AUSTIN | Project Updates Thread Part II

[KevinFromTexas]

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/aust...HV6HFSvILnBfmk

What you see in downtown Austin is only about half of its development capacity

by:
Yoojin Cho
Posted: Apr 30, 2019 / 04:50 PM CDT / Updated: Apr 30, 2019 / 04:50 PM CDT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Downtown Austin Alliance's first-ever State of Downtown report found that "with current zoning and pace of development," what you see developed in Austin's downtown right now is only just over half of its development capacity.

A snapshot of downtown's growth showed:

26 projects under construction. They can be broken down into:
3,017 residential units
2,040 hotel rooms
12,632 sq. ft. of restaurant
148,832 sq. ft. of retail

32 projects planned:
3,370 residential units
930 hotel rooms
44,736 sq. ft. of restaurant
166,181 sq. ft. of retail

[The ATX]

I'd like to see that list of projects/residential units/hotel rooms just to see how accurate it is. I'll give them the restaurant and retail Sq. Ft. numbers though. 'Cause who has time for that?

[KevinFromTexas]

I also wonder why they left office space off the list. Block 185 and Block 71 together are adding around 1.4 million square feet.

[KevinFromTexas]

Fox 7 is doing a story on that tonight. They're probably going to be doing the first segment in few minutes in fact. They showed some models of downtown in the clip.

[The ATX]

Here's the Downtown Austin Alliance report:

https://issuu.com/downtownaustinalli...lowres-spreads

[KevinFromTexas]

https://www.statesman.com/news/20190...austins-future

Report: Steering downtown’s growth is crucial to Austin’s future

By Sebastian Herrera
Posted Apr 30, 2019 at 4:42 PM
Updated at 9:54 AM

Downtown Austin could reach capacity within the next 20 years based on land availability and current building restrictions, according to the report’s findings.

Downtown Austin’s growth has been rapid. There are 58 projects either under construction or planned, totaling more than 6,000 residential units and almost 3,000 hotel rooms, according to the report. Total worker population within the downtown corridor is now more than 93,500 employees and development has reached 70 million square feet — just over half the amount experts say the area can handle based on current building codes.

The area also has become an economic engine for Austin’s economy. In 2018 alone, the downtown area accounted for more than $540 million in tax revenue, according to the report. While downtown is only 0.5% of the city’s land area, it accounts for 10% of Austin’s total assessed property value, with the area creating 20 times more tax revenue than the city average on a per acre basis, according to the Downtown Austin Alliance.

[Jdawgboy]

Please explain to me what the point of the first part of the first sentence in that article is?

"There is no reversing Downtown Austin's boom, but....."


Why would anyone write that to begin with? I mean it's as if the writer wants growth in DT to be reversed, or thinks that's what readers want to happen??? It doesn't make any sense but rather is one of the stupidest statements I have ever read.

[lzppjb]

I think it was his attempt at playing up the 'steering' aspect of the article. It'd be easier to reverse and start steering from the beginning. Now, they're jumping into a runaway truck and trying to steer it.

That's all I've got.

[freerover]

The council approved a guiding document for the new landuse code 8-3 with Alter, Pool and Tovo in opposition.

via Philip Jankowski at the Statesman
https://www.statesman.com/news/20190...h-pivotal-vote

The main focus of their objections appeared to be the inclusion of what Adler has dubbed “transition zones” for the edges of neighborhoods along Austin’s busier roads. The transition zones are similar to transect zones, which allowed for more intense and denser housing on neighborhood edges, proposed in draft one of CodeNext in 2017. Transition zones would generally stretch no further than five lots into a neighborhood and would allow for a minimum of four housing units.

Another point of contention was a call to reduce minimum lot size requirements, which are generally set at 5,750 square feet. Tovo was concerned that reducing those requirements would trigger widespread demolitions. Her district encompasses large portions of central Austin have seen more demolitions than any other part of the city.

“We are in essence incentivizing the redevelopment of those lots,” Tovo said.

She proposed limiting reductions to lot size minimums to undeveloped land and on developed tracts if the existing structure is preserved. To that, Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison said having a larger minimum lot requirement “perpetuates racial and economic segregation and that is a problem.”

Main thing the Document does:

-Creating a new land development code and zoning map concurrently.

-Planning for increasing the city’s housing capacity by 400,000 housing units over the next 10 years.

-Encourage the creation of smaller scale multi-family housing developments like four-plexes.

-Eliminate parking requirement with 1/4 mile of major corridors

[AusTxDevelopment]

Commercial Cafe made a video that shows the evolution of the Austin skyline. They are missing a few but it's interesting.

• Video Link

[427MM]

Originally Posted by freerover

The council approved a guiding document for the new landuse code 8-3 with Alter, Pool and Tovo in opposition.


Main thing the Document does:

-Creating a new land development code and zoning map concurrently.

-Planning for increasing the city’s housing capacity by 400,000 housing units over the next 10 years.

-Encourage the creation of smaller scale multi-family housing developments like four-plexes.

-Eliminate parking requirement with 1/4 mile of major corridors

It was great to see the Mayor lead on this. Council Members Casar, Harper-Madison, Flannigan, Ellis, Renteria and Mayor Pro Tem Garza were also great at being responsible and doing the work that needs to be done instead of placating the NIMBYs that demand endless roadblocks to housing and development in general. Our outdated land development code has done enough damage, it's time for a 21st century LDC!

Nothing is as important as this at the local level. Hope you all stay involved and help combat the misinformation campaign that is sure to come.

[AusTxDevelopment]

Originally Posted by We vs us

The ATX had flagged this one a couple of weeks ago, and Towers has the story now and roughed in a massing for our enjoyment.

This is the Horizon Bank at 600 W. 5th St.



And this is its massing:



Also this:



https://austin.towers.net/at-fifth-a...atter-of-time/

The building that will replace this is going to be 16 stories including a parking podium. I heard it directly from the development partner on this project. Horizon Bank will own it and occupy part of it, similar to what IBC Bank did with their building right next door.

[Jdawgboy]

Well that sucks. I feel that the city should push for maximum height/density for developable lots that are not within the CVCs. Let these sorts of buildings be fillers in the CVCs.

[bossabreezes]

Not sure this is correct place to ask this, but does anyone have an explanation for while Austin seems to sprawl much further northward than eastward and to the south?

The whole metro region has a very unusual sprawl pattern, totally different than anything else in the sunbelt.

I understand why things thin towards the rest, since hill country begins practically west of downtown. But why are their large open spaces 5 miles east and south of downtown, while towards the north, it's 25 miles (at least) of suburbia?

This isn't a criticism, just find it highly unusual and interesting and wanted to see if there was a reason for it.

[lzppjb]

There's probably a lot of reasons.

It is a N/S city because it stretches along I35.

North Austin had a head start on South Austin. The city was first laid out north of the river. Then UT was built north of that. Neighborhoods popped up around that. For a long time people had to take a ferry to get south of the river. Then a narrow bridge that could be swept away by floods.

East of I35 the soil changes. It's more like farmland and doesn't have the same limestone. Roads tend to suck more and foundations can have problems as the soil shifts.

South of the river has a lot of aquifer recharge zones and caves. Many areas are environmentally protected.

[StoOgE]

Originally Posted by bossabreezes

Not sure this is correct place to ask this, but does anyone have an explanation for while Austin seems to sprawl much further northward than eastward and to the south?

The whole metro region has a very unusual sprawl pattern, totally different than anything else in the sunbelt.

I understand why things thin towards the rest, since hill country begins practically west of downtown. But why are their large open spaces 5 miles east and south of downtown, while towards the north, it's 25 miles (at least) of suburbia?

This isn't a criticism, just find it highly unusual and interesting and wanted to see if there was a reason for it.

East and South East of town are historically poorer areas that were less desirable to relocate to than North and NorthWest. Due West also is hard to develop into dense areas because of the hills, rivers and lakes.

South (Buda/Kyle) were just further from Austin than Round Rock and Pflugerville.

[austintilIdie]

Originally Posted by StoOgE

East and South East of town are historically poorer areas that were less desirable to relocate to than North and NorthWest. Due West also is hard to develop into dense areas because of the hills, rivers and lakes.

South (Buda/Kyle) were just further from Austin than Round Rock and Pflugerville.

Austin native here, and I've never understood the elitist view that east Austin is undesirable.

[lzppjb]

Originally Posted by austintilIdie

Austin native here, and I've never understood the elitist view that east Austin is undesirable.

I'm also a native. Most of Austin is west of 35, which is a big barrier. The land isn't as good east. Soil is soft, it's flatter, fewer trees. Growing up my dad always told me he'd never buy land east of 35 again (he did bought his first house off Stassney).

[lzppjb]

Could the dams also be part of it? The last dam is just east of 35. Everything east is just not as pretty, and the river isn't a constant level.

[StoOgE]

Originally Posted by austintilIdie

Austin native here, and I've never understood the elitist view that east Austin is undesirable.

This isn't an elitist view. I grew up in a single wide trailer South East of Austin and people didn't/don't want to move there.

We're not talking "East" Austin where the hipsters wound up, which is just a poor/minority urban area. We're talking about why burbs didn't take over the near-city rural areas, and in my not-expert opinion the new development suburbs tend not to end up where large swaths of rural poor/trailer parks are.