinions not out of ignorance, but out of an excess of experience.

Originally Posted by Komeht

Hey Mike - congrats on Hyde Park - it's one of a handful of neighborhoods I really like in Austin. I'm sure Karen McGraw will have kittens once you get on the neighborhood list serves.

I agree with some of your criticisms on Mueller. The north west quadrant along IH35 is suburban in form (and yes, driving to that home depot is like driving to any other home depot, except the trip is much shorter now) and I don't ever expect that to be retrofitted (or don't discount that it might happen 20 years from now - but no where in the near future). But honestly - I've never heard anyone discuss retrofitting that - and in any case it would be so far down the line there's no point in discussing it - your point seems like a red herring to me.

Actually, Mueller apologists claim the suburban retail will be retrofitted within a decade or two. Not can be; not might be; not conceivably could be; but will be.

The market district by the HEB may be a bit hybrid (some nods to urbanism along Berkman) - though basically suburban in form (cool suburban, but suburban) - which, I understand, was dictated by HEB's demands. I think this summer we'll have a much better idea of what that area will ultimately be. Of course, if we had Publix here in Texas, they could have figured out a more urban grocery store. Unfortunately, they don't service Texas. Yet still, the HEB will be a tremendous amenity for the neighborhood and Windsor Park and close enough to a LOT of housing to walk to in the 5-10 minute range - quite pleasantly, on tree shaded streets lined with both separated bike lanes and on-street parking and without having to cross large parking lots at all. It should also be noted the the presence of HEB does not preclude a Blue Royal type store to open in town center or down by the Tower some day, and Mosaic is already getting a boutique like convenience store as well (open this spring) and theres a really pleasant farmers market at the hangar as well, so there will be options for committed urbanites.

First, this makes it sound like urban grocery (or even a true hybrid) is a hard problem to solve. It's not - like most problems with Mueller, it's a lack of observation of successful neighborhoods nearby - like Hyde Park.

Look at Fresh Plus on 43rd. It's got a parking lot on one side, and it's got street frontage (pedestrian friendly front entrance). You don't have to go more than ten minutes from Mueller to have an example of what Mueller's planners should have demanded (and if HEB wouldn't give it to them, then wait; there's nothing Mueller gets from having a drive-only HEB slightly closer that's worth forever losing this opportunity).

t's absolutely not true that it's a quick walk down tree-lined streets there. You will, in fact, have to cross part of a parking lot to get there (in the best case scenario - coming from the side on Berkman), and you will, in fact, be the afterthought - not the primary or even equal thought, but the "oh. I guess maybe somebody might walk once in a while too, so maybe we'll paint a crosswalk or two". I doubt very much whether crossing the traffic lane to/from the loading dock is what most people have in mind as 'urban'.

Urban would be cars park over here, then they walk around the building to the main entrance the pedestrians are already at (or, like at Fresh Plus, again, right there for the looking-at, drivers have their own side-entrance but it's clearly the lesser of the two).

Two links from my fellow traveller the Austin Contrarian:

http://www.austincontrarian.com/aust...an-design.html
http://www.austincontrarian.com/aust...ealistic-.html

And no, the HEB is not incrementally better. It's going to stay suburban forever, and no, it's not true that it doesn't impact a Royal Blue solution in the Town Center (which is a suboptimal grocer anyways - people around here can and do use Fresh Plus for 100% of their daily needs; Royal Blue isn't there unless you are making a conscious point to eschew your car and put up with a small selection). I

If the HEB means the Town Center can't have something the scale of a Fresh Plus and instead gets a Royal Blue (and I doubt it will even get that), then the HEB screwed Mueller up for good.

But the main problem I have with your criticism is that you don't seem to acknowledge Mueller is a work in progress (or rather - you seem to be dubious of any possible progress). The housing stock is actually dense and urban in form (oriented towards the street, small lots, garages in back by code, etc.) compared to most of Austin (you can't legally build that kind of density right now anywhere else in Austin except the CBD and a few transit corridors), with a mix of housing types and levels of affordability actually welcomed and desired by the residents and getting denser all the time (see section 6 and several new planned and being built apartment buildings - such as Mosaic 2, and the AMLI). And the town center plans are quite urban in form and should bring a nice mix of restaurants, pubs, retail, theater, office, etc. to the area. Yes, it doesn't exist yet - but it's getting closer and the city seems committed to it and catellus seems committed to it happening and the neighborhhod is not only accepting of urbanism but, unlike places like Allendale or Zilker, actually desires it to happen as soon as possible. If Little Woodrows wanted to open in Mueller, the residents would hold a welcoming party, not stick the owner with a pitchfork. The reality of the financial markets and slow down in the economy have no doubt set things back - but it's a bit unfair to criticize catellus for macro economic trends it has no control over or, over stuff that hasn't been built yet. And perhaps it's fair to say they should have built the town center first. . .but I'm not so sure this is right - I mean, NO ONE wants that to be a life-style center a-la the Domain, but rather something a bit more organic and real, and for that to occur there needs to be people first. . .so a bit chicken and the egg scenario going on I think.

If Mueller was a serious NU development, the following things would have happened:

1. Apartments would be mixed in with the houses, instead of being horizontally separated.

2. The Town Center (plus apartments) would have been first, rather than last.

Again, a nearby example exists! The freakin' Triangle! Built in far less time, with a real Town Center in it (even if it's got too many chains and was way too restaurant-heavy, it's been delivering the Town Center Mueller was promised for almost ten years now!)

Mueller's Town Center plans have shifted over the years to be far less ambitious than originally promised, and delayed by what will likely turn out to be a decade (if it ever actually happens). I sat on the UTC from 2000-2005 and was being briefed (and contributing slightly to) plans from 2000 on.

What Mueller ended up being is a medium-density suburb. People have to drive on nearly every errand (it is relatively bike-friendly, but so are many suburbs). This is unlikely to (ever) change, but it was easily avoidable.

As for the "just wait five years", that's what people were told five years ago!

Finally, if you're interested, here's a thread from about 18 months ago on the same subject:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=193564

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by M1EK

I appreciate the friendly words. Please remember when reading this that this is not something I've just come to with no knowledge - I'm intimately familiar with Mueller from the getgo, and have formed these opinions not out of ignorance, but out of an excess of experience.



Actually, Mueller apologists claim the suburban retail will be retrofitted within a decade or two. Not can be; not might be; not conceivably could be; but will be.



First, this makes it sound like urban grocery (or even a true hybrid) is a hard problem to solve. It's not - like most problems with Mueller, it's a lack of observation of successful neighborhoods nearby - like Hyde Park.

Look at Fresh Plus on 43rd. It's got a parking lot on one side, and it's got street frontage (pedestrian friendly front entrance). You don't have to go more than ten minutes from Mueller to have an example of what Mueller's planners should have demanded (and if HEB wouldn't give it to them, then wait; there's nothing Mueller gets from having a drive-only HEB slightly closer that's worth forever losing this opportunity).

t's absolutely not true that it's a quick walk down tree-lined streets there. You will, in fact, have to cross part of a parking lot to get there (in the best case scenario - coming from the side on Berkman), and you will, in fact, be the afterthought - not the primary or even equal thought, but the "oh. I guess maybe somebody might walk once in a while too, so maybe we'll paint a crosswalk or two". I doubt very much whether crossing the traffic lane to/from the loading dock is what most people have in mind as 'urban'.

Urban would be cars park over here, then they walk around the building to the main entrance the pedestrians are already at (or, like at Fresh Plus, again, right there for the looking-at, drivers have their own side-entrance but it's clearly the lesser of the two).

Two links from my fellow traveller the Austin Contrarian:

http://www.austincontrarian.com/aust...an-design.html
http://www.austincontrarian.com/aust...ealistic-.html

And no, the HEB is not incrementally better. It's going to stay suburban forever, and no, it's not true that it doesn't impact a Royal Blue solution in the Town Center (which is a suboptimal grocer anyways - people around here can and do use Fresh Plus for 100% of their daily needs; Royal Blue isn't there unless you are making a conscious point to eschew your car and put up with a small selection). I

If the HEB means the Town Center can't have something the scale of a Fresh Plus and instead gets a Royal Blue (and I doubt it will even get that), then the HEB screwed Mueller up for good.



If Mueller was a serious NU development, the following things would have happened:

1. Apartments would be mixed in with the houses, instead of being horizontally separated.

2. The Town Center (plus apartments) would have been first, rather than last.

Again, a nearby example exists! The freakin' Triangle! Built in far less time, with a real Town Center in it (even if it's got too many chains and was way too restaurant-heavy, it's been delivering the Town Center Mueller was promised for almost ten years now!)

Mueller's Town Center plans have shifted over the years to be far less ambitious than originally promised, and delayed by what will likely turn out to be a decade (if it ever actually happens). I sat on the UTC from 2000-2005 and was being briefed (and contributing slightly to) plans from 2000 on.

What Mueller ended up being is a medium-density suburb. People have to drive on nearly every errand (it is relatively bike-friendly, but so are many suburbs). This is unlikely to (ever) change, but it was easily avoidable.

As for the "just wait five years", that's what people were told five years ago!

Finally, if you're interested, here's a thread from about 18 months ago on the same subject:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=193564

Hey Mike,

For the record I think you were right on the money about the Red Line and the fact that you were saying this before anyone else means your ideas carry a lot of weight with me. One of the things I like about you is you put thought into your views on the city and I also appreciate your sharing an insiders POV. I think we share a pretty similar perspective on most things and I'm pretty sure we'd agree about city issues on a LOT more than we would disagree. The following are points we agree on wrt Mueller:

1. Whether a retrofit of the nw retail quadrant will happen in the future is too remote a possibility and too remote in time to be worth considering. If there are apologist for it use that as an excuse, then I agree with you. I haven't seen any public statement of that kind, but then I'm not privy to the access and discussions you've had.

2. Mueller is medium density with too much segregation in housing. e.g., one thing that Mueller has done well are the Mueller Houses. Why they didn't mix those through the neighborhood instead of stacking them all on Simond is a bit perplexing to me - they would have fit well into the neighborhood and provided a nice mix of housing within blocks instead of within the development as a whole and a great example for the rest of Austin as to how mixing housing types in neighborhoods can add density and not be scary. Boat missed on that one.

3. The HEB is essentially suburban in form, set behind a giant parking lot, and not oriented to the street as you and I would have preferred. The nods towards urbanism, while nice, are not sufficient. I also agree that the presence of HEB absolutely precludes something on the scale of Fresh Plus (as a Fresh Plus would absolutely preclude the presence of an HEB). I think a RB is not precluded (either contracturally or effectively) because it does serve a different function and market. Is there room for both? Not sure. Maybe not for a few years.

4. Yes today people have to drive to nearly every errand. I think they're short drives for the most part and also that's likely to change some by this summer. In 5 years it may well be the case that many or most errands for residents will be accomplished on foot or bike. I noticed there were petit cabs hanging around the farmers market last few weekends taking people and groceries from the hangar to homes, in Mueller and other nearby neighborhoods.

The above being said - I do think you are harder on Mueller than it deserves.

1. Starting from just about any point w/n Mueller and walking to the HEB you would ultimately end up on Berkman headed north. The design of Berkman itself is actually quite good and conducive to pleasant walk (building, small yard, sidewalk, tree, bike lane, raised concrete barrier, on-street parking, traffic - that will be a very pleasant and well designed blvd once complete). Then you will have to walk one block with retail on one or two sides and cross a very short amount of pavement (maybe 15 seconds) to get to the front. I agree this is not ideal and yes it's from the side and not the front - but it's not horrible either. And the side entrance from Berkman looks like it has potential to be pretty welcoming with that wing structure out front. If your walk to the grocery store is 5-10 minutes, the last 15 seconds are bad - that's not a deal killer. The worst part is that it is mostly oriented to the parking lot and the parking is all surface, again we agree. It also would have been great if they had put an apartment building above it making it vmu - not sure if that was ever considered - boat missed.

I will say that the pedestrian approach from Windsor Park is much more problematic than that for for residence of Mueller, and much less friendly.
2. I agree the problem of orienting the HEB to the street is not a terribly tough one to solve. Personally I would prefer structured parking like Whole Foods at 6th to the surface parking on the side or back that you mention at Fresh Plus. But unfortunately you need a willing participant to do that. HEB wasn't willing to do so - they haven't developed a business model based on an urban form yet and aren't willing to take that risk. BTW, this isn't the first time they've refused to go urban. In Houston's Montrose neighborhood the neighbors begged and pleaded and city tried and tried to get HEB to do the same and they balked there as well with similar results. I agree it can be done, I agree that Mueller would have been a good place to start - but I can't fault Catellus for ultimately deciding to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Perhaps they should have courted Trader Joes more.

3. Whether the town center gets built first or dead last doesn't matter in the long view. What matters is it gets built and is designed well so that it is a commercial and long term sustainable success and good urban design. I suspect it will ultimately not be first or last but something in between - and that's ok - as long as it's good. That's what I think the residents are holding their breath on and what remains to be seen. I have seen the plans and presentation and what I have seen looks promising.

4. 5 years ago the world was on the cusp of a financial melt down which stopped many projects cold and killed many others. Mueller's continued development (albeit at a slower pace than most people would like) is a testament to careful planning. It's hard to fault Catellus for tapping the breaks in the wake of financial institutions folding world wide, unavailable credit, and the widespread death of large commercial real estate ventures all over the US. If 5 years goes by from now and town center is still largely orange and red blocks on a piece of paper with no significant progress, then I will gladly (but with sadness, because I do hope the town center does happen) buy you a margarita at Julios and say "Mike, yet again, you were right - we should have listened."

5. It was my impression that the town center plans are actually more ambitious, with higher levels of density, taller buildings, more opportunities for retail, etc. than there were previously. Is that not the case?

6. I don't think it's fair to call Mueller a suburb since, it's centrally located (2 miles from UT, 3 miles from the CBD), and well within city limits and basically urban in form. That is is medium density is without question - is a step up from the low density that is currently allowed w/n 80 or 90% of Austin and a vast improvement over concrete runways.

7. Finally, Mueller isn't the only force in the area. Revitalization is creeping down Manor lot by lot. Its easy to see that in 10 years all of Manor between Airport and IH35 could be quite a strip of VMU. Can that jump across Airport and link right up to Mueller? Idk, but Contigo makes a good case that it can and will eventually.

[M1EK]

Thanks again for the kind words. Please don't mistake my briefness for brusqueness; I'm in a rush this AM.

Originally Posted by Komeht

The design of Berkman itself is actually quite good and conducive to pleasant walk (building, small yard, sidewalk, tree, bike lane, raised concrete barrier, on-street parking, traffic - that will be a very pleasant and well designed blvd once complete).

(read in Monty Python voice): "This is what I'm on about!" - this is the definition of a nice SUBurban walk. Building, yard, sidewalk, tree, bike lane, on-street parking; nothing to look at on the way; cars going fast in the travel lanes because there's nothing going on with the street-wall. New urbanism is rolling over in its grave.

BTW, this isn't the first time they've refused to go urban. In Houston's Montrose neighborhood the neighbors begged and pleaded and city tried and tried to get HEB to do the same and they balked there as well with similar results. I agree it can be done, I agree that Mueller would have been a good place to start - but I can't fault Catellus for ultimately deciding to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Perhaps they should have courted Trader Joes more.

Then tell them to take a hike. This is not supposed to be a "as urban as we can get with minimal effort" development; and the presence of the HEB means there will be no credible grocer in the Town Center, ever, so it's not just the perfect being the enemy of the good here; it's the bad preventing the good from ever happening. There's not going to be much walking to this HEB (it's too far away from the denser areas of Mueller), but it's going to pull enough prospective Town Center business away by people driving there from the denser areas that it'll kill future competition before it's ever born.

If that seems harsh, and you're thinking I don't care enough about the people in Mueller being able to drive one mile instead of three to an HEB, then step back and think about it - you're concerned about their drive - how much more suburban can you get?

3. Whether the town center gets built first or dead last doesn't matter in the long view.

It tells you the priorities of the developer and the planners. (And the concept of 'planning' a Town Center to this degree is loathsome anyways - this is not how real urbanism happens of course - this is how planned suburban communities are built). It also means you should be skeptical of promises made, moving on to:

4. 5 years ago the world was on the cusp of a financial melt down which stopped many projects cold and killed many others.

Heard this many times. Not impressed. Tons of Austin developments happened during this period. Mueller kept building lots of suburban tract homes in the meantime, despite this.

5. It was my impression that the town center plans are actually more ambitious, with higher levels of density, taller buildings, more opportunities for retail, etc. than there were previously. Is that not the case?

Nope.

6. I don't think it's fair to call Mueller a suburb since, it's centrally located (2 miles from UT, 3 miles from the CBD), and well within city limits and basically urban in form. That is is medium density is without question - is a step up from the low density that is currently allowed w/n 80 or 90% of Austin and a vast improvement over concrete runways.

It's not basically urban in form. It's suburban in form - strict horizontal separation of uses, remember?

7. Finally, Mueller isn't the only force in the area. Revitalization is creeping down Manor lot by lot. Its easy to see that in 10 years all of Manor between Airport and IH35 could be quite a strip of VMU. Can that jump across Airport and link right up to Mueller? Idk, but Contigo makes a good case that it can and will eventually.

Nope. Nothing can jump across Airport - it's a huge barrier that the neighbors designed to keep Mueller on one side and keep VMU slowed down to a crawl on the other side. Manor VMU isn't happening at all - the only thing that's been going on is repurposing of existing buildings; the neighbors were pretty vigorously against sensible VMU and that's one of the big reasons I thought routing urban rail out that way was incredibly stupid.

[H2O]

Stale Minus sucks! I was in there the other day to pick up some milk, and it stunk so bad I nearly wretched. I wouldn't buy anything there that wasn't sealed in a factory. I actually live closer to it than Central Markup or HEB Handoncock, but there are worth a short drive. I suspect the only people who would buy all their groceries at Stale Minus would do so because they don't have a car or bike to get to CM or HEB.

As a long time resident of Hyde Park, I think it is greatly overrated. I mean, most streets don't even have sidewalks, and the sidewalks that do exist are either so broken or discontinuous that it is easier to walk in the road. A lot of blocks don't have alleys, either, so the streetscapes are interrupted by frequent driveways.

Hyde Park isn't even very dense. Most of the houses are on lots larger than Mueller, and there aren't any rowhouses at all. Even the crappy low-rise apartments along Avenues A & B are much less dense then those at Mueller, and none of them are mixed-use. They are almost all separated from the street by surface parking lots as well.

43rd & Duval has some nice shops and restaurants, but the nose-in parking and continuous curb cuts are anything but urban and pedestrian friendly. It isn't even mixed-use.

To me, the only thing Hyde Park has over Mueller is the authentic charm of the old houses and the large mature trees. On the other hand, the houses can be a real maintenance headache, and many of the old trees are starting to die off.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by H2O

Hyde Park isn't even very dense. Most of the houses are on lots larger than Mueller, and there aren't any rowhouses at all.

There are a handful, some so well done you can hardly believe they have more than one unit. But you can't build these anymore. The neighborhoodistas have deemed them to be McMansions.

[M1EK]

Originally Posted by H2O

Stale Minus sucks! I was in there the other day to pick up some milk, and it stunk so bad I nearly wretched. I wouldn't buy anything there that wasn't sealed in a factory. I actually live closer to it than Central Markup or HEB Handoncock, but there are worth a short drive. I suspect the only people who would buy all their groceries at Stale Minus would do so because they don't have a car or bike to get to CM or HEB.

I miss the Fresh Plus in Clarksville - the one in Hyde Park is suboptimal, but still far better for daily needs than a Royal Blue.

As a long time resident of Hyde Park, I think it is greatly overrated. I mean, most streets don't even have sidewalks, and the sidewalks that do exist are either so broken or discontinuous that it is easier to walk in the road. A lot of blocks don't have alleys, either, so the streetscapes are interrupted by frequent driveways.

Hyde Park isn't even very dense. Most of the houses are on lots larger than Mueller, and there aren't any rowhouses at all. Even the crappy low-rise apartments along Avenues A & B are much less dense then those at Mueller, and none of them are mixed-use. They are almost all separated from the street by surface parking lots as well.

43rd & Duval has some nice shops and restaurants, but the nose-in parking and continuous curb cuts are anything but urban and pedestrian friendly. It isn't even mixed-use.

To me, the only thing Hyde Park has over Mueller is the authentic charm of the old houses and the large mature trees. On the other hand, the houses can be a real maintenance headache, and many of the old trees are starting to die off.

Yeah, this is mostly wrong. We bought a historic home over on 42nd and B - B has sidewalks the entire length we've walked; many of the cross streets don't, but several do. It's pretty much slightly above par for the course for older parts of Austin. Likewise, the house I really wanted on H near 41st had sidewalks all the way up to Fresh Plus - I wouldn't have considered a street without them.

As for density, it's misleading to consider "houses". Next door to us is a triplex with a cottage in the back - 4, maybe 5, housing units which from the street looks like one. A bunch of studio and 1BR apartments on A and B also - not the modern, much larger, units you'd see in Mueller.

Census data doesn't lie - Hyde Park is far denser than Austin's baseline and (I believe) denser than the developed parts of Mueller in aggregate (remember how much space Mueller wastes on surface parking, for instance).

As for 43rd and Duval, we're in agreement - too much emphasis on parking, but that still puts it miles ahead of Mueller's existing retail, I hope you'd agree - you can at least GET to these restaurants without crossing parking lots at all, and their front doors are clearly on the pedestrian side (to whit: Hyde Park Bar & Grill has 80% of its parking in the back, where you dodge puddles and trash cans to get to the front and the main entrance on the pedestrian side; Fresh Plus' parking lot entrance is clearly the lesser of the two).

BTW, didn't want to make it sound like we've been here for 3 months and are experts. My old house, being updated for renting now, was a block south of Hyde Park; we walked through Hyde Park all the time even when we lived there.

[tildahat]

Originally Posted by Komeht

... with a mix of housing types and levels of affordability actually welcomed and desired by the residents and getting denser all the time (see section 6 and several new planned and being built apartment buildings - such as Mosaic 2, and the AMLI).

Apologies, but you have hit on a pet-peeve/raw nerve of mine. (In general, I tend to be somewhere between you and MIEK on this, maybe leaning a little more toward your position.

BUT, on the affordability and mix of housing I think Mueller is a complete failure. One of the main ways in which Mueller was sold was that it would have opportunities for all income levels. That is profoundly not what we got. For the market housing we got a mix of housing types unaffordable to 90% of households in Austin. And for the affordable housing it was probably only truly affordable to a tiny sliver of families meeting the cutoff. Last round had 'affordable' housing pushing $200k. A family with kids making 70% of MFI can't afford that. Plus affordable housing has started to revert to the market, at which point it becomes almost as expensive as the other market housing, so Mueller isn't even going to make its 25% goal by the time build out is done. And then there's a HUGE leap in price to the market units, "The Gap"....

If Mueller was a market driven development, that would be one thing. But as I understand it, we are basically giving Catellus the land. So I'm subsidizing people living in houses my family can't afford. I call BS on that.

And I think it's intentional by Catellus. For the first round of Mueller Houses they had market units with models with a $/sf price that would have allowed 3bd2bth units in the $150-$200k range, but they only built huge units that phase. Next phase they DID build smaller 3-2 units as promised. And jacked up the $/sf to make them unaffordable too.

(Full disclosure, my family got screwed around big time by Mueller, so it's a raw nerve.)

"The Gap" includes 40-60% of Austin families with kids, so I take issue with this idea that there's a mix of options or incomes there. To be clear, my frustration is not directed at you, I just can't let this idea stand that Mueller is doing anything other than failing spectacularly to deliver on this promise ....

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by tildahat

BUT, on the affordability and mix of housing I think Mueller is a complete failure. One of the main ways in which Mueller was sold was that it would have opportunities for all income levels. That is profoundly not what we got. For the market housing we got a mix of housing types unaffordable to 90% of households in Austin. And for the affordable housing it was probably only truly affordable to a tiny sliver of families meeting the cutoff. Last round had 'affordable' housing pushing $200k. A family with kids making 70% of MFI can't afford that. Plus affordable housing has started to revert to the market, at which point it becomes almost as expensive as the other market housing, so Mueller isn't even going to make its 25% goal by the time build out is done. And then there's a HUGE leap in price to the market units, "The Gap"....

If Mueller was a market driven development, that would be one thing. But as I understand it, we are basically giving Catellus the land. So I'm subsidizing people living in houses my family can't afford. I call BS on that.

And I think it's intentional by Catellus. For the first round of Mueller Houses they had market units with models with a $/sf price that would have allowed 3bd2bth units in the $150-$200k range, but they only built huge units that phase. Next phase they DID build smaller 3-2 units as promised. And jacked up the $/sf to make them unaffordable too.

(Full disclosure, my family got screwed around big time by Mueller, so it's a raw nerve.)

"The Gap" includes 40-60% of Austin families with kids, so I take issue with this idea that there's a mix of options or incomes there. To be clear, my frustration is not directed at you, I just can't let this idea stand that Mueller is doing anything other than failing spectacularly to deliver on this promise ....

First of all - wrt to mix of housing types - I don't see how this is debatable at all. Within 1 sq. mile there are:

SF detached yard homes ranging from affordable up to million dollar showcase homes
Garden and garden court detached type homes that share green space
Town Homes at various price points
courtyard town homes
Mueller Houses - 4 and 6 unit buildings
Condominiums
Market Rate Apartments
"Affordable" Apartments
Senior Apartments
Live/work shop homes on the way

wrt to "affordability" - Mueller has a goal of providing 25% of it's housing at affordable levels. 10% would be expected. 15% would be ambitious. I don't know of a single project nationally on the scale of Mueller shooting for 25%. That is entirely unique in this world to my knowledge.

"Affordable", in this case I believe, is defined as being at 80% MFI which includes much more affordable units - such as the recently proposed DMI affordable workforce housing apartment building.

Currently on the market under affordability program there are:
5 DW Garden Homes 170-190K
16 DW Row Homes 170 - 183K
SP Mueller house condos 181 - 213K
Streetman affordable row homes 158 - 168K

To my knowledge, Catellus is on track to fulfill that promise. But that doesn't mean everyone in Austin who wants one gets one. Not everyone can get a market rate home from the home builder either - those have long waiting lists. Of course you can get one on the secondary market - but you have to be pretty fast - they tend not to stay on the market too long.

As you noted, there is an affordability gap where units are available at the very low end and there is a huge jump to market rate. I have heard it discussed but I don't know how that's being addressed. In my mind - the best kind of affordability is just providing denser/smaller market rate homes.

In any case, it's hard to take issue with the Mueller plan and Catellus for not doing enough on affordability - 25% is unprecedented for this kind of development. Stapleton offers the most direct kind of comparison to Mueller (dense-ish, new urban, brownfield redevelopment of abandoned airport, partnership w/city) - it's affordable housing goal by contrast is 10% for ownership.

[tildahat]

Originally Posted by Komeht

First of all - wrt to mix of housing types - I don't see how this is debatable at all. Within 1 sq. mile there are:

...snipped for brevity...

I didn’t phrase that well – my point was that sure there’s a mix of housing, it’s just all unaffordable to 90% of Austin families. This is important because 1) that’s not what we (the citizens of Austin) were promised, 2) we (the citizens of Austin) are subsidizing it, and 3) the unaffordability of Mueller is being used against it and urbanism more generally. My family would love to live at Mueller. We can’t afford it. But don’t ask me to subsidize those that can.

Don’t get me wrong, the 25% affordable is great, but the prices just make me laugh. The city a couple years ago estimated the median income family of four needed a price point around $175k. Of the ‘affordable’ homes you list, all but one type are above that. If $175k is what the median family needs, how is a low income family going to afford houses that cost more than that? $213k for affordable housing? That’s a joke. That’s not for low income families, that’s for kids just out of college whose mommy and daddy are spotting them the down payment. (That’s not a problem unique to Mueller, unfortunately .) And some of the affordable housing is already being resold on the market. Unless they build more than 25%, they’ll be under 25% by the time build out is complete.

Having said all that, my main issue is The Gap. Because that’s where most families are. It’s the bump in the bell curve, and they are not being served by Mueller but are being asked to subsidize it. And the promise that they would be served was part of how Mueller was sold to the public. And Catellus and the reporters/stenographers that repeat their spin disingenuously try to imply otherwise by saying things like “Mueller has houses from $158k to over $1 million” glossing over the fact that if your typical Austin family would show up there wanting something in the $158-$225k range (i.e. what they could afford) they be pointed toward $300 and $400k places they couldn’t afford. Occasionally they offer a token house or two in the high 200s for publicity. The fact that they try to gloss over this shows that they know it would hurt their image. Similarly, after the options are announced for each phase and they are criticized for not offering anything to fill the gap, they always say “oh, next phase we’ll address that” but they never do. It’s become a bit of a joke at this point.


I don’t disagree with you about the larger solution: more infill, more Muellers, etc.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/news/busine...elopmen/nWGhD/

Posted: 6:28 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013
New shops, restaurants bound for Mueller development

By Gary Dinges
American-Statesman Staff

More shops and restaurants – including several that are new to Central Texas – are on the way for the rapidly growing Mueller development.

Mattress Firm is among the newcomers at the Mueller Retail Center, near Interstate 35 and East 51st Street. It will join a tenant mix that includes Best Buy, Chair King, Home Depot, Old Navy, PetSmart and Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Construction work is well under way at the Mueller Market District, near Berkman Drive and East 51st Street. It’s expected to open in June and will be anchored by an 83,000-square-foot eco-friendly H-E-B grocery store first announced in late 2011.

[The ATX]

I like how Mattress Firm is the first named new store. That is just awesome and headline worthy.

[jngreenlee]

Originally Posted by Hill Country

I like how Mattress Firm is the first named new store. That is just awesome and headline worthy.

I've seen some interesting stuff on how the mattress industry is all an overpriced sham (pun), that somehow shields itself well from new players entering the industry.

But hay, with all those people moving into Mueller, that and a furniture store (and BB) make sense for at least a year or two.

[NYC2ATX]

Someone go get photos! Thanks for your efforts Syndic, I love the Mueller updates

[Austin_Expert]

I drove around Mueller recently, and was blown away with the progress. I don't understand the complaints. It is already one of Austin's top neighborhoods in my opinion, and is only going to continue improving. There really is nothing like it anywhere else in Austin.

[Komeht]

Kinda gloomy out today (seems to happen everytime I drop by) - but here are pics - yes, Catellus has been busy in the last year and does not seem to be letting up the pace.

Lots of lots ready to go for next phase of house - this is the second half of section 6 - first half of section 6 looks to be 2/3rds complete:



Berkman getting ready to be connected through to 51st


Paggi Park - a cool little pocket park with a Petanque Court - open sometime in April



Looking back on McBee - new homes almost done. I have a feeling McBee is going to be THE place to be in Mueller. 2 minute walk to town center/ACM/Park - but still residential.


Looking back McBee to Aldrich. Yellow thing on left is framed up Dell ACM, ahead left is Mosaic, ahead right is framed up Elements (Mosaic 2) - vacant field on left will be AMLI breaking ground soon, vacant ground on right is to be town center area.


A few shots of ACM - can see shape of building - will be clad in a red sheathing - will definitely stand out. . .

[migol24]

Originally Posted by Austin_Expert

I drove around Mueller recently, and was blown away with the progress. I don't understand the complaints. It is already one of Austin's top neighborhoods in my opinion, and is only going to continue improving. There really is nothing like it anywhere else in Austin.

Count me in as one of the complainers but maybe I need to go see it in person for myself because nothing seems very inspiring given from the photos. It looks like loads of shopping centers being built in some suburb.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by migol24

Count me in as one of the complainers but maybe I need to go see it in person for myself because nothing seems very inspiring given from the photos. It looks like loads of shopping centers being built in some suburb.

NE corner looks exactly like that.

You really can't judge town center however since it is really just dirt right now.

As for ACM - I think that will be in the eye of the beholder - the renderings look better than the form it is in now. I will say that walking around the lake park is extremely pleasant on a nice day (and very very popular - filled with families having an outing) and that it will be a great place for the ACM right between park setting and the town center (someday).

The residential parts of Mueller are really nice - I suggest getting out of a car to really appreciate it. All in all I think its inchoate - it will also be some time (decades) before it feels truly lived in - like a central Austin neighborhood.

[Syndic]

What I think people don't get about Mueller is that it's the only place in Austin that has row houses. Any city worth a damn in America has row houses and Austin didn't until Mueller. We still don't have enough and obviously row houses aren't as ideal as vertical mixed-use, but they're still a lot more dense and have a lot more character than typical suburbia. A lot of the non-row houses in Mueller resemble the historic neighborhoods in Old Austin. It's easy to focus on the big box stores. But we should be taking the residential neighborhoods into consideration, too.

The town center is obviously going to change everyone's perception of the whole thing. And I too take a long-term view of the neighborhood. In 25 years, it's going to be considered a true Austin gem. Maybe the big box stores will have been retrofitted or replaced by then.

[wwmiv]

The problem is that Mueller was not supposed to be that. The potential for Mueller was for mixed-used grid development, and that has been morphed into pseudo-suburbia for most of it.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by wwmiv

The problem is that Mueller was not supposed to be that. The potential for Mueller was for mixed-used grid development, and that has been morphed into pseudo-suburbia for most of it.

Rome (and Mueller) was not built in a day.

Mueller is following the plan that was made maybe a decade ago,..other than an upward adjustment for density and commercial development in the town center abut 4 years ago.


Other than that it is developing pretty much as promised...if it in the pace people hoped due to the financial crisis over the last 5 years.