AUSTIN | Project Updates Thread Part II

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by Urbannizer

1000 N Lamar Blvd

An example what to not do for a ground level experience.
Look at those people walking right by, doing their best to not see the parking garage, when they would have eaten at a restaurant.

[atxsnail]

Originally Posted by JACKinBeantown

An example what to not do for a ground level experience.
Look at those people walking right by, doing their best to not see the parking garage, when they would have eaten at a restaurant.

flooding from shoal creek has everything to do with that ground floor parking design. same with the condos behind it

[We vs us]

This is one of those areas where I'm a little surprised there aren't more of these. It seems primed for more density. Though I admit I hadn't thought about the floodplain, which (esp. after the 2015 Mem Day flooding) is a clear and present danger.

[ivanwolf]

Originally Posted by JACKinBeantown

An example what to not do for a ground level experience.
Look at those people walking right by, doing their best to not see the parking garage, when they would have eaten at a restaurant.

This property is in the Floodway, a much greater risk than just a floodplain. So the design is all about not having to remodel every time shoal creek floods on Lamar.

[Novacek]

So how long until we have a "Shoal Creek Flood Tunnel"?


The Waller tunnel took, what, 30 or so years?

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by Novacek

So how long until we have a "Shoal Creek Flood Tunnel"?


The Waller tunnel took, what, 30 or so years?

Would be nice to have a tunnel built for Shoal but unless they set aside some funds, not sure how feasible it would be. Shoal Creek is longer and has a much larger water intake basin than Waller does. I'm sure that would entail a different kind of setup. In the short term, I know that the city is trying to educate and work with neighborhoods upstream in creating rain gardens and other rain collection and runoff slowing features. That and restoring a more natural riparian environment along the creek to help naturally slow the water down.

[StoOgE]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

Would be nice to have a tunnel built for Shoal but unless they set aside some funds, not sure how feasible it would be. Shoal Creek is longer and has a much larger water intake basin than Waller does. I'm sure that would entail a different kind of setup. In the short term, I know that the city is trying to educate and work with neighborhoods upstream in creating rain gardens and other rain collection and runoff slowing features. That and restoring a more natural riparian environment along the creek to help naturally slow the water down.

The flood plane for Shoal Creek also floods a natural low-lying area right downtown between two hills.

I'm not really sure there is much you *can* do. Even putting in a flood control tunnel it would still likely get above the road and into the first floor because of the land-layout.

Waller Creek has the advantage of most of the areas that are prone to flooding being relatively high from the waterline with natural protection from flooding on top of the flood control tunnel.

Also, with Clarkesville as a Western boundry and lots of protected older mansions to the East that part of DT is not really ripe for a huge increase in density beyond 10-12 story buildings... where Waller Creek has a couple of 800+ footers proposed (yeah, yeah, we all know they aint getting built) in the area.

[drummer]

Originally Posted by Urbannizer

1000 N Lamar Blvd

I'm not seeing a photo nor is the link working for me. I've tried in a couple of browsers....can someone help me out here?

[gardensoul]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

Would be nice to have a tunnel built for Shoal but unless they set aside some funds, not sure how feasible it would be. Shoal Creek is longer and has a much larger water intake basin than Waller does. I'm sure that would entail a different kind of setup. In the short term, I know that the city is trying to educate and work with neighborhoods upstream in creating rain gardens and other rain collection and runoff slowing features. That and restoring a more natural riparian environment along the creek to help naturally slow the water down.

The cost of building a tunnel for Shoal Creek would exceed the value of the land removed from the flood plain. Better to remove the buildings in the flood plain and develop a a new park that connects Pease Park and Duncan Park - a great new Central Park for Austin. Also, green infrastructure like the "rain gardens and other rain collection and runoff slowing features" and restoring riparian zones as mentioned above are smart low cost ways of mitigating severe flooding events.

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by gardensoul

The cost of building a tunnel for Shoal Creek would exceed the value of the land removed from the flood plain. Better to remove the buildings in the flood plain and develop a a new park that connects Pease Park and Duncan Park - a great new Central Park for Austin. Also, green infrastructure like the "rain gardens and other rain collection and runoff slowing features" and restoring riparian zones as mentioned above are smart low cost ways of mitigating severe flooding events.

[KevinFromTexas]

I doubt that would ever happen. Many of the buildings connecting those two parks are single family homes. Admittedly, some of those have been converted into businesses like the one my mom worked in one on Baylor, but most of the others in that neighborhood, especially on the west side of Baylor, were private residences. There's also a 4-story condo building at 12th & Baylor. I went up to the 4th floor stairwell for photos of the skyline once and the security guard almost had a cow. You'd think the pope lived there by the way he reacted. Lotta money in that neighborhood with political tug.

[JoninATX]

BOA Tower renvations & renderings

By James Rambin
January 4. 2018

Thanks to the folks at Gensler, who seem to enjoy staying busy, we’ve got a better look at what’s planned for the building’s exterior, including a new canopy over the sidewalk outside the building, a renovated lobby, and a restaurant located in the retail space formerly occupied by the Keeper’s Menswear store — although, according to Gensler, the firm isn’t handling the design of the restaurant space, the tenant of which appears to be fast-casual Mediterranean chain Cava.

https://austin.towers.net/bank-of-am...-ground-floor/

[Maximusx1]

Originally Posted by gardensoul

The cost of building a tunnel for Shoal Creek would exceed the value of the land removed from the flood plain. Better to remove the buildings in the flood plain and develop a a new park that connects Pease Park and Duncan Park - a great new Central Park for Austin. Also, green infrastructure like the "rain gardens and other rain collection and runoff slowing features" and restoring riparian zones as mentioned above are smart low cost ways of mitigating severe flooding events.

Username checks out

[H2O]

Originally Posted by gardensoul

The cost of building a tunnel for Shoal Creek would exceed the value of the land removed from the flood plain. Better to remove the buildings in the flood plain and develop a a new park that connects Pease Park and Duncan Park - a great new Central Park for Austin. Also, green infrastructure like the "rain gardens and other rain collection and runoff slowing features" and restoring riparian zones as mentioned above are smart low cost ways of mitigating severe flooding events.

Buy-outs are one of the options on the table in the Shoal Creek Flood Mitigation Study http://www.austintexas.gov/shoalcreekfloods
As noted in the presentation, the greatest barrier to buy-outs is the high cost of commercial property in the area. I agree that buying out property on the east side of Lamar between 9th and 15th might be a good solution. The only building I would like to see remain is the Tavern. The rest could be a flood water themed park.

This would allow Lamar to be raised, creating a protective dyke for properties on the west side of Lamar. Those properties could be redeveloped at the new elevation of Lamar, stepping up the steep side slope towards Baylor. If those properties were bought out prior to raising Lamar, their increased value for redevelopment might help pay for the expensive project.

[H2O]

I hadn't previously seen this report that the Shoal Creek Conservancy put together, but it contains some great examples of the kind of solutions that GardenSoul was suggesting could be used in the Duncan / Pease Park connector in his post.

https://www.shoalcreekconservancy.or...lood-showcase/

[The ATX]

I updated the construction webcam links in the CVC Map/Webcam thread. Fifth & West is no more. But I added the ones at ABIA, East 6th and Rowlings Hall which is surprisingly still up. The close-up webcam for the Independent went off line a few days ago, but the Skyline view is still up.

[The ATX]

This is the first I recall hearing about this proposal. It was referred to as the Chromium Hotel in 2016 and is apparently now going by the name The Lamar Boulevard Hotel.





http://spechtarchitects.com/work/lamar-boulevard-hotel/

[The ATX]

After some Google Streetviewing and based on the buildings on either side of the last rendering of the hotel, this is the site of the Genie Carwash near the 7-11 on S. Lamar. There have been some posts on here about a project planned for this location, but I don't think a hotel was part of the most recent proposal.

[drummer]

That area is really getting more and more dense, it seems. Speaking of which, are there any plans or rumors about the Lamar Square Dr (behind Southside Flying Pizza)? It seems that a lot of those older apartment buildings are on borrowed time these days.

[H2O]

Originally Posted by drummer

That area is really getting more and more dense, it seems. Speaking of which, are there any plans or rumors about the Lamar Square Dr (behind Southside Flying Pizza)? It seems that a lot of those older apartment buildings are on borrowed time these days.

Those properties are owned by the Mary Lee Foundation and are vitally important affordable housing for populations that would have no where else to go. I know some don't look great, but they play an important role in keeping close in South Austin economically diverse. They have rebuilt several buildings somewhat recently that look a little better. I would not anticipate any of those properties being sold anytime soon.