AUSTIN | Project Updates Thread Part II

[kingkirbythe....]

Reclaiming East Austin’s Defunct Holly Street Power Plant Starts Now

https://austin.towers.net/reclaiming...nt-starts-now/

The long saga of decommissioning East Austin’s controversial Holly Street Power Plant shifts into a new gear this month, only a short 14 years after the facility’s 2007 closure. The plant generated electricity for 47 years at the eastern shore of Lady Bird Lake in the Holly neighborhood, but ceased operations after years of protest by nearby residents over its environmental impact — now, after more than a decade of planning efforts, the site hosted a groundbreaking event last weekend commemorating the start of phase one improvements to the shoreline in this area. For a project that’s often made us feel like the whole city’s moving in slow motion, it’s a good start

[StoOgE]

Originally Posted by kingkirbythe....

Reclaiming East Austin’s Defunct Holly Street Power Plant Starts Now

https://austin.towers.net/reclaiming...nt-starts-now/

The long saga of decommissioning East Austin’s controversial Holly Street Power Plant shifts into a new gear this month, only a short 14 years after the facility’s 2007 closure. The plant generated electricity for 47 years at the eastern shore of Lady Bird Lake in the Holly neighborhood, but ceased operations after years of protest by nearby residents over its environmental impact — now, after more than a decade of planning efforts, the site hosted a groundbreaking event last weekend commemorating the start of phase one improvements to the shoreline in this area. For a project that’s often made us feel like the whole city’s moving in slow motion, it’s a good start

Thank god - that part of the lake is always a little scary - though I will miss the little graffiti wall on the current trail.

[kingkirbythe....]

Can Austin Take Back the Drag?

https://austin.towers.net/can-austin...back-the-drag/

West Campus isn’t downtown Austin, but downtown Austin could learn a thing or two from West Campus. This student-populated neighborhood directly west of the University of Texas is sort of like the city’s own little laboratory for urban design, and though it’s generally outside this blog’s area of coverage, the vertical expansion of this district over the course of the last decade or so is truly remarkable even by Austin standards. After the 2004 approval of the University Neighborhood Overlay (UNO), a plan providing new construction in the district with additional density and height beyond typical zoning in exchange for affordable housing and other benefits, the neighborhood is essentially unrecognizable from its previous life.

[Atom_Mirny]

"Initial plans for the transformation of the "Statesman PUD" site that could bring a new landmark development to the south shore of Lady Bird Lake are progressing and could be finalized in early 2022.

...the new campus would feature towers ranging in height from 150 feet on the property's eastern edge to more than 500 feet off South Congress. That new skyline would be made up of two office buildings surrounded by residential towers with a lakefront view, one including a hotel.

By use, the proposal is broken up into 1.65 million square feet of residential space, 1.5 million square feet of office space, a 220,000-square-foot hotel and 150,000 square feet of mixed commercial space."

https://communityimpact.com/austin/c...-on-into-2022/

[Echostatic]

Arguably the biggest news:

The high-rise towers are envisioned with ground-floor stores or restaurants and walkable spaces between the buildings, adjacent streets and the waterfront trail. And almost all, 95%, of the property's new parking would be placed underground. Jerry Rusthoven, assistant director of the city housing department, cited the lack of above-ground parking as "a very huge get" from the city's PUD negotiations.

[drummer]

I like it! I like that there is a grid coming to the area and I like that they saved a chunk of park space by for the "unofficial bat viewing area" at the Congress Ave. bridge. I do think the intersection at Barton Springs is a little wonky, but I can get over that pretty easily.

[SproutingTowers]

Another link about the Waterfront project.

https://www.virtualbx.com/constructi...front-project/

[Echostatic]

The new massings are more detailed, and the hotel component has switched buildings. But the building heights are unchanged from the original 2019 plans. The square footage is slightly refined which reflects the new designs.

Old:


New:

[austlar1]

Will the new street grid and green spaces adjacent to Town Lake remain private property or will the city have jurisdiction over the outdoor areas?

[Dariusb]

At the rate the city is building more vertically, it'll become the densest city in the state.

[drummer]

Originally Posted by Dariusb

At the rate the city is building more vertically, it'll become the densest city in the state.

It definitely seems to be heading in that direction.

[We vs us]

Here's a fun little timelapse on the Downtown Austin Alliance site. Shows all the stuff we should expect to see built in the next decade (that we know of).

https://downtownaustin.com/authoriza...where-we-serve

EDIT: somewhat predictably, we know about a lot of other planned projects that didn't make it into this timelapse.

[drummer]

That's pretty cool to see like that. Again, still begging to have some CVCs removed that will be pointless if/when I-35 hopefully/inevitably/just-may-happen-but-we'll-see get the cap and stitch solution.

[chinchaaa]

Still nothing on the Post Office block! I really hope we get something absolutely amazing there.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by chinchaaa

Still nothing on the Post Office block! I really hope we get something absolutely amazing there.

It defies logic, honestly. We're getting 600+ ft buildings announced on the reg, and still nothing but total silence about that block. Not even a hint.

[SproutingTowers]

Originally Posted by chinchaaa

Still nothing on the Post Office block! I really hope we get something absolutely amazing there.

Does the federal government still own this parcel? And what about the site the State of Texas decided to sell across Hotel ZaZa?

[migol24]

I've been staying in Brooklyn for the whole month. This is the view from my room overlooking downtown Brooklyn. This is the kind of tower I would like to see in Austin as a signature tower, especially on that post office block.

If you scroll down on this page, you'll get a good rendering of it.

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...212048&page=10

Edit:

Oh right, I forgot. I can't post photos from Instagram on this page for whatever reason. Anyways, here's the link to my Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXmQjYlF...dium=copy_link

[myBrain]

Originally Posted by migol24

I've been staying in Brooklyn for the whole month. This is the view from my room overlooking downtown Brooklyn. This is the kind of tower I would like to see in Austin as a signature tower, especially on that post office block.

If you scroll down on this page, you'll get a good rendering of it.

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...212048&page=10

Edit:

Oh right, I forgot. I can't post photos from Instagram on this page for whatever reason. Anyways, here's the link to my Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXmQjYlF...dium=copy_link

Yeah, that's my favorite building going up in the world right now. The facade materials are incredible. I want to see some copper in our skyline.

Architect is SHoP, who also did 111 w57th - one of my other favorite buildings in recent years. I'd love for them to score a contract down here.

Also, last time I was in NY I stayed in DT Brooklyn, and there was an Alamo in the complex we were staying in, a Whole Foods down the street, and in the first bar we went into they were having a special on Austin Eastciders. We were like, "we just came to the Austin of New York!"

[migol24]

Originally Posted by myBrain

Yeah, that's my favorite building going up in the world right now. The facade materials are incredible. I want to see some copper in our skyline.

Architect is SHoP, who also did 111 w57th - one of my other favorite buildings in recent years. I'd love for them to score a contract down here.

Also, last time I was in NY I stayed in DT Brooklyn, and there was an Alamo in the complex we were staying in, a Whole Foods down the street, and in the first bar we went into they were having a special on Austin Eastciders. We were like, "we just came to the Austin of New York!"

Yeah, I went to that Alamo to watch House of Gucci. And they seem to really sell those Austin Eastciders at just about every bar I've been to here in NYC. There's also a Brooklyn Kolache just down the street from me. Most people don't seem to realize that here but Kolaches are mostly a Texas thing. And they have one here and also one in SoHo. That one tripped me out the most. Owner is from Texas, apparently.

Back to the tower. I just don't see any tower of that caliber ever going up in Austin. Not in this skyscraper boom at least. And if that lot on 3rd and Congress gets developed by those Hudson Yard people, the tower might turn into something nice but nothing compared to that one in Brooklyn. It is a beauty. Too bad I can't share my photo.

[the Genral]

Good Lord Brooklyn has changed so much since I've been there back in the 70s and 80s. Burnt out buildings block after block except where the Mafia reigned. I'd loved to go back and visit but I'm pretty sure everyone I knew there are gone.