Domain/North Austin Development Updates

[MightyYoda]

Originally Posted by alwaysmiling

domain/triangle area?

Dunnno what it is actually called. The east Arboretum triangle area surrounded by Mopac, 183, and 360.

[KevinFromTexas]

Here's how I feel about the Domain. I don't really go to the mall unless I absolutely need something that I can't find somewhere else. I'm a man, so I don't "shop", so I won't be going there just to spend time. As for going to the Domain for mall stuff, Barton Creek Mall is closer, (and has better skyline views). My point is we have a lot of malls around Austin, but we only have one downtown or one truly urban district. So it's downtown that I'm drawn to since it's different and special. I just feel like even though the Domain is nice, I don't feel like there's anything particularly special enough about it that I can't find in downtown. And there are malls and shopping centers closer to me.

[the Genral]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Here's how I feel about the Domain. I don't really go to the mall unless I absolutely need something that I can't find somewhere else. I'm a man, so I don't "shop", so I won't be going there just to spend time. As for going to the Domain for mall stuff, Barton Creek Mall is closer, (and has better skyline views). My point is we have a lot of malls around Austin, but we only have one downtown or one truly urban district. So it's downtown that I'm drawn to since it's different and special. I just feel like even though the Domain is nice, I don't feel like there's anything particularly special enough about it that I can't find in downtown. And there are malls and shopping centers closer to me.

Kevin, sounds like you borrowed a line from Mike Gundy! With the late opening of Whole Foods or if I feel like going to a restaurant there, I don't really have a need to visit the Domain. I only go to the Barton Creek Mall for the view.
Although the large shopping centers would like to attract buyers from beyond, I would imagine there target demographics are more local. ie; WolfRanch, Georgetown, StoneHill, Pflugerville, LaFrontera, South and west Round Rock, University Commons and Oaks serves N. Round Rock, Barton Creek S. Austin, ect...What I acknowledge and like about the Domain is what it attracts, business, travelers, residents, consumers, and people going out to eat at a restaurant they offer. After a meal, walking around the smaller shops with apartments above them is pretty cool if not unique. If I read this right, the last large parcel of available space is slated for construction, then the developers were pretty savvy when they came up with the idea not that long ago. Its just too bad the taller proposed buildings were never built. If the Domain concept originated after the financial crisis instead of right before, maybe the Domain would be standing taller today.

[jtown,man]

The Domain is good for one thing:

Checking out incredibly hot women. they. are. EVERYWHERE!

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by jtown,man

The Domain is good for one thing:

Checking out incredibly hot women. they. are. EVERYWHERE!

Upscale shopping centers are always a good place to check out hot women. But most of them are using their rich husband's credit card.

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by the Genral

Kevin, sounds like you borrowed a line from Mike Gundy! With the late opening of Whole Foods or if I feel like going to a restaurant there, I don't really have a need to visit the Domain. I only go to the Barton Creek Mall for the view.
Although the large shopping centers would like to attract buyers from beyond, I would imagine there target demographics are more local. ie; WolfRanch, Georgetown, StoneHill, Pflugerville, LaFrontera, South and west Round Rock, University Commons and Oaks serves N. Round Rock, Barton Creek S. Austin, ect...What I acknowledge and like about the Domain is what it attracts, business, travelers, residents, consumers, and people going out to eat at a restaurant they offer. After a meal, walking around the smaller shops with apartments above them is pretty cool if not unique. If I read this right, the last large parcel of available space is slated for construction, then the developers were pretty savvy when they came up with the idea not that long ago. Its just too bad the taller proposed buildings were never built. If the Domain concept originated after the financial crisis instead of right before, maybe the Domain would be standing taller today.

I had to look that person up. I am not a football/sports fan.

Originally Posted by jtown,man

he Domain is good for one thing:

Checking out incredibly hot women. they. are. EVERYWHERE!

HEB. I swear. They all look like they just got out of yoga class. Plus you get an easy hint at how healthy they are by what's in their basket.

[migol24]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

I had to look that person up. I am not a football/sports fan.



HEB. I swear. They all look like they just got out of yoga class. Plus you get an easy hint at how healthy they are by what's in their basket.

In particular, the HEB on 38th St.

[KevinFromTexas]

The Brodie and Slaughter ones also. Those areas are pretty suburban, but the people who shop there seem to be fit. There are a lot of jogging trails in that area.

[the Genral]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

The Brodie and Slaughter ones also. Those areas are pretty suburban, but the people who shop there seem to be fit. There are a lot of jogging trails in that area.

Kevin, if you never heard Mike Gundy's "I'm a man" speech while defending one of his players, I thought everyone heard it, them my mention of it, as oh so many of my attempts at humor, fell flat.
Speaking of fit women, towns in England that I visited where most people walked to get around had the most fit women on masse I've seen anywhere. And for some reason, the woman who shop at Target seem to be prettier than the ones I see in Walmart. Go figure...

[bluedogok]

After working in The Domain for two years I can say that the different phases are bad from a pedestrian perspective, there is no good, open connection from Domain I (where my office was) and Domain II, it is two different shopping malls with a big parking lot between them. There is no good connection to the streets where the bus stops are (both Burnet and Braker), the layout is just horrible.

[lzppjb]

I got the Mike Gundy reference. I chuckled. "I'm a MAN! I'm FORTY!"


Ottawa has some really fit women. They walk and use mass transit mostly. I spent time downtown, so maybe it's different outside town. But the sheer number of fit, hot girls in yoga pants there is mind boggling.

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by bluedogok

After working in The Domain for two years I can say that the different phases are bad from a pedestrian perspective, there is no good, open connection from Domain I (where my office was) and Domain II, it is two different shopping malls with a big parking lot between them. There is no good connection to the streets where the bus stops are (both Burnet and Braker), the layout is just horrible.

I know that there are high voltage power lines that cross between which is one reason that there is a gap in between the two but they could have done something to connect the two sides. It completely defeats the whole purpose of pedestrian friendly. If they couldn't build anything but a surface lot there, they could have at least created a wide pedestrian walkway with trees or some sort of shading to connect the two sides. There isn't even that.

[AusTxDevelopment]

Endeavor has submitted the plan set for Domain 2 to the City which posted the info on their FTP site. The Impact News article ( http://impactnews.com/austin-metro/n...in-the-domain/ ) said it was going to be 114,665 square feet. But the plans submitted to the City say it's 443,064 square feet on 5 floors with 728,717 sf of parking garage on 6 floors. Below is a rendering from the plan set. If you want to peruse the plans and crane permit submittal, they are located on the FTP site here (your firewall may or may not let you have access): ftp://ftp.ci.austin.tx.us/ATD_AULCC/130725/

Edited to add: After looking a little closer at the AULCC Transmittal, that 443,064 sf number is the total for 4 buildings, not just Domain 2. So the Impact News article was correct.

[KevinFromTexas]

Thanks for posting that.

From the building elevations:

Domain 2, 11800 Domain Boulevard

84 feet - mechanical penthouse roof
74 feet - main roof
58 feet - top floor
5 floors
Under construction - completion - 2014

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/bl....html?page=all

Aug 1, 2013, 9:55am CDT
Cypress plans big mixed-use project on Burnet Road

Jan Buchholz
Staff Writer-
Austin Business Journal

One of Austin’s most active multifamily developers has another project on the drafting board — this time on Burnet Road.

Cypress Real Estate Advisors plans to do site work through the fall and begin work on the four-to-five story mixed-use project, dubbed Burnet Marketplace, early next year.

The first apartment units should be delivered in November 2014.

It looks like a nice project. We have seen the renderings for it before, but not this one.

[KevinFromTexas]

Here is the developer's website.
http://argyleresidential.com/project...t-marketplace/

http://austin.culturemap.com/news/re...tview-closing/

Pour one out: North Austin pub closes to make way for mixed-use development

BY KATIE FRIEL 6.23.14 | 2:47 pm

In 2009, Pour House Pub opened at 6701 Burnet Rd. and quickly garnered a reputation for its expansive beer offerings, quality pub food and a patio large enough to accommodate you and a couple hundred friends.

The bar took to Facebook on June 18 to announce its plans to close, in order to make room for a mixed-use development. Though owners Brian Hyde and Marcos Canchola say that the Pour House will return as part of the new development, they make no mention of a date (or if $1.50 happy hour Lone Star and High Life will return, too).

The new development, Burnet Marketplace, is being developed by Argyle Residential (an affiliate of Cypress Real Estate Advisors and the same company behind Corazon on East Sixth Street and Lakeshore Pearl near East Riverside Drive) and will offer 344 residential units and 8,409 square feet of retail, according to its website.

[KevinFromTexas]

So someone at KVUE dared to pose the question: "Is the Domain becoming Austin's second downtown?"

Surprisingly, the answers in the comments are saying no and are also saying it lacks that important vibe that downtown has. The few comments in support of the Domain and rejecting downtown seem to be coming from the suburbanites. That part was unsurprising.

https://www.facebook.com/KVUEinsider...52651322656178

[JoninATX]

The Domain is nothing more than a place to live and shop. Downtown Austin is and will always be more interesting than The Domain.

[ahealy]

The domain =

[the Genral]

Originally Posted by ahealy

The domain =

I suppose no one knows the Domain site better than those of us who worked there for 20 + years when the site was home to IBM's circuit board manufacturing facility. Among the spawling site was bldg 060 and its companion support building that built the circuit boards themselves, a process that in my estimate used hundreds of thousands of gallons of chemicals and untold millions of gallons of water to manufacture, and spewed tons of solvent odor into the air that wasn't totally removed by the air scrubbers that alone used millions of gallons of water while the factory was in use. You could smell what was coming out of those stacks from the parking lot. Factor in the unappealing visual this facility displayed, I'd say today's site with the Domain on it is a truly remarkable reuse of that land. I drive by it occasionally and its definately still a work in progress.
So if going from a humongous water user, toxic chemical producer, and blight on North Austin's landscape, to a mix of business, retail, restaurants, hospitality, and residence in a nice neat packaged site is "yuck", then...well...ok
If it upsets DT'ers that the Domain was even mentioned in the same breath as DT, keeping in mind that it was mentioned as a "2nd DT" not better, then, again.
I wish it had gone a bit more vertical, I think there was once a 30+ story hotel planned in the beginning, but when the whole thing is completed, built out, it will be an amazing part of Austin, and worth the visit.