Upscale Hyatt hotel to debut in Austin

[KevinFromTexas]

Click the link to see demo pictures.

From the Austin American-Statesman
http://www.statesman.com/business/co...concordia.html

AUSTIN DEVELOPMENT

Pieces of Concordia come tumbling down to pave way for new mixed-use complex

AMERICAN STATESMAN STAFF
Saturday, May 17, 2008

Demolition work has begun on the former Concordia University campus in Central Austin to make way for a $750 million development that will include a hotel, apartments, condominiums, stores and offices. The project will open in 2009.

Andrea Reveile, co-owner of A&R Demolition, says the work will continue through August. Some of the buildings on the 23-acre campus date to the late 1920s.

Concordia, a private liberal arts university with 1,200 students, is moving to a new campus of about 400 acres in Northwest Austin. Classes are scheduled to begin Sept. 10.

[KevinFromTexas]

From the Austin American-Statesman
http://www.statesman.com/news/conten...id=inform_artr

REAL ESTATE
Texas Monthly to move offices to East Avenue site

By Shonda Novak
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Texas Monthly magazine will be the marquee tenant in the first office building set to rise at East Avenue, a $750 million project that will turn the former Concordia University campus into a village with residences, offices, shops and a hotel.

Texas Monthly will occupy the top floor of the eight-story office building, which is expected to start construction in May. The magazine's 88 Austin employees are to move into the building when it is completed in the summer of 2009. More tenant announcements are expected in June or July.

Texas Monthly has been downtown in the Austin Centre, which also houses the Omni hotel, since 1989.

"Texas Monthly exemplifies the kind of tenant that's a perfect fit for East Avenue," said Andy Sarwal, lead developer with East Avenue, just north of downtown at Interstate 35 and 32nd Street.

East Avenue, which is across from St. David's Medical Center and three blocks from the University of Texas, will be one of the city's largest and densest developments outside of downtown, with 2.75 million square feet in all — equivalent to five Frost Bank towers downtown.

Texas Monthly, Sarwal said, "was essentially lured out of downtown because East Avenue offers urban core benefits with less hassle. There's the lifestyle benefits, like retail shops, restaurants and residential living within a short walking distance, plus easy access and a much better parking situation. There's a better parking ratio, and the garages are designed for employees to be able to park on the same floor that they work, making for much faster and safer access to their offices."

With a paid circulation of 300,000, nine National Magazine Awards and a readership of more than 2.1 million a month, the magazine "is an incredible homegrown success that reflects the unique Austin aspects of East Avenue," Sarwal said.

The magazine's lease is set to expire in Austin Centre. Michael Levy, Texas Monthly's founder and publisher, had appointed a committee to choose a new headquarters for the 35-year-old magazine.

Sarwal said Texas Monthly's management "had an interest in designing a space that was more conducive to the technology and space demands of today's media companies, while remaining in the city's core with pedestrian-friendly access to restaurants and retail shopping."

Jay Lamy and Liz Tucker of the Staubach Co. represented Texas Monthly in its search. The finalists included Austin Centre, which Levy said has been "a superb home for the magazine for 19 years."

The East Avenue building will have 176,000 square feet of office space, part of a total of 600,000 square feet planned in two buildings, including one with medical offices.

Bart Matheney and Chad Barrett of Aquila Commercial handle the marketing and leasing of the office space for East Avenue and negotiated Texas Monthly's lease for the developer.

Another office tenant will be West Lake Hills-based Treaty Oak Bank, which plans to open a 4,000-square-foot branch in the first office building.

East Avenue will also have a 17-story Andaz hotel, an upscale Global Hyatt Corp.-affiliated hotel that will have 210 rooms in addition to condominiums.

Plans also call for 1,450 residential units, including a 315-unit apartment complex to be built by AMLI Residential, and 325,000 square feet of retail space, including 30,000 square feet on the ground floor of the first office building.

Sarwal expects construction to start on the hotel and AMLI's apartments before the end of the summer.

Lehman Brothers funded the site-acquisition loan for the developer, East Avenue Investment Group LP; the East Avenue Investment Group owns all the equity in the project.

Concordia, a private Lutheran university, is moving from its approximately 23-acre site to the former Schlumberger Ltd. business campus off RM 620 in far Northwest Austin.

The college held ceremonies for the last class to graduate from its existing campus on Saturday at Riverbend Centre.

[alexjon]

Sprawlicious, but it's certainly creating a good environment for in-fill in the future

[priller]

Um, does anyone else think this is hideous?



If this thing actually gets built it goes immediately on my list of Austin's ugliest.

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by alexjon

Sprawlicious, but it's certainly creating a good environment for in-fill in the future

Please explain. Not sure what you mean. This is a rather dense development being built near downtown that takes advantage of a sparcely populated campus that is being given up by a private college. It is a hugh step for that area of town.It takes advantage of some height (yes, could have been taller) next to an otherwise undevelopable piece of land near the expressway and eases it's way into a single home neighborhood to the west. Seems like a nice in-fill development already. Do you think it should have been even denser? If so, where do you think that should have been? Interested to know.

[Dom"n"Converse]

Looks somewhat better than the great wall of Hyatt.

[JAM]

Originally Posted by priller

Um, does anyone else think this is hideous? If this thing actually gets built it goes immediately on my list of Austin's ugliest.

What's wrong priller? Don't you like the "I am legend" New York taken over by vegitation look?

[MichaelB]

OK.... I'll bite. I think it has potential. It will depend on the finishout. I like the mosaic/Mondrian graphic quality of the main building. "Could" be cool. Might not. When I first saw the drawings I did not like the big blank wall. Then I realized. That is what backs up to I 35... looks like it will have features that face west and will serve as a great visual and sound screen to the development. As for the green parts. Looks to me like a great way to enclose a parking garage. Add green elements and again put a sound barrier between the upper and lower decks of I35 and the offices. Agian, depending on the finish out.... this could be cool.

[M1EK]

Have to agree with Michael here. Sound absorbtion will be a big plus for this design given how ungodly noisy it is next to that abominable double-deck today.

[alexjon]

Originally Posted by MichaelB

Please explain. Not sure what you mean. This is a rather dense development being built near downtown that takes advantage of a sparcely populated campus that is being given up by a private college. It is a hugh step for that area of town.It takes advantage of some height (yes, could have been taller) next to an otherwise undevelopable piece of land near the expressway and eases it's way into a single home neighborhood to the west. Seems like a nice in-fill development already. Do you think it should have been even denser? If so, where do you think that should have been? Interested to know.

It's surrounded by parking lots

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by alexjon

It's surrounded by parking lots

Ah, I see what you are seeing in the rendering. Hey Kev, if you are around, do you have the links to the masterplan for this area? I looked in the listings but could not find it. alexjon, if I remember correct, there are areas of streetfront parking in front of some structures, but by and large it is very dense.... and most of the parking is garage based. Let's take a look!

[alexjon]

It's on the first page-- 5,000 parking spaces. The rendering shows that the hotel itself is hemmed in by the freeway on one end, and surrounded by street-front parking. The rendering also shows people unrealistically walking around all those parking lots.

[priller]

I guess I have the same problems with this as I do with the Monarch -- I just don't like randomness as a design element. I don't see it as adding visual interest, it looks more like clutter to me. But that's just me.

The green around the parking garage is a neat idea, actually, if they can maintain it. And I can certainly see the need for cutting down on traffic noise -- that's a good idea.

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by alexjon

It's on the first page-- 5,000 parking spaces. The rendering shows that the hotel itself is hemmed in by the freeway on one end, and surrounded by street-front parking. The rendering also shows people unrealistically walking around all those parking lots.

There is a link below with more info and maps . I believe the only street parking is the angles parking along the main street. There may be one small lot by the hotel, but the other diagram makes it look as thought that is ground level of a garage. Other than that I think the rest of the 5000 parking spaces are in garages! Look at that link.... it is very dense. (I truly am not trying to defend the project, I just understood the info to be different)

Priller: That same link shows the design references to the green design features. It is some cool stuff. . I was wondering myself how you maintain it!

As for the design..... Like I said, we'll see how it finishes out. I, like you and many others, do not like the orange on the Monarch, but in earlier renderings the same same graphic was shown in all neutrals.... silver squares. I liked the graphic when it was neutral.... then when the orange showed up... I thought it did not work. So.... lets see what happens! More than willing to buy you a beer if it sucks!

http://www.austinchamber.com/DoBusin...s/East_Ave.pdf

[greenbelt]

I'm with MichaelB here...then again I'm a fan of random and modern. Like both actually, traditional and modern. The grass wall is a nice art statement and the building, looks like glass walls incased by thin rails of rock facing, in what seems to be holding together the glass case (not sure what material that is, limestone maybe?). I'm sure it'll be super nice. I remember when the W Austin plans came out lots of people weren't so keen on it, and frankly I think it will be a modern beauty when complete.

We shall see. Cheers.