AUSTIN | Project Updates Thread Part II

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by Austinshrink

Good morning,
Not entirely sure where to stick this so trying it here. There's been a bit of conjecture on this forum about the state parking garage on san antonio between 3rd & 4th, and the ballet building on 3rd being redeveloped at some point. Is there a history of state owned parking garages being sold to developers in austin or other prominent texas cities? Not sure who owns the ballet building but if it's the state or the university, any history of a building like this being sold by the state?
thanks!

Can Speak to Ballet from personal experience.

Ballet Austin owns the building. They receive many offers.
When the value of the property ( and offers) reaches the point where it is financially feasable for them to move to a better property with more room AND come out finacially sound. They will sell and move.
It's only a matter of time....but the endeavor has to be worth it for them.

As you can imagine.... it's getting better all the time! But then, finding a suitable alternative central location is getting harder.
Difficult balance.

[Urbannizer]

Sixty Five Austin (6500 Burnet Rd.)

5-story building containing 52 residential units above 4,000 sq ft of retail.

[jbssfelix]

Originally Posted by Urbannizer

Sixty Five Austin (6500 Burnet Rd.)

5-story building containing 52 residential units above 4,000 sq ft of retail.

Interesting. Would love to know more about this. Also loving all the development along Burnet...hopefully some of that trickles over to my side on N. Lamar.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by jbssfelix

Interesting. Would love to know more about this. Also loving all the development along Burnet...hopefully some of that trickles over to my side on N. Lamar.

This is excellent! I'm also excited to see the Burnet Omlettrey site to rise....I forget the official name.

[corvairkeith]

Speaking of Burnet Rd, does anyone have any renderings of the development going in across from HEB? At the intersection of Burnet and Northland, just South of 2222. Looks to be rather large with several floors of underground parking.

[wwmiv]

The Burnet Corridor is starting to become rather dense. Too bad taller buildings can't be built in this corridor for a real "uptown" effect in Austin.

[SkyPie]

Republic Square is closing … for now
By Staff - American-Statesman staff 1
Posted: 12:00 a.m. Saturday, May 14, 2016

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news...for-now/nrMmd/

Republic Square in downtown Austin is closing for restoration for a year starting Thursday.

The city is working with the Austin Parks Foundation and the Downtown Austin Alliance to return the park, which was written into Austin’s original 1839 city plan, to the status it enjoyed before the downtown population began an exodus after World War II.

[Austin1971]

Originally Posted by corvairkeith

Speaking of Burnet Rd, does anyone have any renderings of the development going in across from HEB? At the intersection of Burnet and Northland, just South of 2222. Looks to be rather large with several floors of underground parking.

Sucks. It's a storage facility.

[the Genral]

Originally Posted by wwmiv

The Burnet Corridor is starting to become rather dense. Too bad taller buildings can't be built in this corridor for a real "uptown" effect in Austin.

Still, 5 to 6 floors is still rather tallish for this part of town. What I like about the density is the mix of old with new. 15, 20 years ago, I did not see this level of revitalization coming. Would love to see it bcome more eclectic and rival SoCo.

[atxsnail]

Originally Posted by corvairkeith

Speaking of Burnet Rd, does anyone have any renderings of the development going in across from HEB? At the intersection of Burnet and Northland, just South of 2222. Looks to be rather large with several floors of underground parking.

i wouldn't get too excited. it's a multi-level storage facility, just over half a mile south of another one.

[jbssfelix]

N. Austin center to get Asian market, conveyor belt sushi restaurant

(Airport/Lamar)

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/busi...r-belt-/nrNgq/

[drummer]

Originally Posted by jbssfelix

N. Austin center to get Asian market, conveyor belt sushi restaurant

(Airport/Lamar)

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/busi...r-belt-/nrNgq/

Pretty cool to see. North Lamar really has some great ethnic food options, and specifically some decent Asian varieties. North of there (Lamar/Braker area) is the "Chinatown Center" that has much more than just Chinese. The MT Supermarket there has things that I can't find in many other places in Austin when I come back...along with the Asia Market at Spicewood Springs/183.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by Urbannizer

Sixty Five Austin (6500 Burnet Rd.)

5-story building containing 52 residential units above 4,000 sq ft of retail.

This one is in my hood and I've been watching that vacant lot for awhile now. Glad to see it is what it is. IMO, Burnet (and a lot of major Austin arteries) need more stuff like this -- middle sized complexes that make use of single or double lots along major roads. Rather than, say, the huge thing (Burnet Marketplace) across the street, beautiful as it is.

[austlar1]

Originally Posted by We vs us

This one is in my hood and I've been watching that vacant lot for awhile now. Glad to see it is what it is. IMO, Burnet (and a lot of major Austin arteries) need more stuff like this -- middle sized complexes that make use of single or double lots along major roads. Rather than, say, the huge thing (Burnet Marketplace) across the street, beautiful as it is.

Absolutely. I think these more intimate structures are exactly what could make a huge difference over time. Those block-long five story stick-build monsters are doomed (IMHO) to become problem buildings over time unless owners keep them up to a high standard. I am afraid they will become slum properties or worse as time marches on.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by austlar1

Absolutely. I think these more intimate structures are exactly what could make a huge difference over time. Those block-long five story stick-build monsters are doomed (IMHO) to become problem buildings over time unless owners keep them up to a high standard. I am afraid they will become slum properties or worse as time marches on.

Part of me has wondered if the financials just don't work out for medium sized projects, which pushes developers to find the big parcels and big projects. Or stick to single house tear downs.

I used to live in Chicago, and there're square mile after square mile of two- and three- flats -- each of which take up one or two lots, and have 2-6 apartments in each. I wonder what it is that keeps people from building those small-bore but totally necessary projects here . . ..

[drummer]

I have no idea how they make decisions on those - certainly finances, I'm sure, but I don't know what makes one better than the other. However, my largely unprofessional opinion is that these smaller buildings with a handful of units and one or two retail/restaurant options each are better in the long run. If something turns over or has an issue, it doesn't kill a whole block (I think that's what austlar1 is getting at). Not to mention, it adds some unique diversity to the urban fabric. I like that, from both an aesthetic and economic standpoint. An added benefit is that they don't require massive parking garages, so if cars ever become a secondary mode of transportation in the distant (perhaps very distant) future, they don't have to try and figure out what to do with all that space. That may never be an issue, but I still wonder about it.

[austlar1]

I think maybe the fact that the parcels where these buildings have gone up were already large single parcels at the time they were developed is the main reason for the super large buildings. This allowed the developer to acquire a large building site with few of the complications that might come from assembling several smaller parcels. There are still a lot of large parking lots fronting outdated one story retail spaces on streets like Burnet and Lamar (both south and north) where these ungainly apartment house structures can be thrown up. We'll probably see more of them for the foreseeable future.

Here is my concern. There are plenty of once rather nice apartment complexes all over Austin that have gone downhill over a fairly short (15 to 20 years) time. Some of them were considered very desirable when built. Now many of them are plagued with crime, drug dealing, over crowding, and poor maintenance. There is no reason not to expect a similar trajectory for many of these huge stick-builds. I think that smaller buildings will be easier to maintain to a decent standard over time, and it will be possible for landlords to have more overall control of the environment which should make for a much more safe and pleasant place to live.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by drummer

However, my largely unprofessional opinion is that these smaller buildings with a handful of units and one or two retail/restaurant options each are better in the long run.

Diversity is always good, but I think all-small would be worse than all large. All-small would preclude a variety of uses. Once you take away the space from ground floor parking ramps, delivery truck accommodations, and usually apartment offices and fitness centers, there's not a whole lot of ground floor space left in the small parcels. Look at the burnet mockup as an example. There's not room for even one full-service restaurant.

Originally Posted by drummer

If something turns over or has an issue, it doesn't kill a whole block (I think that's what austlar1 is getting at).

This should still be the case for the large-block form. The retail space is still sub-divided. Burnet Marketplace doesn't have the Pour House over the entire block (unfortunately).

Originally Posted by drummer

An added benefit is that they don't require massive parking garages, so if cars ever become a secondary mode of transportation in the distant (perhaps very distant) future, they don't have to try and figure out what to do with all that space.

Under current Austin regulations, the same number of apartments spread over X smaller buildings would still have the same number of parking spaces. Perhaps even more, if the finances of those projects are more borderline and they can offer fewer affordable apartments in exchange for parking waivers.

In the hypothetical case of re-purposing, I'd think having all the parking in a monolithic block would be easier to change (a larger blank slate), though I admit that's just me handwaving.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by austlar1

Here is my concern. There are plenty of once rather nice apartment complexes all over Austin that have gone downhill over a fairly short (15 to 20 years) time. Some of them were considered very desirable when built. Now many of them are plagued with crime, drug dealing, over crowding, and poor maintenance. There is no reason not to expect a similar trajectory for many of these huge stick-builds.

Which ones are you thinking of, and where were they located? Which(any?) were VMU?

[atxsnail]

Originally Posted by drummer

Pretty cool to see. North Lamar really has some great ethnic food options, and specifically some decent Asian varieties. North of there (Lamar/Braker area) is the "Chinatown Center" that has much more than just Chinese. The MT Supermarket there has things that I can't find in many other places in Austin when I come back...along with the Asia Market at Spicewood Springs/183.

I guess this will be better than the current state of abandonment for this shopping center, but we should all be lamenting the loss of a great opportunity for something special. apparently the previously associated developer had big plans for the location (complete teardown and VMU redevelopment) but UT, who owns the property, refused to grant a long-term lease on the land. as a result we'll end up with a facelift which is nice, but it's really a shame considering the prime location next to Crestview Station.