AUSTIN | Project Updates Thread Part II

[austlar1]

I might not be opposed to building something along S. Congress as long as the school stays and keeps the rest of their campus.

[lzppjb]

If they sell that strip, they should then reinvest it into the school and fix all the issues they're complaining about.

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by lzppjb

If they sell that strip, they should then reinvest it into the school and fix all the issues they're complaining about.

Agreed

[Jdawgboy]

I just thought with all of the discussions and debates we have about development in this city, we seem to find quick solutions that make a lot of sense. Put us on the city council and we would get a lot done!

[lzppjb]

haha yep.

This TSD sale/non-sale is up to the State, though. People that aren't local probably won't come up with something so simple. I'm hoping for the best.

[Tech House]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

The money from selling the land fronting Congress for example could go to renovating and upkeep of the school and instead of a huge wall of nothing with some streetscaping leaving a big gap between SoCo and Riverside, we could have a continuation of SoCo with shops and restaurants. That stretch is a disconnect and it's creepy walking through there at night too.

Originally Posted by StoOgE

I think the land along South Congress could be redeveloped into the sort of strip retail and dining that exists on the rest of South Congress.

Wouldn't be the worst thing to see that district extend up to Riverside, which could combine with some of the redevelopment South of the river.

Originally Posted by lzppjb

After what jdawg said, and now Stooge, and looking at the map...I'm not opposed to selling off that little strip along Congress. There's nothing currently on it. Extending the South Congress district would be a positive, and it wouldn't hurt TSD since no buildings would have to be sold and torn down.

Boom. Consensus. Props to Jdawgboy for the perfect proposal. I don't even have any additional thoughts on it, I just want to add another voice in favor of this concept. That strip of Congress really is an odd dead zone, and could easily support several additional quirky retail outlets and restaurants. SoCo is already overflowing with pedestrian traffic much of the time, so there's certainly demand for more of that type of thing. Of course there would be a risk of that land being grabbed by some remote corporate entity that doesn't give a flip about SoCo and wants to further the yuppification of 04, but even that would be better than a wall. And that beautiful landscaping would be really nice to have in front of stores and cafes, it would be a very sweet stretch of sidewalk!

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by lzppjb

haha yep.

This TSD sale/non-sale is up to the State, though. People that aren't local probably won't come up with something so simple. I'm hoping for the best.

That is true, I temporarily forgot about it being a state decision lol.

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by Tech House

Boom. Consensus. Props to Jdawgboy for the perfect proposal. I don't even have any additional thoughts on it, I just want to add another voice in favor of this concept. That strip of Congress really is an odd dead zone, and could easily support several additional quirky retail outlets and restaurants. SoCo is already overflowing with pedestrian traffic much of the time, so there's certainly demand for more of that type of thing. Of course there would be a risk of that land being grabbed by some remote corporate entity that doesn't give a flip about SoCo and wants to further the yuppification of 04, but even that would be better than a wall. And that beautiful landscaping would be really nice to have in front of stores and cafes, it would be a very sweet stretch of sidewalk!

If only city and state leaders had the same common sense approach.

Unfortunately there's a lot more to it which we know. There's always going to be opposing groups and other interests which come into play but it's the indecision that gets me. Too much pushing things off for a later date instead of making a decision and getting it done.

[austlar1]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

That is true, I temporarily forgot about it being a state decision lol.

Yes, and if the state decides (or the legislature decides for the state) to sell, I doubt they are going to settle for peeling off a strip of land along S. Congress. I am sure there are well heeled developers who also make generous campaign contributions and are salivating over the prospect of redeveloping that entire hillside. Since they won't be able to build anything very tall there, we could easily end up with some 🞵🞵🞵🞵-ugly cluster of fairly low-rise apartments mixed with some shopping that will resemble the Triangle up in north central. If the land changes hands, I sure hope the city will be able to impose some serious design controls for anything that gets built there. The low rise stuff already built in the immediate vicinity is really not very attractive.

[lzppjb]

That thought makes me sick. Density? Sure. But I'd rather have TSD if it's going to end up looking like the Triangle.

[airwx]

Originally Posted by lzppjb

That thought makes me sick. Density? Sure. But I'd rather have TSD if it's going to end up looking like the Triangle.

Yeah, I want to see how the current council deals with the Bull Creek/TXDoT land first.

[427MM]

The Fairmont wall is down and fencing is up. The hole is a good 20' down now.

[KevinFromTexas]

So I sent an email yesterday to Senator John Whitmire about the Texas School for the Deaf proposal with the idea for the strip of field being sold off. I doubt it'll do any good anyway, but you guys could send one as well.

http://www.whitmire.senate.state.tx.us/

[Tech House]

Originally Posted by austlar1

I am sure there are well heeled developers who also make generous campaign contributions and are salivating over the prospect of redeveloping that entire hillside. Since they won't be able to build anything very tall there, we could easily end up with some 🞵🞵🞵🞵-ugly cluster of fairly low-rise apartments mixed with some shopping that will resemble the Triangle up in north central.

Yikes. And yet, you're probably right. My fantasies for that land have been outlandish and would never possibly happen. I don't even know how to begin describing what I've envisioned. It would be European-looking, with parking that is as invisible as possible, and a car-free "street" running east-west lined by old (that's right, this new development would have to age at least 100 years overnight) hand-cut stone buildings with all kinds of interesting shops and cafes. On the south side of the street there would be 3 or 4 floors of residential and small offices over the retail, but on the north side the view would be left open to the skyline beyond. Of course the north side would have a lot of cafes with back patios featuring the view, and all would be connected by more car-free space on that side. It's absurdly impractical but in my mind's eye it's quite lovely.

Given the reality of the situation, this conversation has me feeling very positive about keeping the school there, especially since it also serves as an effective buffer between the city and the neighborhood on its southern fringe.

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

So I sent an email yesterday to Senator John Whitmire about the Texas School for the Deaf proposal with the idea for the strip of field being sold off. I doubt it'll do any good anyway, but you guys could send one as well.

http://www.whitmire.senate.state.tx.us/

Excellent! Will do the same, thanks for the suggestion!

[LoneStarMike]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/business...acebook_2014_sfp#ce6f9d99.3643024.735634

Rebirth planned for 1930s South Congress warehouse
Posted: 4:57 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015

By Shonda Novak - American-Statesman Staff

A vacant, eight-decade-old warehouse at South Congress Avenue and Barton Springs Road is about to get a makeover that the new owner says will help attract office tenants and restaurant or retail users to the site.

Austin-based Cielo Property Group recently bought the 25,000 square foot building, at 220 South Congress Ave., for an undisclosed price and will launch a major renovation soon.

Constructed in 1936, the building has been empty since a high-end furniture store, Your Living Room, closed in 2009. Since then, new residential and commercial projects have sprung up in the area, adding to the appeal of the location, Cielo officials said.

Here's the building in question I took Monday, February 9, 2015.

[LoneStarMike]

A few shots of some smaller developments that don't have their own threads from this Monday, February 9, 2015.

800 Congress. This is where Hickory Street Bar & Grill (Austin icon) was. I used to go to the salad bar and get take-out when I worked at 800 Brazos in the mid to late 1980's. Anything over 10 years old that I've been to more than twice is an icon.



Seriously, this will be a great project and Hickory Street Bar & Grill had run its course.

Rendering:




Texas Public Policy Foundation at 901 Congress.




Rendering:




Truluck's - I like how they remodeled it - especially the second floor. For a two-story project in the Warehouse District, I think it looks great. It'll look even better once they paint those rainbow crosswalks.




Broadstone on the Lake

From the Embassy Suites garage:



Street level view from Riverside Dr.




From the Long Center parking garage:




Same vantage point, but with The Catherine rising behind. I really think I'm going to like this project. With this and The Catherine, it's a nice little dense block.

[Syndic]

Originally Posted by LoneStarMike

Same vantage point, but with The Catherine rising behind. I really think I'm going to like this project. With this and The Catherine, it's a nice little dense block.

I know, right? I've been saying how huge this project is for a while now. It's too bad they decided to elevate the sidewalk (nothing says "I want to be a part of Austin" like stairs and a fence) and (apparently) not put any retail in it, which really makes it divorced from the surrounding area. To me, it's really faux-urban if it doesn't have ground-floor retail (on the same level as the sidewalk). Anyway, it actually has the unremarkable name "422 at the Lake" now and here's the latest rendering from the website. It looks a little different than the original rendering they put out:



And while I'm at it, here's a little bit of a different rendering of Austin Proper that I pulled from the 500 West 2nd Street flipbook AusTxDevelopment posted the other day. It's a little small and hard to make out, but it looks better than the ones we originally saw, IMO. It doesn't have those ugly, confusing crisscrossing lines:

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by Syndic

And while I'm at it, here's a little bit of a different rendering of Austin Proper that I pulled from the 500 West 2nd Street flipbook AusTxDevelopment posted the other day. It's a little small and hard to make out, but it looks better than the ones we originally saw, IMO. It doesn't have those ugly, confusing crisscrossing lines:

The lines were my favorite part of the design.

[KevinFromTexas]

So I made a quasi-quality map showing the outline of the campus and the strip of field.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

So I made a quasi-quality map showing the outline of the campus and the strip of field.

Sorry for not keeping up. But what is this?