Mueller Area Development Updates

[chinchaaa]

Originally Posted by papertowelroll

Making the orange/blue go to the Domain seems pointless given that the red line is already there.. it'd make more sense to just make the red line less shitty (double tracking, more trains, maybe even electrify it?) and then people can ride the red line to Crestview and connect to orange/blue from there.

For Mueller, a connector rail up 51st/45th to the triangle and beyond would be cool. (I selfishly write as someone who lives in that area). Agree with you as far as rail from Mueller to downtown goes. it's a shame the red line doesn't go through there, but I suppose that would make its route even more convoluted.

My dream route would be a light rail line starting in Oak Hill, going up 290 and then Lamar through downtown over to Manor and up to Mueller and ending in Windsor Park.

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by chinchaaa

My dream route would be a light rail line starting in Oak Hill, going up 290 and then Lamar through downtown over to Manor and up to Mueller and ending in Windsor Park.

My dream is to just re-route the Red Line thru the median of Airport in between I-35 and Manor.

[H2O]

Another Morning History Lesson: Early in the Mueller planning process (which was also early in the light rail planning process before the 2000 election defeat), it was proposed to take the Red Line (which at that point would have been LRT) down 51st to Berkman (which was originally designed to accommodate rail in the median) to Manor and back to the Red Line (at that point I think it was actually designated as green in the planning maps).

After the 2000 defeat and switch to DMU commuter rail on the red line, Cap Metro examined various circulators to the red line, including streetcar through Mueller and down Manor (Future Connections). Then Cap Metro ran into financial trouble and their lead consultant for Future Connections was hired by the City as the new Transportation Director. So the City took over the study, and it morphed into the not-quite-to-the-airport to Highland Mall line that left out Mueller and was again defeated at the polls. That is now the Gold Line that may be BRT and maybe eventually be upgraded to LRT.

I'd still like to see a streetcar circulator to compliment the Project Connect LRT lines, particularly on Congress Avenue and maybe connecting in the Capitol Complex and UT. That has gotten more difficult with the North Congress and Speedway Malls, and the potential for LRT serving both edges of the campuses. I think Mueller is a little too far for streetcar, and not far enough for LRT unless it is along the route of a longer radial line like South Lamar to Colony Park. I agree Cameron Road deserves better transit, but it would probably make more sense to connect to Highland (Red and Gold lines) than Mueller.

[Geckos_Rule]

Originally Posted by chinchaaa

My dream route would be a light rail line starting in Oak Hill, going up 290 and then Lamar through downtown over to Manor and up to Mueller and ending in Windsor Park.

That'd be nice. Though I can't see any possibility of a rail line extending to Oak Hill with the current density. $ is just better spent elsewhere where the rail would get more use. That said, it would be awesome to have something going from the wal-mart/best buy/target area of Mopac/290, all the way up Lamar and down Manor. I think we will desperately be wanting an east/west route through or near campus...

That exact route is already a part of Project Connect, it's just that it's on the MetroRapid side of things, rather than actual rail.

That said, I think another dream route would be basically replacing the "gold line" MetroRapid routes with rail, which would give a solid pipeline between downtown, South Congress, riverside etc. to the Campus area. Particularly for UT Football/Basketball games and events in those statiums, it'd be very nice to have a real transit option outside of there. And UT could certainly benefit from having a lesser need for parking...

[drummer]

I could feasibly see a commuter route that goes out to the Hill Country Galleria as a terminus, but I'm not sure the demand is there at the moment, to your Oak Hill point. If anything, I'd see it meet up with the Green Line heading east. I don't see an argument for LRT going west.

Re: Mueller, I'd love to see a streetcar circulator meet up at a not-yet-in-existence Hancock Station built next to a not-yet-in-existence-but-redeveloped Hancock Center with high density.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by papertowelroll

Making the orange/blue go to the Domain seems pointless given that the red line is already there.. it'd make more sense to just make the red line less shitty (double tracking, more trains, maybe even electrify it?) and then people can ride the red line to Crestview and connect to orange/blue from there.

That's like saying light rail downtown is pointless, given that the red line is already there.

The NBG area is the largest residential/jobs center outside of downtown. If it develops according to current plans there'll probably be _more_ people living there than downtown.

Making people ride the red line for one station and make a transfer slows down those trips and uses capacity that could/should be used for people coming from further out (Lakeline, McNeil, long term Robinson Ranch).

It'll be an interesting cost comparison between extending the blue for ~4 miles vs. electrifying 32 miles of the red line (or potentially 20 miles if Leander leaves).

[H2O]

Originally Posted by Novacek

That's like saying light rail downtown is pointless, given that the red line is already there.

The NBG area is the largest residential/jobs center outside of downtown. If it develops according to current plans there'll probably be _more_ people living there than downtown.

Making people ride the red line for one station and make a transfer slows down those trips and uses capacity that could/should be used for people coming from further out (Lakeline, McNeil, long term Robinson Ranch).

It'll be an interesting cost comparison between extending the blue for ~4 miles vs. electrifying 32 miles of the red line (or potentially 20 miles if Leander leaves).

I suspect double tracking and electrifying all the way to Leander would be less expensive than 4 miles of in street running LRT. No utility adjustments, no repaving, no streetscaping and no traffic signal work. And it would probably be faster, with a dedicated ROW and priority at crossing signals vs operating at street speed limits and governed by traffic signals. Of course, LRT would be closer to where people are and want to be and might get higher ridership by being more accessible. There are trade-offs but I think prioritizing other corridors without any rail might make more sense.

[uhhh_idk]

What are the 3 big cranes up in Mueller for? They look really tall for the typical development in the area. Wondering if I missed something big going in there

[H2O]

Originally Posted by uhhh_idk

What are the 3 big cranes up in Mueller for? They look really tall for the typical development in the area. Wondering if I missed something big going in there

They are for the Parkside at Mueller condo development, the Teachers Retirement System office building and AMLI Aldrich Street mixed-use apartments. The Parkside crane is quite a bit taller than would normally be required for a 6 story building, I think because it has to clear the TRS crane across Simond.

[Syndic]

They're making some good progress on Northeast Middle School.

https://www.austinisd.org/constructi.../new-northeast



Rendering:

[427MM]

Really enjoy the way Mueller is coming together. Excited for District 9 to get new representation on City Council and hope for better bike/ped connections from this area in all directions of Austin.

[gillynova]

Mueller Farmers Market:

[Mopacs]

We had a great aerial view of Mueller just prior to landing at ABIA last weekend. Quite impressive.

[chinchaaa]

What a great development!

[The ATX]

I'm surprised that there are still three blocks left to be developed - unless any of it is dedicated to parkland.

[Mopacs]

It would be nice if a few 10+ story buildings could be added to the mix. Not too likely at this point I would assume.

[enragedcamel]

Originally Posted by Mopacs

It would be nice if a few 10+ story buildings could be added to the mix. Not too likely at this point I would assume.

Yeah, I spend a lot of time in Mueller, and every single time I visit I get depressed by its wasted potential. They could have made it a satellite-downtown. Instead they made it a mini-Domain.

[Syndic]

It's okay to like and appreciate it for what it is.

[kingkirbythe....]

Originally Posted by enragedcamel

Yeah, I spend a lot of time in Mueller, and every single time I visit I get depressed by its wasted potential. They could have made it a satellite-downtown. Instead they made it a mini-Domain.

Yuuup!

It was a huge missed opportunity.

[Urbannizer]

This is just north of Mueller.

Divided Board of Adjustment rejects site plan appeal

https://www.austinmonitor.com/storie...e-plan-appeal/

A divided Board of Adjustment on Wednesday rejected a site plan appeal organized by the Windsor Park Neighborhood Association related to the redevelopment of the Windsor Village shopping center at 5900 Westminster Drive. What was once a small shopping center offering neighbors a chance to walk to shops and restaurants will now be transformed into a Vertical Mixed-Use development dominated by apartment buildings with some live-work space.

Neighbors who had agreed to VMU thinking they would be able to continue to eat tacos, buy clothing and run errands in the new development were shocked when they learned that most of the shops and dining areas would be eliminated. Instead, there will 405 apartments. As neighbor Kathryn Faehl wrote, “Increasing the density while substantially reducing the commercial space on the site is contrary to both common sense and Austin’s goals for a compact and accessible city.”

Although the final vote was 7-4 to reject the appeal, a majority of board members expressed dissatisfaction with their choices and promised to work to clarify parts of the Land Development Code related to VMU zoning. Only a supermajority vote could overturn staff members’ decision on a site plan, according to Assistant City Attorney Chad Shaw, but upholding the staff position required only a majority vote.

The shopping center in question.