AUSTIN | Projects & Construction II

[messerproperties]

so how much per SF do yall think this "Austonian" character is going to cost?

obviously, this will be the premium residential high-rise in Austin. dam i wish i win the lotto!

[Strayone]

It's stunning, reminds me of something you would see in Chicago, the name says it all" The Austonian". People who live in it will have to learn how to say it with a bit of pompasity, with a bit of an accent like the guy in The Continental. Yeah "The Austinite" just does'nt quite sound right. So they seem to have the drop on T Stacey at this point. Wonder if it will push Staceys back some.

[KevinFromTexas]

I am in love with this building. Oh man, I hope it happens. I can't wait.

[greenbelt]

Originally Posted by Mopacs

I think its time for you to update your "Future Skyline" graphic!

haha, you got it mopacs, give me a week or two and i'll post an update.

[LookingUp]

Originally Posted by messerproperties

so how much per SF do yall think this "Austonian" character is going to cost?

obviously, this will be the premium residential high-rise in Austin. dam i wish i win the lotto!

These developments don't publish their PSF (per-square-feet) prices, but you can do the math after obtaining the square footage and prices for actual units. I had a realtor contact all the developments for their "asking prices." This is the result:

Novare 360 - $325-425 PSF
Spring ------- $325-450 PSF
The Shore --- $350-500 PSF
AquaTerra --- $350-550 PSF
Austonian ---- $450-600 PSF
Stacy --------- $500-700 PSF

We'll have to see how this plays out. These PSF prices have never worked in Austin. Breaking $300 PSF really limits the number of buyers that can afford them. None of the above projects actually have any "contractual" buyers yet. A refundable deposit for a reservation is a lot different than a Purchase and Sale agreement.

[Mopacs]

LOL.. I figured the "Austonian" announcement would push this thread over the top (2000+ posts). Count this post as 1998

Can't wait to see your Part II thread Kevin.. I too agree...the Austonian posts should be copied to kick off the thread in style. Its an ongoing topic of discussion, so it will be handy as a reference.

Keep up the good work!

EDIT:

Kevin, is it possible to add small thumbnail images of each building, in your skyscraper table listing? Perhaps thats overkill, but it would be cool to have a small photographic reference, with a link perhaps to a larger image and/or the images posted below it.

[ATLtransplant]

Wow! Congrats Austin, that building looks amazing. For some reason, (maybe someone can explain) I thought there was some sort of capital view corridor ordinance that limited building's heights on or near Congress Ave. How did the Austonian get around that?

[Mopacs]

2001, a space oddity!

ATL... there are a series of 30? narrow 'cone-shapped' corridors emanating outward from selected vantage points around the city (including the University of Texas' South Mall, Mount Bonnell, etc.), within which no structure can block the view of the capitol dome. If a structure is within such a corridor, its allowed height will depend on the distance from the designated vantage point and elevation of the terrain, among other factors. Can someone post a map/graphic of the corridors?

The Austonian site has no such restrictions, and the sky is the limit. In some cases, parts of a particular block will be wthin the corridor, while the other corner is not. To acheive a certain height, such buildings must include setbacks so as not to block the view. Many of us here in Austin feel that there are several corridors that can and should be removed... in many cases they are redundant (such as the I-35 corridor views).

Hope I'm making sense here...

EDIT:

Oops, this is post 2002!

[DanE008]

Man this is great news! For a while there I was concerned about whether this project would make it. Anyways, the design changes were for the best and we still have the post office development which also does not have a view corridor so the sky is the limit for downtown Austin!

[kazpmk]

pg one looks great. lots of projects in austin.

[Trae]

This thread is going to be big, too.

[pyropius]

Woo-hoo Austin! And thanks Kevin for putting this together.

This page one is only missing one thing - an updated Lego model of downtown including all the projects proposed and under construction.

[Mopacs]

The Spring website has an updated graphic/rendering of the skyline, with the tower superimposed (far left):

http://www.springaustin.com

[LiveattheOasis]

That's the most impressive website I have seen yet for any of the buildings going up in Austin. I can't wait until Spring gets off the ground!

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by crewer

...I'd say we're teetering on the line of overbuilding...

If all of the buildings being proposed for Austin came online within a year of each other, then I'd agree that we're teetering on the brink of "overbuilding." But, as of now, most of these projects are going to come online in phases between now and 2011.

Originally Posted by crewer

...Shonda Novak has done the same thing that other reporters have done all over the country. She used a real estate agent, in this case, Charles Heimsath, to be the spokesperson and "expert" on the need for downtown housing...

Actually, Mr. Heimsath is neither a real estate salesperson (agent) nor a broker. In fact, he's the president of Capitol Market Research, an Austin-based firm which provides clients with real estate research, land development economics and market analysis. He's a extremely well respected in the Austin community and is an awfully nice guy - so please cut him some slack. He know's what he's talking about and has no vested interest in puffing Austin's current real estate situation. Thus, he’s usually the one Shonda calls upon for "expert" analysis!

[KevinFromTexas]

Nice rendering for Spring.

Originally Posted by pyropius

This page one is only missing one thing - an updated Lego model of downtown including all the projects proposed and under construction.

Here's the most recent pic of the model, (from around November I believe), with some of the proposed buildings labeled. Most of these don't show the actual designs, just their relative heights, sizes and locations.

[AustinGuy]

Wow, this is a great forum about Austin!

As far as "The Austonian" goes, the name is awful, but the building looks great.

When perusing their website, I found something that makes it obvious who these condos are targeted to. Just click on the "Equal Housing Notice" link on the bottom right corner of the page and you get:

"EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY; WARNING: THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF REAL ESTATE HAS NOT INSPECTED, EXAMINED OR QUALIFIED THIS OFFERING. ..."

I guess so many Californians are going to buy in The Austonian that the state of California needs to inspect it!

[MichaelB]

Re: Spring. One thing (of many) that I found interesting when I visited the Spring preview center is that they included none of the other building that are in construction on either their model or rendering. No Monarch, no 360, no AMLI, no ALtavista....and not a hint of what might be coming infront of them with the potential Gabels site....much less the power plant site.... curious. I remember looking at the Austin City Lofts when they were built and the sales folks there insisting that nothing could be built to block their views. Ooooops. (Monarch) BTW, I actully had the nerve to point all this out at the sales center to my friend whom I was helping thru a decission process and to the woman who was in charge of the center. Ooooops again, it was fun to see her try to play off the impact! Actually I really think it is not an issue, just funny how they are excluding the info!

[GoldenBoot]

[QUOTE=MichaelB]Re: Spring. One thing (of many) that I found interesting when I visited the Spring preview center is that they included none of the other building that are in construction on either their model or rendering. No Monarch, no 360, no AMLI, no ALtavista....and not a hint of what might be coming infront of them with the potential Gabels site....much less the power plant site.... curious...QUOTE]

I would wager a guess that the object of focus for the Spring's preview center is...The Spring. It takes time and costs money to develop computer renderings and physical models. It is not in their interest to spend that time and money placing other people’s projects in their renderings/models. In other words, why provide free advertising to the Monarch, 360, W Hotel & Residences, Altavida, Austonian, etc. when you want people to be interested in and buy your product? Just a thought...

Nonetheless, it would be great to see an actual computer rendering/model of what Austin’s downtown may look like in 2010 (even if it’s rendering/model depicting only half of the proposals). Maybe we should ask the Austin Downtown Alliance or DANA (Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association) to put something together, if they haven’t already.

[LookingUp]

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

Actually, Mr. Heimsath is neither a real estate salesperson (agent) nor a broker. In fact, he's the president of Capitol Market Research, an Austin-based firm which provides clients with real estate research, land development economics and market analysis. He's a extremely well respected in the Austin community and is an awfully nice guy - so please cut him some slack. He know's what he's talking about and has no vested interest in puffing Austin's current real estate situation. Thus, he’s usually the one Shonda calls upon for "expert" analysis!

For $10,000 Heimseth will cast any project in positive terms. He never has a "negative" anaylsis because nobody will pay for that. He was paid by Austonian.

Austonian is horrible name, btw - sounds like a place for blue-haired ladies. But, it's a great looking building. Maybe they'll come up with a great name - they have 3 years.