AUSTIN | Projects & Construction III

[austintilIdie]

impressive project. Proposal will have to be tweaked. Need hotel capacity for that part of town... that alone would spur competition from future projects. That part of town along MLK blvd has been underwhelming for years.

[JoninATX]

I like it, somehow I get the impression when i look at the new Planetarium I think of the OCP headquarters off Robocop.



http://manabouttinseltown.blogspot.c...d-detroit.html

[JACKinBeantown]

Dallas City Hall

http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/t...yhall/pei.html

[nixcity]

I just had a random thought that I'd like to share. To all those who say being a native in Austin gives the right to be a NIMBY and that being born here somehow give them the right to feel proud. Well, if anything, those of us that CHOSE to move here made a conscious decision to move here knowing how it was. Believe me, I did not want to be born where I was. I was not urging my mom in her womb to be born in Wichita, lol. I would have loved being born here, it would have been so much more fun. Heading downtown at the age of 18 and actually have places to go into,,,,well, as for now I CHOOSE to stay here!!!

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by nixcity

I just had a random thought that I'd like to share. To all those who say being a native in Austin gives the right to be a NIMBY and that being born here somehow give them the right to feel proud. Well, if anything, those of us that CHOSE to move here made a conscious decision to move here knowing how it was. Believe me, I did not want to be born where I was. I was not urging my mom in her womb to be born in Wichita, lol. I would have loved being born here, it would have been so much more fun. Heading downtown at the age of 18 and actually have places to go into,,,,well, as for now I CHOOSE to stay here!!!

Exactly. The arrogance of people who feel their opinions are worth more because they are native Austinites is beyond ridiculous. At some point in time a developer built their homes and places of work on pristine Hill Country land.

[JoninATX]

Apartments, hotel, entertainment complex planned near Domain

The Addison on Burnet

A planned 40-acre development adjacent to the Domain in North Austin would feature apartments, a hotel, shops and a golf-focused entertainment complex, developers told the American-Statesman on Tuesday.

Austin-based Endeavor Real Estate Group purchased the site at Burnet Road and Esperanza Crossing from IBM Corp., and construction is set to begin next month.

Also Tuesday, Endeavor said it is continuing to expand its presence at the Domain. Founding principal David Roche said the company is planning 350 more apartment homes there, as well as 250,000 additional square feet of retail space, an office building and potentially a hotel. Endeavor already has 543 units under construction at the Domain.

"The success of the Domain to date has led us to be bullish on this area," Roche said.

The new mixed-use development, which is adjacent to the Kramer Lane MetroRail station, will be "designed with the pedestrian in mind," Roche said. Bike paths will be included, along with wide, tree-lined sidewalks.

ZOM Texas, developer of the high-rise Monarch apartment complex in downtown Austin, will use almost half of Endeavor's newly acquired site — 18 acres — to build the Addison, a three-story upscale apartment complex with a total of 388 units.

"I am encouraged by the ZOM announcement because it shows that the city's efforts to stimulate more infill activity through their catalytic investment at the Domain are spreading to nearby parcels," said Charles Heimsath, a local real estate consultant.

"Encouraging development within the existing city limits is more sustainable, and it will help maintain the strength of the local tax base."

The first apartments at the Addison should be ready for move-in by late 2013, according to ZOM Senior Vice President Kevin Wisdom.

http://www.statesman.com/business/ap...n-2381541.html

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[JoninATX]

257 apartment units to be built at East 11th and I-35

By Shonda Novak AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Published: 9:40 p.m. Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Add another apartment project to Austin's multifamily building boom, this one 257 units planned for the southeast corner of East 11th Street and Interstate 35.

Austin-based Forestar Group Inc. said Tuesday that it will join with Canyon-Johnson Urban Funds LLC on the project, slated to break ground within a month at 807 E. 11th.

Canyon-Johnson — a private equity fund that's a partnership between former NBA star Earvin "Magic" Johnson's Magic Johnson Enterprises and Canyon Capital Realty Advisors — was a partner with Stratus Properties Inc. in developing the W Austin Hotel & Residences downtown.

The new project is being called Eleven. The first phase, 83 units, is projected to be completed in late July 2013, Forestar officials said.

Units will range from studios and lofts to one- and two-bedrooms.

Rents have not yet been announced.

The project joins a growing list of apartment projects that are planned or under construction in Central Texas, where the region's apartment sector has been the strongest segment of the commercial real estate market.

In the past few years, occupancies and rents have been on the rise, fueled by job and population growth and a tight supply of available units.

With views of downtown and the state Capitol, Eleven will consist of a four-story building above a two-story parking garage.

Amenities will include a pool, rooftop deck, courtyard with outdoor living area, a clubhouse and fitness facilities, officials said.

http://www.statesman.com/business/re...t-2381603.html

[wwmiv]

So that makes about 20-25 mixed use apartment complexes planned or under construction right now in central Austin alone meaning at least 5000 new units in the market alone within the next five years. This is actually a good thing as it will stave off further price increases keeping Austin cheap to live in, which in turn keeps population growth steady.

[JoninATX]

Originally Posted by wwmiv

So that makes about 20-25 mixed use apartment complexes planned or under construction right now in central Austin alone meaning at least 5000 new units in the market alone within the next five years. This is actually a good thing as it will stave off further price increases keeping Austin cheap to live in, which in turn keeps population growth steady.

Agreed.

[Austin1971]

By Shonda Novak
American-Statesman


Luxury management company Fairmont Hotels & Resorts will be the operator for a $350 million convention hotel planned for downtown, making Austin only the second Texas city to feature the famed brand, the company told the American-Statesman on Tuesday.

http://www.statesman.com/business/re...n-2382129.html

[Syndic]

Originally Posted by Austin1971

By Shonda Novak
American-Statesman


Luxury management company Fairmont Hotels & Resorts will be the operator for a $350 million convention hotel planned for downtown, making Austin only the second Texas city to feature the famed brand, the company told the American-Statesman on Tuesday.

http://www.statesman.com/business/re...n-2382129.html

Whoa. That's a rendering I haven't seen before. Very cool!

[gmsalpha]

I sure hope this thing goes forward. It looks really nice, imo. I love this tall, slender type of building a lot and it looks fantastic. After having read the article, I sure hope the financing in fact gets secured, and hopefully having an operator for the hotel is the last hurdle.

I attended the Austin comic convention in November '11 and stayed at the Radisson only a couple of blocks away. The room was nice, I had a great view of downtown and the capitol, and I liked that they had a Starbucks and a TGI Fridays, but the architecture of the hotel itself was really generic and ugly, quite frankly. I'm happy to see this new Fairmont if it happens, and the JW Marriott. Both look like they'll make an extremely positive impact on the convention center business and the downtown skyline.

In fact, having looked at the original Marriott design, I wanted to slap whoever approved that monstrosity. Like a lot of people, I'd rather nothing be built than something that looked like that! Then they redid the design and it looked a lot better, but still left a lot to be desired.

I'm still ecstatic over White Lodging deciding to go with the JW brand. The way the design looks now isn't perfect, but it's still pretty darn cool and Austin dodged a huge bullet.

If both of these go up, it'll be a fantastic step for the city.

[MichaelB]

Core samples being drilled at the Fifth and Bowie site. !

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by MichaelB

Core samples being drilled at the Fifth and Bowie site. !

***flips hair back bats lashes**** gurl, really????

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by ahealy

***flips hair back bats lashes**** gurl, really????

OMG lol...

By the way the skybridge was changed now its not closed in but will be open to the outside. I think that is a nice touch and will incorporate the skybridge with the surrounding area.

Would love to see both the Bowie site as well as 7th and Rio start construction soon.

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

OMG lol...

By the way the skybridge was changed now its not closed in but will be open to the outside. I think that is a nice touch and will incorporate the skybridge with the surrounding area.

Would love to see both the Bowie site as well as 7th and Rio start construction soon.

I noticed that. A good compromise. Keep folks covered for weather yet connects better to street. Done. ( plus less wasted air conditioning! )

[Myomi]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

OMG lol...

By the way the skybridge was changed now its not closed in but will be open to the outside. I think that is a nice touch and will incorporate the skybridge with the surrounding area.

Would love to see both the Bowie site as well as 7th and Rio start construction soon.

The skybridge on the original rendering also had an open component. It had two levels with and open and closed section. I think the big change here is they are trying to make the bridge less intrusive to the area by eliminating the upper section.

In fact, this rendering has been available for a while on the Gensler site. This link was posted earlier, but I will post it again below in case anyone here hasn't seen it yet. Rendering #4 is the one from the Statesmam article and #5 gives you a great sense of what walking across the bridge will be like. I think it will be an outstanding component of the project. Renderings #1 and #2 are from the Green Development. We will see how those turn out.

http://www.gensler.com/#aboutus/offices/32

[ahealy]

WHOA...I had no idea there were better renders of green.


Is Gensler still doing this???

Skybridge

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by ahealy

***flips hair back bats lashes**** gurl, really????

Yup!

[BevoLJ]

If they are continuing to maintain their 2015 opening date, they need to get moving on construction. I want to see another crane over there! =)