AUSTIN | Southeast Austin/Riverside Corridor Updates

[Urbannizer]

The Summit: 1605 East Riverside

A site plan was filed for a six or maybe seven-story condo building for this ugly stretch of E. Riverside. There will be 72 condos and some ground floor retail. The project is called The Summit and the address is 1605 E. Riverside.

[myBrain]

Originally Posted by Urbannizer

The Summit: 1605 East Riverside

That's a really narrow lot. Never would've expected something this size to be developed here. Hopefully there are some sidewalk improvements because this stretch of Riverside is really unwalkable.

[gillynova]

Love me some good news

[clubtokyo]

Nice!!

[gillynova]

Perfect! Thanks for posting the photos

[myBrain]

Glad to see the density on Riverside but it's a huge bummer there's not more retail. I walked through the area this past weekend from the trail and while it's impressive how much construction has taken place (some of it better than your avg 5-over-2) it still feels extremely suburban. Like, there's more life on the streets in my north-central neighborhood than here. Outside of the Buzzmill and Jackalope and a few strip mall joints fronting Riverside, there's just nothing to do here. It blows my mind that developers haven't made better use of the riverfront space, it would be perfect for cafes fronting the park. Instead we get suburban office campuses (Oracle) and first floor apartments in a neighborhood that should be one of our most urban. I guess the redevelopment further east, if it goes through, will bring more life to the area.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by myBrain

Glad to see the density on Riverside but it's a huge bummer there's not more retail. I walked through the area this past weekend from the trail and while it's impressive how much construction has taken place (some of it better than your avg 5-over-2) it still feels extremely suburban. Like, there's more life on the streets in my north-central neighborhood than here. Outside of the Buzzmill and Jackalope and a few strip mall joints fronting Riverside, there's just nothing to do here. It blows my mind that developers haven't made better use of the riverfront space, it would be perfect for cafes fronting the park. Instead we get suburban office campuses (Oracle) and first floor apartments in a neighborhood that should be one of our most urban. I guess the redevelopment further east, if it goes through, will bring more life to the area.

It's weird because many of these new apartment buildings aren't built up to the street. In many places the suburban commercial plats are (for gas stations, single story shopping centers, drive through restaurants, banks, etc) are still dominating the sidewalk frontage.

Eventually someone's going to have to come in and reconcept those separately into something else more dense.

[mumu]

I'm surprised that project is moving forward given the problems with vacancy in this submarket.

Entire new buildings nearby are being kept off the market now. 1700 Willow Creek ("Sondery") completed construction well over a year ago and still sits completely vacant- over 300 apartment units.

[chinchaaa]

They need a few good businesses in that area. An MML restaurant, foxtrot, bars, book store, something.

[randalls]

Agreed. I lived on E. Riverside up until 3 years ago. It was not great. Felt like a dead zone. Had a lot of crime. No places to really hang out. Going to be a long time before the area significantly improves. And as you mentioned below, has/had the potential to be a great walkable urban area next to downtown. Maybe it will change, but I’m really glad to be out of that neighborhood.

[chinchaaa]

They just need a few good anchors in that area. Put in some actual cool restaurants or bars. A book store, library, Foxtrot, grocery, something. So much potential over there.

[Lobotomizer]

A movie theater would be a nice addition. I could see an Alamo doing very well in the area near Riverside and Pleasant Valley.

[Geckos_Rule]

Originally Posted by Lobotomizer

A movie theater would be a nice addition. I could see an Alamo doing very well in the area near Riverside and Pleasant Valley.

Totally agreed. Especially since there isn't really an option for downtown outside of violet crown, which is a bit more niche, or the Bulluck, which is one screen and still has 90's style seating.

[corvairkeith]

There were plans for an Alamo in one of the developments going up at Riverside and Montopolis. This was pre-Covid, I don't know if it is still happening.

[AustinPermitWatcher]

Some good news on connectivity in the area, the permitting for the Country Club Creek Trail from Oltorf traveling under riverside were approved and the project is currently open for bidding.

[Urbannizer]

Easton Hills apartment complex in South Austin targeted for redevelopment

A redevelopment of an apartment complex that was originally built in 1972 could make way for denser multifamily housing, plus offices and retail space. This article takes a look at a developer's plans in South Austin and the zoning changes that will need to be approved to build higher in this area of town.

[gillynova]

[mumu]

I don't know the name of the building but the unusual shape will create a nice view when driving into the Riverside corridor. Almost all buildings are square-ish and flat and so have these jutting edge sections will stand out.

[gillynova]

Agreed!

[Urbannizer]

Demolition Approved for Riverside Place Shopping Center

A demolition permit filed with the city nearly a year ago for the Riverside Place shopping center at 2410 East Riverside Drive was finally approved this week, another sign that the 10-acre strip center’s redevelopment by owners Endeavor Real Estate Group are slowly moving forward. Endeavor, which purchased the property in 2019, has not yet publicly acknowledged any plans for the shopping center, and the finer points of the project and its anticipated development timeline remain unclear.

The permit for the Riverside Place demolition was filed by engineering firm GarzaEMC on behalf of Endeavor, and although documentation included with these existing permits for the site describes the construction of wastewater infrastructure and other improvements to accommodate anticipated future development, the details of Endeavor’s plans for the site have yet to be revealed in public documents. In the context of the city’s ongoing development slowdown, it’s probably wise not to expect any new project here to take shape immediately, even if demolition does move forward at the site. For what it’s worth, the permit now approved and released by the City of Austin for Riverside Place’s demolition doesn’t expire until 2027.