AUSTIN | Project Updates Thread Part II - Page 398

kingkirbythe.... · #**7941** Posted **Feb 22, 2022, 5:12 PM**

Public Notice: Zilker Park Vision Still Cloudy

It’s hard planning for the future, when humans insist on living in the present

https://www.austinchronicle.com/news...-still-cloudy/

The city Parks and Recreation Department and lead consultants Design Workshop presented the latest iteration of the Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan Tuesday night, Feb. 15, to a Zoom crowd of a little over 100 – and if that seems like a small sample to be giving feedback on such an iconic piece of land in a city of over a million people, yes, that point was noted by several participants. But public outreach is hard in the best of times, and these are not they.

...

If you have to pick one, the only way to go is A.

Concept A: Stitch. This one features the single most dramatic feature presented in any of the plans: a land bridge connecting the two sides of the park – essentially a large man-made hill built over Barton Springs road, with the road tunneling through it, and a massive 1,700-car underground parking garage nearby. That enables the removal of most all of the current small lots scattered around the park and a number of roads as well; both concepts A and B would remove vehicular traffic from Lou Neff Road, (the circle drive around the Great Lawn), and reconfigure Stratford Drive to run along MoPac instead of through the park.

drummer · #**7942** Posted **Feb 22, 2022, 6:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingkirbythe....

Public Notice: Zilker Park Vision Still Cloudy

It’s hard planning for the future, when humans insist on living in the present

https://www.austinchronicle.com/news...-still-cloudy/

The city Parks and Recreation Department and lead consultants Design Workshop presented the latest iteration of the Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan Tuesday night, Feb. 15, to a Zoom crowd of a little over 100 – and if that seems like a small sample to be giving feedback on such an iconic piece of land in a city of over a million people, yes, that point was noted by several participants. But public outreach is hard in the best of times, and these are not they.

...

If you have to pick one, the only way to go is A.

Concept A: Stitch. This one features the single most dramatic feature presented in any of the plans: a land bridge connecting the two sides of the park – essentially a large man-made hill built over Barton Springs road, with the road tunneling through it, and a massive 1,700-car underground parking garage nearby. That enables the removal of most all of the current small lots scattered around the park and a number of roads as well; both concepts A and B would remove vehicular traffic from Lou Neff Road, (the circle drive around the Great Lawn), and reconfigure Stratford Drive to run along MoPac instead of through the park.

I like the land bridge connectivity. Pretty cool. I also kinda sorta support the removal of cars from Lou Neff. Unsure of how the parking would work, however. Where would the stated "massive" underground garage be located? What about traffic to and from?

I do appreciate the one comment on the article stating that it isn't a park that solely belongs to the nearby neighborhood associations, but to everyone.

We vs us · #**7943** Posted **Feb 22, 2022, 7:25 PM**

Anyone heard anything about the fate of the Hobby Building? Chasing down a weird comment on an reddit/Austin thread that seemed pretty sure that it would be demolished this summer after the workers relocated to one of the new state buildings being built north of the capitol. I know, it's a comment on a message board . . . but seemed worth tracking down if anyone's heard anything.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comm...eb2x&context=3

StoOgE · #**7944** Posted **Feb 22, 2022, 8:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by We vs us

Anyone heard anything about the fate of the Hobby Building? Chasing down a weird comment on an reddit/Austin thread that seemed pretty sure that it would be demolished this summer after the workers relocated to one of the new state buildings being built north of the capitol. I know, it's a comment on a message board . . . but seemed worth tracking down if anyone's heard anything.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comm...eb2x&context=3

That time-frame seems a bit aggressive but we have heard from multiple folks here that the building is mostly empty and the few remaining will be gone soon enough.

Its prime prime real estate right where the new subway station will be and no CVC restrictions.

austin242 · #**7945** Posted **Feb 22, 2022, 9:05 PM**

I may be one of the only ones who thinks this but I really like the hobby building. With just a little spruce up it could really be a great building. The orientation is great and the building itself adds a uniqueness to the area.

chinchaaa · #**7946** Posted **Feb 22, 2022, 10:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by austin242

I may be one of the only ones who thinks this but I really like the hobby building. With just a little spruce up it could really be a great building. The orientation is great and the building itself adds a uniqueness to the area.

from what we've heard, the interior needs to be completely gutted. there are rats and other critters running the hallways. i would imagine that + fixing the outside would make it cost prohibitive. let's get something in there with some actual pedestrian interaction and more housing for our growing city. less filler crap like this! i hope the state garage on the other side of republic square is next.

Mopacs · #**7947** Posted **Feb 22, 2022, 10:41 PM**

I always liked the dark reddish glass.

We vs us · #**7948** Posted **Feb 22, 2022, 10:58 PM**

It's definitely an interesting building, and unique in a downtown that is rapidly modernizing towards the blockier and glassier.

But man, it's just deeply inefficient in a place where we need to maximize, among other things, efficient use of space. Also, pests aren't cool.

Lobotomizer · #**7949** Posted **Feb 22, 2022, 11:11 PM**

I just hope they don't knock it down before a financed project is ready to replace it.

An empty building is bad, but another massive parking lot would be worse, especially considering The Republic may finally be ridding the city of that horrendous parking lot.

ThyPiGuy · #**7950** Posted **Feb 23, 2022, 12:13 AM**

Man, hard disagree. "Interesting" is about the nicest thing that can be said about it. 3 different designs by 3 different brothers, none of them particularly good.

The worst part of the building is it has *0* street front interaction in an area that needs all it can get, minus a useless plaza, no retail, and it has an awful pedestrian experience with parking entrances cutting off sidewalks.

I certainly hope whatever replaces it keeps some of the texture the building brings in a sea of glass boxes around it, but otherwise good riddance.

Maximusx1 · #**7951** Posted **Feb 23, 2022, 12:55 AM**

This is where I want a downtown HEB with a tower on top please.

austlar1 · #**7952** Posted **Feb 23, 2022, 1:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maximusx1

This is where I want a downtown HEB with a tower on top please.

Rainey area certainly could benefit from an urban HEB. I wonder whether HEB is ready to go down that road just yet. Wouldn't they need dedicated parking as part of the package? Kind of like Whole Foods on Lamar?

Maximusx1 · #**7953** Posted **Feb 23, 2022, 1:23 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by austlar1

Rainey area certainly could benefit from an urban HEB. I wonder whether HEB is ready to go down that road just yet. Wouldn't they need dedicated parking as part of the package? Kind of like Whole Foods on Lamar?

Yep and the Hobby building has that!

And I've always wanted an HEB at Holly and Waller. Would be walkable for Rainey, RBJ residents and get school traffic from Martin Middle and Sanchez elementary. Not to mention it's the intersection of I35 and the River.

Echostatic · #**7954** Posted **Feb 23, 2022, 1:23 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by austlar1

Rainey area certainly could benefit from an urban HEB. I wonder whether HEB is ready to go down that road just yet. Wouldn't they need dedicated parking as part of the package? Kind of like Whole Foods on Lamar?

The new Lake Austin HEB is being built with a few stories of underground parking and a two-story store above ground. The South Congress HEB rebuild will have a three-story garage next to the store as well.

austin242 · #**7955** Posted **Feb 23, 2022, 3:27 PM**

If they build an HEB there that would be amazing. Also would love it if the new building orients itself towards the park. Maybe the State could do something nice for Austin just this one time. I doubt it, but maybe.

Plan A for Zilker Park. Hide the parking. Don't care how I want it now. We are ready for world class. We are becoming one of the wealthiest cities on the planet. We can afford to splurge on ourselves. Also get that darn beer garden at Zilker. They just need to keep trying. Eventually it'll happen. We need those healthy alternatives to hard liquor.

MichaelB · #**7956** Posted **Feb 23, 2022, 4:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by austin242

I may be one of the only ones who thinks this but I really like the hobby building. With just a little spruce up it could really be a great building. The orientation is great and the building itself adds a uniqueness to the area.

You're not alone. Just the " Bigger is better" voice on here is really loud. It is an interesting building and the only example of it's era in that area. The orientation is good... especially how it manages to connect to the park at an angle. Not to mention set backs and terraces. It could be made to be really cool. The biggest problem to face was the lack of quality in the build and how the state ignored maintenance. So it will sadly probably go away.
BUT..... please keep up the advocacy for design. We need better city space built into buildings and not just "square footage". Better neighborhood and less tall for talls sake.

drummer · #**7957** Posted **Feb 23, 2022, 4:52 PM**

I agree - it is interesting and the orientation is cool. I would say my primary complaint is street interaction outside of the corner that faces the park, specifically. If it were possible for a developer to retrofit the building, that would be okay. If not, I'd say put something that matches the significance of that site there instead with better height. But, to points above - make it interesting, make it beneficial to the larger community, make it an actual improvement. Make it brick or something instead of glass.

migol24 · #**7958** Posted **Feb 23, 2022, 5:19 PM**

Eww. I hate the Hobby Building. I would be happy to see it go away, even if it were replaced with another mid-sized building like the Amli on 2nd st, that houses Taverna. I really think this area needs more of that, especially on that side of downtown. It's so dark and depressing at night.

lonewolf · #**7959** Posted **Feb 23, 2022, 5:36 PM**

very much like plan A but putting a playground at the base of the land bridge seems very dumb

Cd1076 · #**7960** Posted **Feb 23, 2022, 5:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maximusx1

Yep and the Hobby building has that!

And I've always wanted an HEB at Holly and Waller. Would be walkable for Rainey, RBJ residents and get school traffic from Martin Middle and Sanchez elementary. Not to mention it's the intersection of I35 and the River.

I was told by an older gentleman in the neighborhood that there used to be an HEB at the corner of Cesar Chavez and Waller where the Central Health building is now. Wish it was still there!