AUSTIN | Projects & Construction II

[hookem]

Originally Posted by Raining Inside

That is a mining operation (i.e. cement & gravel) along the Kyle and Buda city limits. I can't believe that guy implied anything else. There is no way you can see San Antonio from there.

He really did kinda imply it...

"Well based on the size of those buildings and the height of the structures, that is not Buda, Kyle or San Marcos. I guess I'll leave it at that," said Albanese.

You can use this calculator http://boatsafe.com/tools/horizon.htm to get the approximate distance to the horizon from where they were on the Austonian (assuming perfectly flat plain)... it would be around 32 miles (give or take, I don't know the actual elevation of the site). According to the calculator, it looks like a building would have to be about 3000 feet tall (or maybe 2000 feet tall on one of the highest hills here) to see to SA. That's assuming perfectly clear conditions and flat terrain to the horizon, too.

On the other hand, it does kinda imply that people could theoretically see the Austonian from 30 miles away (again with all the above assumptions), pretty impressive.

[AustinSkyscrapers]

Let me take my time to reply to your comments here.

Originally Posted by zx14

If i was up there I would say to him. Hey off to the east what is that? Oh my God it is Burj Dubai.

Hey, what if you had X-SEED 4000 over there! That thing would tower over Texas and would become the tallest thing in Texas natural or not.

Originally Posted by Austin Rises

Agreed; it is a mining operations, I see it every time I am heading towards
San Antonio you can actually start to see them from the Onion Creek
area on I-35 heading southbound.

The first time I ever saw them was when I was at San Marcos-maybe that one wasn't one of three...

Originally Posted by Scottolini

I definitely got the impression he was implying very subtly that it was the San Antonio skyline. I would assume he knows it is not, and just left it up in the air so some naive individual would think you're seeing downtown S.A. some 80 miles away.

Need some 3,000 feet to see that far.

Originally Posted by Raining Inside

That is a mining operation (i.e. cement & gravel) along the Kyle and Buda city limits. I can't believe that guy implied anything else. There is no way you can see San Antonio from there.

Ya, come on Bob Albanese, don't say things you know are not.

Originally Posted by hookem

You can use this calculator http://boatsafe.com/tools/horizon.htm to get the approximate distance to the horizon from where they were on the Austonian (assuming perfectly flat plain)... it would be around 32 miles (give or take, I don't know the actual elevation of the site). According to the calculator, it looks like a building would have to be about 3000 feet tall (or maybe 2000 feet tall on one of the highest hills here) to see to SA. That's assuming perfectly clear conditions and flat terrain to the horizon, too.

On the other hand, it does kinda imply that people could theoretically see the Austonian from 30 miles away (again with all the above assumptions), pretty impressive.

Thanks for the info hookem, not even Burj Dubai would see that far.

[Austin Rises]

Guys; I found this really great article just now on the Statesman, about the
Austonian.


Source: Austin American Statesman

http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/realestate/2009/07/02/0702austonian.html

[Scottolini]

SSP getting some free advertising!

[Scottolini]

So we will end this decade with 6 buildings (Frost, W, 360, Austonian, Ashton, and Spring) taller than our tallest at the beginning of the decade (One American Center 395') . And a seventh (Four Seasons 394') only a foot shorter. Not to mention a bunch of other highrises all in downtown (i.e. Hilton, Shore, Monarch, Legacy, Milago, 300 West 6th, Hampton, Marriott Hotels near C.C., Amli2, Plaza Lofts, and probably a few I have forgotten.) except 21Rio which is just north of downtown. Freaking amazing!!! I think we all forget just how many highrises have been constructed this decade. The changes to the skyline can only be described as phenomenal.

[AustinSkyscrapers]

Originally Posted by Scottolini

You know that doesn't look like Spring in that...

[Scottolini]

Not to dwell on this, but just thinking about the amount of redevelopment that has taken place in downtown is blowing me away. Besides the highrises I mentioned, other notable projects built this decade downtown would be Nokonah, Whole Foods Headquarters, Amli, CSC buildings, City Hall, Convention Center expansion, and I know a bunch of other projects as well. And when you include areas just outside of downtown like UT and West Campus, just on the other side of I-35, West 5th and 6th, and the the South Shore it is too much to keep track of. Even things like Lance Armstrong Bikeway, Pfluger Bridge, Butler Park, transforming 2nd Street with Great Streets treatment, Cesar Chavez make-over, etc. Untold billions have been invested in the downtown area recently. By the way this all started with Mr. Kirk Watson. Thank you sir, thank you.

[AustinSkyscrapers]

What did Kirk Wastson do exactly?

[the Genral]

Watson and Winn knew that going verticle would help with urban sprawl, that condo's downtown would bring 24 - 7 people downtown, good for retail and restaurants, and they also eliminated a lot of red tape which slowed down the process from planning to ground breaking. Austin was notorious for being very difficult and time consuming getting projects off the ground for developers and many just avoided dealing with Austin all together. So they are both my heroes.

[AustinSkyscrapers]

So that's what they did, great men.

[migol24]

you know, still with the austonian being built, austin scrapers are still a bit puny... i still can't wait for when the other bigger projects get going, if that is they still are in the works. the trammel crowe, ithink, has a 700' footer planned, then there's t. stacy 800' footer.... but that won't be until then. but when they are done, i could barely imagine what austin will look like by then.

[AustinSkyscrapers]

Austin could roll in the ranks of Dallas and Houston if it ever gets to thing such as the Green Redevelopment, T Stacy tower, 21C, and a few fetch a more 400 footers-we would really get a roll, if we would get something above 900 feet, we would look like we have 1,000,000+ pop.

[Scottolini]

Well, the city is already 3/4 of the way to a million, and is projected to be over a million by 2025.

It will take some time (like a couple of decades), but I feel all of those projects will move forward. Like with a lot of our current buildings, the plans may change, but these will be built in one form or another. At that time Austin will be a big city no if's, and's, or but's about it.

[Scottolini]

Originally Posted by migol24

you know, still with the austonian being built, austin scrapers are still a bit puny...

Wow, 56 floors and nearly 700' is a bit puny? I know there are buildings like the Sears Tower, and now Burj Dubai, but jeez man that's like saying Houston is a bit puny because there are cities like New York and Tokyo.

[KevinFromTexas]

Yep. It's those mining structures between Buda and Kyle. They're some kind of stone storage buildings. I've always wondered about their height actually, but I haven't been able to find what company is connected to them. Definitely not San Antonio lol. You can see them from just about any structure in downtown that is at least 400 feet tall. I saw them from Spring when they had their topping out party. And you can see them from a few other places in South Austin, mostly along I-35. But I've always seen them from South First Street just north of Slaughter Lane. You can also see the Cabelas water tower there.

Actually though, it's a well known fact that the Empire State Building in New York can be seen from 80 miles away at night. It has such massive floodlights on the upper setbacks so high up that you can see it from miles away. You can also see that far from the building itself. You can see into something like 5 surrounding states. I guess if either Austin or San Antonio ever got a building the size and height of the Empire State Building and bathed it in light like that, you could see it from the other city. That would be neat actually.

[MichaelB]

More on Kirk Watson. He also envisioned the "digital Downtown". (the attempt to get High tech companies to move downtown instead of to the burbs and over the aquifer ) There has always been mixed criticism/praise for the "not total" success of that initiative, BUT.... It was really ballsy at the time to take an entire corner of downtown (SW) that was mostly unused and had no prospect of development and try to lure hight tech companies there. Damn tech bust. But it was certainly the move that drew more people to the SW corner of downtown and look what is happening now.....2nd Street as we know it now would have never been....

[the Genral]

I lived 65 miles north of NYC and couldn't see any of DT NYC due to the terrain and large trees in the way. I'm guessing maybe out in the Atlantic to the South and Southeast, too many hills and trees to the west on the Jersey side. I guess if you were standing on a tall hill or Long Island. Also, when does the curvature of the earth come in to play for seeing long distance, atmospheric conditions? From the WTC (RIP) you could see CT, NJ, MA, obviously NY, and maybe the distant mountains of PA.
be careful what you wish for. I too would love to see more 600+ footers but not to the extent of Dallas or Houston. I'd like to see more office scrapers but how are you going to get the people in and out of the city. Where are you going to put the fly overs to get traffic on and off the major arterials and into downtown? Not everyone wants to or can afford to live DT so you'll have to deal with enormous traffic issues from workers coming and going. My wife used to work DT, parked at Parmer Auditorium, rode the Dillo to work...no longer an option...How many more buildings can our city support without major changes to our access to them?

[OU812]

Originally Posted by the Genral

Watson and Winn knew that going verticle would help with urban sprawl, that condo's downtown would bring 24 - 7 people downtown, good for retail and restaurants, and they also eliminated a lot of red tape which slowed down the process from planning to ground breaking. Austin was notorious for being very difficult and time consuming getting projects off the ground for developers and many just avoided dealing with Austin all together. So they are both my heroes.

I wouldn't be so quick to praise ole Kirk Watson. The guy has a LOT of skeletons in his closet... And in public office he seems to do what is politically expedient for HIM and the interests of his political cronies more so than what the people want. Most notably his stance on the tolling of 5 of Austin's existing highways- despite repeated outcries and massive protests during the CAMPO meetings of 2007 and in years prior....He just sits there with a smug look on his face as numerous residents expressed their frustration about having their city filled with upwards of 10 toll roads- all with ZERO votes from the public (only votes amongst the politicians).

[OU812]

Originally Posted by Scottolini

By the way this all started with Mr. Kirk Watson. Thank you sir, thank you.

Do you really believe that??? So minus Kirk, Austin would not have any sort of downtown boom whatsoever?? I find that hard to believe. Everything works in cycles. Who do you hold responsible for the downtown boom of the 80s?

[the Genral]

The 80's boom was driven by population growth and economics. More lawyers, software Co. even Intel for a brief appearance in the 90's and a desire to locate headquarters in a central location like Austin dictated dt construction. Not saying Watson was a great politician, but he helped get construction rolling dt but I think Mayor Winn was the biggest player in helping get Austin past the preserve the Capitol view to more density and residents dt and more verticle with less red tape for the developers. For those reasons I applaud them. A benefit for this forum, they helped drum up the excitement
and pride we are all expressing here. As far as the toll roads go, I have my toll tag and I use it all the time despite not having much to say about it from the beginning. Watson as a politician then and today, not really relavent to this forum, but I respect your opinion.