AUSTIN | Projects & Construction II

[shanny]

kevin, the tallest is 725'

[austin242]

the only thing that sucks about trammel crow is they have the 2nd lowest amount of retail and that is all I will really be able to do ther and why do they have a whole bunch of apartments for elderly people it doesn't make any sense inless they want a nursing home.

[Raining Inside]

Originally Posted by shanny

kevin, the tallest is 725'

725' would be great. I didn't see this number in the proposal; what is your source?

[shanny]

the statesman article about trammell crow being selected (very bottom)

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/06/19/0619green.html

"as high as 725'......"

[DTAustin]

KevinFromTexas,

Your new picture is freaking me out...

[DTAustin]

Originally Posted by austin242

the only thing that sucks about trammel crow is they have the 2nd lowest amount of retail and that is all I will really be able to do ther and why do they have a whole bunch of apartments for elderly people it doesn't make any sense inless they want a nursing home.

Agreed. They need a lot more retail to make it an attractive project.

I also don't see how the economics are going to work with that high a number of affordable housing units. It seems like 1/3 - 1/2 of the project is marked as affordable housing. I'd put my bet on the final deal looking nothing like the initial proposal. It's a shame because I think the other proposals were more realistic.

[KevinFromTexas]

725 feet? Nice.

[Complex01]

I love that number 725. Cause its my bday 7-25. Anyhow that is awesome news...

[KevinFromTexas]

The views from around my neighborhood are going to be quite interesting if it ends up being that tall.

Here's a few shots I took of 360 about 2 months ago. 360 will be blocked from view from this spot for the most part.

360 from South First Street just north of William Cannon Drive.




From inside my neighborhood. A 2 or 3 minute bike ride from my house.

[JGFrisco]

You could actually picture it from these photos. Look at the first two, and see the radio/cell tower in the foreground. A 725' tower at Green would be in the background at about that spot, and with its top at about the top of where the tower is in the photo. Get it?

[zx14]

If all these new projects are built Austin will have a skyline that rivals dallas. However the problem is that the green project is so far out things could change. the condo market is slowing down as stated in the article. If this continues lets not get greedy here and hope the Austonian is built as planned first. Then move on to the others already started and hope they also finish as planned. Austin has a very changeable economy and all this building could stop overnight. Also it could remain for a while longer and all this could get built. We will see.

[shanny]

honestly people, the austonian WILL be built as planned. They are FULLY FUNDED by that spanish company (Grupo Villar Mir). how many times do we have to go over this?

secondly, i think its safe to say that if dirt has moved, the project will be finished. whether its the four seasons, w, spring, whatever. developers will be hard pressed to finish the project so we dont end up with another intel.

[jowens]

Originally Posted by zx14

If all these new projects are built Austin will have a skyline that rivals dallas.

Dallas has way too many 600' plus buildings for Austin's skyline to rival it.

However Austin definately will have a very nice skyline to rival and surpass many mid-size cities we were behind for so many years.

[Jdawgboy]

I think the question here is wether or not any of the future projects like Ovation and even the convention center Marriott hotel will start construction, not if any of the projects under construction now will stop.

[KevinFromTexas]

I had heard that the Trammel Crow proposal included two 600 footers. A 600 foot and 675 foot building, even though the Statesman article said 725 feet. I think Dallas will have more height of course, but I would say Austin's downtown skyline, that is not counting the Capitol area and UT, will be way closer to Dallas' size than what we were 10 years ago. I'm not counting their Uptown of course.

Here are the numbers. These include what is built, under construction and proposed.

Austin
900-999 feet - 0
800-899 feet - 1
700-799 feet - 1
600-699 feet - 1 - 2?
500-599 feet - 4 - 5?
400-499 feet - 7 - 8?

Dallas
900-999 feet - 1
800-899 feet - 1
700-799 feet - 3
600-699 feet - 6
500-599 feet - 8
400-499 feet - 10

Houston
1,000-1099 feet -
900-999 feet - 2
800-899 feet - 0
700-799 feet - 7
600-699 feet - 9
500-599 feet - 15
400-499 feet - 22

Fort Worth
500-599 feet - 4
400-499 feet - 2

San Antonio
400-499 feet - 4

South Padre Island
400-499 feet - 2

Corpus Christi
400-499 feet - 1

The Woodlands
400-499 feet - 1

[JACKinBeantown]

San Antonio
600-699 feet - 1

While the Tower of the Americas is technically not a building, it's still a habitable structure. (Same with the tower in Dallas).

[zx14]

Has anyone talked to the peaple running the Austonian project concernig an obsevation deck. Something like that is pure profit and at 10 dollars a pop could generate huge income. Say 500 people a day visit the skydeck that is 5000 dollars a day or 1.8 million a year. Why then would none of us be able too look apon the beauty of our city from such a place. It is not only unfair to Austinites but just plain stupid.

[OU812]

Originally Posted by jowens

Dallas has way too many 600' plus buildings for Austin's skyline to rival it.

Plus, if you take into consideration Dallas' high rises outside of the CBD, Austin is no where close and won't be for at least 50 years (if ever). Dallas has skyscrapers ALL over the metroplex, not just downtown- mostly alongside the major corridors. I especially like the ones that line US 75 (Central Expressway) which is one of the most aesthetically awesome urbanized roadways in Texas. Austin has Highway 360 with it's grand hillsides, Dallas has US 75 with it's below grade urban canyon- always a fun drive!

[OU812]

Originally Posted by zx14

Has anyone talked to the peaple running the Austonian project concernig an obsevation deck. Something like that is pure profit and at 10 dollars a pop could generate huge income. Say 500 people a day visit the skydeck that is 5000 dollars a day or 1.8 million a year. Why then would none of us be able too look apon the beauty of our city from such a place. It is not only unfair to Austinites but just plain stupid.

Would love to see one, but since the Austonian is ALL residential, luxury residential at that, I doubt they will ever include it. The yuppies paying top dollar for their place will most certainly balk at having tourists milling about.

But have patience, sooner or later Austin will get a skyscraper observation deck. Either a stand-alone tower (which I hope someone builds- like the Space Needle in Seattle) or as part of a future office high rise. I've been to a few office based observation decks....Those tenants didn't mind the tourist traffic (but I guess they don't have a choice either).

[fltnpatx]

This really has to do with safety issues, post 9/11. While living in Nashville I posed the same question to the developer of the Signature Tower. The amount of required staircases for evacuation during an emergency would use up valuable floor space, making units smaller and creating odd floor plans in the most expensive units on the upper floors. That is another reason that you don't see pool decks on the upper levels of these towers. Again they would have to be able to handle the rapid evacuation on the max capacity in a given amount of time. I hope this helps.

Originally Posted by OU812

Would love to see one, but since the Austonian is ALL residential, luxury residential at that, I doubt they will ever include it. The yuppies paying top dollar for their place will most certainly balk at having tourists milling about.

But have patience, sooner or later Austin will get a skyscraper observation deck. Either a stand-alone tower (which I hope someone builds- like the Space Needle in Seattle) or as part of a future office high rise. I've been to a few office based observation decks....Those tenants didn't mind the tourist traffic (but I guess they don't have a choice either).