AUSTIN | Projects & Construction II - Page 26

KevinFromTexas · #**501** Posted **Apr 17, 2007, 8:54 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strayone

I have been following the 360 Novare's camera almost daily. They are on the 16th floor from what I can tell. The building grows about 1 floor every week at this point. The 17th floor is the terrace level and from that level the structure is significantly narrower, 1/2 the width of the lower 17 floors. My question is, will this impact how fast the upper levels will rise? Or will it take more time than it has due to difficulties that occur the higher a building rises.

The 360 site shows all the floorplans in an array of levels, if you scroll over the floorplans on any level it shows if the units are sold out. It looks like many of the corner units are no longer available, but alot of the smaller middle units are available. Recently someone posted that the building was 85% sold out. It sure looks like more than 15% are available from what their site would indicate. Is there something that I'm missing in the equation? I would be surprised if they allready sold 85% of the units at this time since it won't even be ready until late next year. Just wondering.

I can't speak personally for Novare, but it should make construction move faster. Less area to construct, equals less time to build each floor, thus making each floor quicker to build making the tower rise faster. By the way, the 17th level is at 174 feet 2 inches high, making it just 2 feet shorter than the Austin City Lofts at that point, and the same height as The Plaza on Republic Square. After about the 20th floor it should hit 200 feet then.

Mopacs · #**502** Posted **Apr 18, 2007, 2:48 PM**

Here's a few random shots from this morning, a VERY clear and sunny morning at that. These were taken from the midtown area, about 2 miles north of the UT campus:

Overall shot... notice AMLI2 on the far right...

The Monarch .. its 14-story neighbor, Austin City Lofts, barely appears above the tree line.

Zoomed in...

more West Campus construction

10-story parking garage well underway

UT Royal Memorial Stadium expansion (only cranes are visible at this point)

SW Austin/The Terrace

Panned out shot, including The Triangle development in foreground

Saddle Man · #**503** Posted **Apr 18, 2007, 3:37 PM**

The Shore sales office at 5th and Colorado started coming down this past Monday.

MichaelB · #**504** Posted **Apr 19, 2007, 1:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingkirbythegreat

The Shore sales office at 5th and Colorado started coming down this past Monday.

That's interesting..... any idea why that would be? Sold enough? Lease ran out?

KevinFromTexas · #**505** Posted **Apr 19, 2007, 1:42 AM**

Awesome! Thanks, Mopacs! I always enjoy seeing your pictures from this angle. This is such an unusual view. Notice how Saint Ed's is poking up there, and oddly enough to the left of the UT Tower, (our other grand tower of higher learning). That view will disappear for sure once Altavida and Block 21 top out.

And from the pic with The Monarch rising, it apppears that it's hit 200 feet now. Austin City Lofts across the street from The Monarch, is 176 feet tall to the mechanical penthouse and The Monarch is easily 25 to 30 feet higher now.

Also you got a shot of my area of town, South Austin. South Austin Hospital Tower to the left on the horizon. That water tower on the hill to the right is just a block north of William Cannon Drive - and less than 3/4 of a mile from my house. At night we can see the air craft warning light on it from our driveway through the trees.

ivanwolf · #**506** Posted **Apr 19, 2007, 3:55 AM**

Hey all, I went by the campus construction and the signs say The Quarters. www.quartersoncampus.com is the web site. There are quite a few blocks under construction. The red and white crain up is working on some concrete pilings sticking up the base retail area now. The yellow crane is working on the parking garage, seem like it will be a big one with some Apt. faceing Rio Grande, not sure if it will have any on the sides. And just today I noticed that they are creating another crain to the right (pic above) or North and slightly East of the other construction. I took pics with my phone but they are horrible.

KevinFromTexas · #**507** Posted **Apr 19, 2007, 4:26 AM**

I'm really interested in seeing the views from that 10-story parking garage once it's complete. Should be a cool view.

GoldenBoot · #**508** Posted **Apr 19, 2007, 4:55 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelB

That's interesting..... any idea why that would be? Sold enough? Lease ran out?

They sold out. There was a "Thank You Austin" sign out front about a week ago...

MichaelB · #**509** Posted **Apr 19, 2007, 5:57 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

They sold out. There was a "Thank You Austin" sign out front about a week ago...

That;s cool..... how about that?

GoldenBoot · #**510** Posted **Apr 19, 2007, 9:46 PM**

Investors Alliance, Gallery Lombardi move to West 7th digs

Wednesday, April 18, 2007
AUSTIN BUSINESS JOURNAL

A group of businesses, including local brokerage firm Investors Alliance Inc., have relocated to a new home on West Seventh Street to make room for construction of the Spring condominium project.

Gallery Lombardi, Roscoe Management and Investors Alliance are sharing space in a 4,200-square-foot building at 602 West Seventh St., across the street from restaurant Ranch 616. All three businesses moved from a building on the 900-block of West Third Street earlier this month. That building is on the site where the 42-story Spring condos is set to go up later this year.

Diana Zuniga, president of Investors Alliance, says a private partnership purchased the new building allowing her to move her seven-person staff so that demolition can begin on the old site before the end of April.

"This is really where everything is happening," says Zuniga of the western edge of downtown.

Also, as a partner in the $70 million Spring tower, Zuniga wanted to be close to the project's sales office, which is right next door.

_________________________________________________________________

ALSO...

Today, I saw several people analyzing plans for the Legacy at Town Lake at the site of the proposed building. I guess we should stay tuned...

LiveattheOasis · #**511** Posted **Apr 20, 2007, 1:25 AM**

Man I want to see the cranes downtown around November, it could really be something to behold.

KevinFromTexas · #**512** Posted **Apr 20, 2007, 2:35 AM**

Fantastic!

ivanwolf · #**513** Posted **Apr 20, 2007, 2:57 AM**

I noticed that the R40 site on the emerging projects on the south side of Riverside east of Congress has some earth moving going on. I noticed cause the big dirt truck nearly cut me off. Any word on what Riverside Resources has in mind other that some condos and live/work space, any renderings?

Also last weekend i noticed what seemed to be some guys doing a core drilling next to the Bitter End, any word on what planned there?

And see www.walmart-northcross.com for more renderings and a huge site plan. They sent out a flyer by mail that I got today.

Strayone · #**514** Posted **Apr 20, 2007, 4:17 AM**

This (below) is part of the mission statement on the link above. It's a bunch of hooey! They distinctly told the opposing group that the 2 main concerns: Hours and Size, were not part of the discussion. After reconsidering the outcry, they reduced the hrs from 24 hrs a day to open from 5am to 2am. They decreased the size from 200,000 sq ft. to 190,000 sq. ft. wow 5% and who shops from 2-5 in the morning? Why you may ask do I care? Well I live 6 blocks from NorthCross! This will go from a very underused area to a very overused area, based on what I see surrounding other Super Walmarts.

Walmart needs to consider what a store normally found along a highway will do to an urban area. It's always got to be some monstrousity these days, whether it were them or Target or whoever. God its too bad HEB didn't think of anchoring this spot, and not an HEB Plus, and then have the usual smallish chainstores surrounding it. Below is part of what the site states.

Since November 2006, Wal-Mart has willingly engaged with the City of Austin and surrounding neighborhood associations to initiate a dialogue and input process in order to ensure this project meets the needs of the neighbors and community.

We promised these groups that we would listen and work with them and the City of Austin to address many of the community’s concerns to make this the best project possible.

M1EK · #**515** Posted **Apr 20, 2007, 3:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strayone

Walmart needs to consider what a store normally found along a highway will do to an urban area.

Hate to see such misrepresentation infecting this site as well as everywhere else. The typical pattern outside Texas is for big boxes (even really big ones) to be located on major arterial roadways - often miles away from the nearest 'highway'. (Note that roads with the word 'highway' in the name don't always qualify - like Federal Highway in South Florida which is actually a major arterial roadway).

Closest Wal-Mart to my parents' house in Boca Raton, for instance, is on Military Trail near Linton Blvd. - a good two miles or so away from I-95.

And this idea that it's right in the middle of a neighborhood is bogus too. By that standard, almost every retail site in this area qualifies.

Saddle Man · #**516** Posted **Apr 20, 2007, 3:49 PM**

The ABJ says Gables is going to build a mix-use highrise where Fox & Hound is now at 4th and Guadalupe.

tildahat · #**517** Posted **Apr 20, 2007, 4:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by M1EK

And this idea that it's right in the middle of a neighborhood is bogus too. By that standard, almost every retail site in this area qualifies.

What are you talking about? Look at the site plan:

http://www.walmart-northcross.com/files/site_plan.gif

Surrounded on all sides by single family houses!

Oh wait....

Saddle Man · #**518** Posted **Apr 20, 2007, 4:54 PM**

Today's ABJ says that: Gables bought the Fox & Hound property at 4th and Guadalupe from local investors for an undisclosed price, plans aren't finalized yet, sources say Gables is planning a mix-use tower w/ apartments and ground floor retail, zoned for 8-to-1 floor-to-area, not in a view corridor, the property can support nearly 140,000 square feet of enclosed space, and up to 70,000 square feet of parking.

Mopacs · #**519** Posted **Apr 20, 2007, 4:56 PM**

360 has now reached its 16th floor, as of yesterday, which is the location of the first setback. From this point forward, the broad-side of the tower will be nearly half its current width (starting slightly to the right of the core, in the following picture).

Here's the webcam capture as of this morning.... some work has already begun on the 17th floor:

http://novare.oxblue.com/austin360/index.html

GoldenBoot · #**520** Posted **Apr 20, 2007, 5:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivanwolf

I noticed that the R40 site on the emerging projects on the south side of Riverside east of Congress has some earth moving going on. I noticed cause the big dirt truck nearly cut me off. Any word on what Riverside Resources has in mind other that some condos and live/work space, any renderings?

It's the "Crescent Machinery" site (147 E. Riverside Dr.), I assume of which you are speaking.

No public renderings as of yet. In fact, I'm not sure a site plan has been approved by the city.

In any case, plans call for a 5-story structure which includes 3,000 SF of street-level retail, 3,200 SF of office space and 162 apartments, condos or mix. Vertical construction is expected to start within the coming months.