AUSTIN | Misc. Discussions - No Politics

[GoldenBoot]

Over 500' in Austin (as of today):

9 = T/O or Complete
10 = Site Prep or U/C
11 = Proposed, Site Plan Under Review, or Approved


Plus, there are these projects which should be over 500' (not included in the numbers above):
-3rd & Congress
-ATX Tower East
-ATX Tower West
-99 Red River
-309 E. 3rd


So, right now, again, Austin has 19 towers of 500'+ (9 complete + 10 in the construction phase). There is a chance a few more could get underway in the coming months.

And, if all of the above are counted and completed - that's 35 towers of 500'+ (as of what is public knowledge today).

[drummer]

That would certainly move us up that list. The question that I don't have time to research is how many proposals do other cities have?

[Urbannizer]

Originally Posted by drummer

That would certainly move us up that list. The question that I don't have time to research is how many proposals do other cities have?

I wouldn’t be surprised if Miami and New York are the only U.S cities with more proposed/approved above 500’.

Edit: There’s more above 500’ under construction than Chicago.

[N90]

I think it stands to logic and reason that Austin (18) will easily surpass Atlanta (19), Dallas (20), Seattle (21), Boston (23), and San Francisco (25) by 2026 when the current wave either u/c or the wave about to start construction are all complete. LA (31) and then Houston (37) will both be passed by Austin likely around 2030, in Houston’s case maybe a little later around 2033 or something.

That’ll then only leave Miami (66), Chicago, and NYC ahead of Austin after that point but the gaps between Austin and these cities are much wider, though slowly narrowing but still huge gaps that we likely won’t ever see close.

I still have to pinch myself that we’ve already passed Philly (15)!!!

[urbancore]

Originally Posted by N90

I think it stands to logic and reason that Austin (18) will easily surpass Atlanta (19), Dallas (20), Seattle (21), Boston (23), and San Francisco (25) by 2026 when the current wave either u/c or the wave about to start construction are all complete. LA (31) and then Houston (37) will both be passed by Austin likely around 2030, in Houston’s case maybe a little later around 2033 or something.

That’ll then only leave Miami (66), Chicago, and NYC ahead of Austin after that point but the gaps between Austin and these cities are much wider, though slowly narrowing but still huge gaps that we likely won’t ever see close.

the possibility that Austin will have a top 4/5 skyline in the US, in the next 10 years, is MIND blowing.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by urbancore

the possibility that Austin will have a top 4/5 skyline in the US, in the next 10 years, is MIND blowing.

And it's going to be interesting, too! We have all kinds of weird shapes and patterns in the pipeline. I mean, we're all going to get our fill of blue glass, too, for sure. But no one will have a supertall like ours, hands down.

[kingkirbythe....]

A Legendary 100-Year-Old Carousel Will Spin Again in Austin

The ride greeted families at Playland Park in San Antonio before it was disbanded and sold. Now an Austin entrepreneur is putting it back together again.

https://www.texasmonthly.com/style/c...k-san-antonio/


At Playland Park in San Antonio, the carousel was always spinning. Even if there were no passengers, owner Jimmy Johnson instructed the operator to keep it whirling. It had four technicolor wooden horses to a row, 52 jumpers in all. Built as a traveling carousel, it could be broken down and packed away on wagons every night as the carnival moved from town to town. But from 1943 to 1980, the carousel didn’t budge from its spot at the front of the park on the corner of Broadway and Alamo. Chances were, as Johnson knew, any kid walking past would see the ornate features in action and insist on at least one go-round.

Zip Zepeda, now 81, fell for the marketing ploy every time. Each time he entered the gates as a boy, he had to visit the carousel first. As he went in circles, he studied the craftsmanship. “I used to be fascinated,” Zepeda says. “I couldn’t figure out how they made the horses.”

No one has taken a twirl on the Playland Park carousel in Texas since the summer ended 42 years ago, but the carousel itself has been on quite a ride. It briefly left the state, came back, was auctioned in pieces, and spent years in storage. Now an Austin entrepreneur plans to make it the centerpiece of a new venue in town.

[kingkirbythe....]

Design Commission: Austin's functional green space plan needs more work

https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/n...gn-update.html

Austin’s Design Commission is pushing the brakes on a proposal to introduce a functional green space requirement that would demand commercial developers take additional steps to manage water runoff and retention in an effort to better protect the environment.

The commission unanimously voted Sept. 26 to bring a resolution to City Council recommending the postponement and a series of changes to the proposed functional green space plan.

A working group comprised of city staffers and members of the Planning Commission is currently reviewing the proposal, which will eventually go before the City Council. Commissioners said the desired effects of the program could be achieved without adding another layer of regulation, saving both the municipal government and local developers time and money.

Opponents of the green space plan describe it as a relic of the city's failed CodeNext land development revision push — arguing that it adds all of the extra stress to developers without the entitlements CodeNext proposed.

[N90]

Over 500+ feet

Miami: 66 (60 built | +6 u/c)
Houston: 38 (35 built | +3 u/c)
Los Angeles: 31 (27 built | +4 u/c)
San Francisco 25 (25 built | 0 u/c)
Boston: 23 (20 built | +3 u/c)
Seattle: 21 (20 built | 0 u/c)
Dallas: 20 (20 built | 0 u/c)
Atlanta: 19 (19 built | 0 u/c)
Austin: 18 (9 built | +9 u/c)
Las Vegas: 15 (15 built | 0 u/c)
Philly: 15 (13 built | +2 u/c)
Pittsburgh: 11 (11 built | 0 u/c)
Minneapolis: 10 (9 built | +1 u/c)
Detroit: 9 (8 built | +1 u/c)
Charlotte: 8 (7 built | +1 u/c)
Denver: 8 (8 built | 0 u/c)
Baltimore: 4 (4 built | 0 u/c)
Portland: 3 (3 built | 0 u/c)
St. Louis: 3 (3 built | 0 u/c)
San Diego: 1 (1 built | 0 u/c)


Over 400+ feet

Miami: 99 (92 built | +7 u/c)
Houston: 71 (64 built | +7 u/c)
San Francisco: 57 (57 built | 0 u/c)
Los Angeles: 54 (49 built | +5 u/c)
Seattle: 53 (48 built | +5 u/c)
Atlanta: 43 (43 built | 0 u/c)
Las Vegas: 41 (41 built | 0 u/c)
Boston: 39 (35 built | +4 u/c)
Dallas: 34 (34 built | 0 u/c)
Philly: 32 (30 built | +2 u/c)
Austin: 31 (21 built | +10 u/c)
Honolulu: 28 (27 built | +1 u/c)
Minneapolis: 21 (20 built | +1 u/c)
San Diego: 20 (20 built | 0 u/c)
Denver: 18 (18 built | 0 u/c)
Detroit: 15 (14 built | +1 u/c)
Portland: 6 (5 built | +1 u/c)

Over 300+ feet

Houston: 148 (141 built | +7 u/c)
Miami: 144 (136 built | +8 u/c)
San Francisco: 123 (123 built | 0 u/c)
Honolulu: 104 (103 built | +1 u/c)
Los Angeles: 103 (97 built | + 6 u/c)
Atlanta: 96 (96 built | 0 u/c)
Seattle: 85 (76 built | +9 u/c)
Boston: 80 (76 built | +4 u/c)
Philly: 80 (77 built | +3 u/c)
Dallas: 76 (76 built | 0 u/c)
Austin: 62 (48 built | +14 u/c)
Las Vegas: 57 (57 built | 0 u/c)
Detroit: 38 (37 built | +1 u/c)
Minneapolis: 38 (37 built | +1 u/c)

The under construction numbers are probably a little off for some of these cities. So keep that in mind because the SSP database is not up to date for u/c buildings for every city.

I noticed that the first 4 of the 5 under construction for Houston have finished construction and the 511 foot Methodist centennial tower under construction hasn’t been added on SSP’s u/c database nor have any of the other recent buildings that just began construction. I’d imagine it’s like this for a number of the other cities too. I also seriously doubt SF has 0 300+ footers under construction.

But granted that the buildings already built list is accurate.

[H2O]

So, in summary, we are approaching top ten, if you don't include New York or Chicago (or Toronto) all around, but we need some of the proposals to come to fruition before we are solid. If (when) all of the current proposed come to fruition, we could be top 5. But it will take all of those and then some before we will ever move up the list at that point, and the gap is large enough that many of us old folks will not see it in our lifetimes. Translation: this is a very exciting time to be a skyscraper nerd in Austin!

[kingkirbythe....]

University of Texas study highlights importance of Waller Creek watershed

https://www.statesman.com/story/news...d/69487318007/

A new study conducted in part by University of Texas researchers has found that the green spaces near Waller Creek have a variety of functions that benefit both humans and wildlife.

A watershed is any area that drains into a particular creek, the study's lead author, Amy Belaire, explained. Urban watersheds are those in which the land that drains into the creek is highly developed, with features such as roads and buildings, Belaire said.

Austin’s Waller Creek watershed spans from the crossing of West Anderson Lane and North Lamar Boulevard at the north end of the city to Lady Bird Lake flowing past downtown.

“Waller Creek … is the most urbanized watershed in the city,” Deidre Zoll, a study author and an integrative biology postdoctoral fellow at UT, said in an email.

[IluvATX]

Curious question and hopefully not inappropriate, but how many of y’all are gay? I’m not, but I have many friends and colleagues that are. Most of them seem to be in the building or architectural field. Just wondering if it’s a trend. If I was I would proud of it.

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by IluvATX

Curious question and hopefully not inappropriate, but how many of y’all are gay? I’m not, but I have many friends and colleagues that are. Most of them seem to be in the building or architectural field. Just wondering if it’s a trend. If I was I would proud of it.

Gay men do tend to end up in certain fields. Studies usually ascribe this to fields that generally leave them with more autonomy at work, so that they can avoid stressful interpersonal encounters: academics, designers, aestheticians, cosmetologists, doctors, artists, salespeople, architects, landscaping, among others.

Things are more broad now that gay men have reached a higher level of social acceptance.

Gay men tend to, though, make less money than an equivalent straight male, whereas gay women tend to make more than an equivalent straight woman according to a few studies I read when I was in my PhD program. I can’t recall the authors, but they were part of the Blinder-Oaxaca research tradition of income disparities.

[lzppjb]

Is another field meteorology? I thought I had heard that before.

[lzppjb]

Originally Posted by wwmiv

Gay men tend to, though, make less money than an equivalent straight male, whereas gay women tend to make more than an equivalent straight woman according to a few studies I read when I was in my PhD program. I can’t recall the authors, but they were part of the Blinder-Oaxaca research tradition of income disparities.

That is very interesting. I've heard discrepancies can be partially based on agreeableness. Men, or masculinity, are more disagreeable. That can aid in salary negotiations, upward movement, etc. And women, or more feminine energy, can be more agreeable. Don't make as many waves.

I don't know if that would apply in this situation. Obviously not in an every case basis as every person is different. But maybe as an average? You said yourself gay men tend to gravitate toward fields where they can avoid that stress/confrontation.

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by lzppjb

That is very interesting. I've heard discrepancies can be partially based on agreeableness. Men, or masculinity, are more disagreeable. That can aid in salary negotiations, upward movement, etc. And women, or more feminine energy, can be more agreeable. Don't make as many waves.

I don't know if that would apply in this situation. Obviously not in an every case basis as every person is different. But maybe as an average? You said yourself gay men tend to gravitate toward fields where they can avoid that stress/confrontation.

This make a lot of sense. Gay men - and many minorities - tend to overcompensate for their minority status by being more agreeable to the majority. This could impact pay.

Further, capitalism itself has a bias toward the majority. Managers tend to unconsciously assume that their minority employees have fewer options because of a perception of other people’s bias, or those employees never actually get offers they can leverage because a bias actually exists, and end up paying them less than their … straight … white … male … cisgender … gender-stereotypical … young … attractive … Protestant … moderate … yet with multicultural values … employees.

In this day and age, people can not be one, maybe two of these and be fine, but three?

Lesbians are less prone to agreeableness, anecdotally.

[gillynova]

Moving my conversation from ABIA Updates

--
What should I get from Whataburger to compare it to In N Out because as of rn, I find it very comparable to low-tier fast food chains lmao. I'm talking about BURGER btw because my Houston friend told me to get the honey biscuit chicken sandwich lol

Like I mentioned before, the Patty Melt is FIRE but the bun/bread it totally different

Also spread is better than spicy ketchup lol

[lzppjb]

You'll never know what they hype is about WB. It has definitely had a drop in quality since recently being purchased by a Chicago group. It's just not quite the same, and probably never will be again.

I've had In-n-Out, both in Austin and LA, multiple times. It's ok.

I've had P. Terry's many times. It's less than ok. I'd prefer In-n-Out.

Peak WB is better than both, but I honestly haven't had peak WB in a couple years. It saddens me.

Get a double meat, double cheese. Add bacon and whatever you want. Grilled jalapenos if you're into some heat. I don't put ketchup on my burger. Mayo and mustard for me.

Their spicy ketchup (and especially the limited edition white label spicy ketchup) is best on their onion rings and fries.

[lzppjb]

I'll expand on In-n-Out so you know what I'm comparing it to.

I get a 3x3 animal style, extra toast, and some animal style fries. I take off the tomato and sometimes the lettuce. I do love the animal fries even though most people hate their fries.

When I'm doing my low carb thing, I do absolutely love InO's Flying Dutchman burgers (2x2 meat & cheese only). I get a few of those and it hits the spot.

[KevinFromTexas]

Whataburger's new (limited time) chili burger is pretty good. Be warned, though, it's a slab of food. lol