Austin | Railyard | Two Towers | Proposed

[We vs us]

I’m curious about this one, too. The momentum seems to have stalled, compared to other major projects in the CBD.

I would hate to think this whole twin tower thing was just vapor ware.

[The ATX]

It's still featured as a development opportunity on Karlin's website. The Loopnet listing that I mentioned in a few posts back in June seems to have ended. The Railyard condos are now an Onyx Hotel called the Railyard Oasis.

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by The ATX

It's still featured as a development opportunity on Karlin's website. The Loopnet listing that I mentioned in a few posts back in June seems to have ended. The Railyard condos are now an Onyx Hotel called the Railyard Oasis.

This makes perfect sense.

Karlin spent over $100 million for that site and they can't have it sitting idle until they figure out exactly what to do with it. Receiving income from a hotel is a really good idea. This way they are not dealing with buying more people out of a condo or an apartment lease. They simply put an end to the hotel offering.

Having said that, I am curious about the deal with Onyx. How long does their management contract last and what kind of provisions are in there for earlier than expected termination?

[We vs us]

Onyx looks like an independent air bnb style operator — managing small properties, and sometimes single units. I wonder if it’s the same guy that’s been doing this all along at the Railyards…

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by We vs us

Onyx looks like an independent air bnb style operator — managing small properties, and sometimes single units. I wonder if it’s the same guy that’s been doing this all along at the Railyards…

They had been doing it with some of the units as far back as 2012. They now have more units to offer.

[Andrew_2001]

Is there anything known about this?

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by Andrew_2001

Is there anything known about this?

No. If there was any update you can bet that it will be posted rather quickly.

[We vs us]

A little Railyard rumor. Supposedly the developer (still Karlin, right?) is hell bent on adding a significant hotel component to the tower closest to the convention center. In this case, significant means 1000ish rooms. Which is actually kind of blockbuster, not merely significant. It's close enough that it could be connected by a skybridge, and connect to whatever the new taller center eventually looks like.

If true, that might explain why we haven't heard anything from the developer in awhile. They're recalibrating to add a major hotel to the mix.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by We vs us

A little Railyard rumor. Supposedly the developer (still Karlin, right?) is hell bent on adding a significant hotel component to the tower closest to the convention center. In this case, significant means 1000ish rooms. Which is actually kind of blockbuster, not merely significant. It's close enough that it could be connected by a skybridge, and connect to whatever the new taller center eventually looks like.

If true, that might explain why we haven't heard anything from the developer in awhile. They're recalibrating to add a major hotel to the mix.

I keep forgetting about railyard. I have a gut feeling it will be a massive project. If only we could get something like those renders. JESUS

[Maximusx1]

Stating the obvious, but 1000 room hotel plus convention level conference rooms on a half block would have to be very tall.
Add on any type of residential component and we're talking about a monster.

However, if I were them, I'd want to start construction the same day the CC starts re-construction.

[Urbannizer]

The latest concept, more images at the link.

https://online.fliphtml5.com/dpxl/oyzb/

[wwmiv]

Roughly 580’ and 880’

I really love the warm hues in the cladding, almost wooden in appearance, and I hope this is the next skybridge domino to fall. It’d be the first between two skyscrapers (the previous two connecting to the convention center proper), and I imagine that it will be needed because of the conference room spaces. I imagine that they aren’t shelling out for a skybridge connection to the existing convention center because the expansion plans are in flux, but wouldn’t be surprised to see this end up eventually connected via skybridge to whatever is built.

At this point, Austin is dense enough and headed in a direction where we will never lack for pedestrian activity on the ground level (the primary reason why the city had banned them), but the summer heat is going to do nothing but get worse and there does reach a tipping point where the number of pedestrians unnecessarily impacts other modes of travel. Shifting some movement of people to skybridges makes sense at this point in Austin’s development.

Apparently the developers think the land they bought is across the street from Brush Square.

[migol24]

These are great.

[bobbywest87]

Isn’t that smaller tower where Block 16 is supposed to go?

[H2O]

This proposal is for two full blocks, 16 and 32, extending from 4th Street to 2nd Street. The second half block of the Railyard Condominiums extending west to Brazos is not included. Since we already know of 2 or 3 active proposals on those blocks, I am wondering if this was an earlier concept when the Convention Center was looking to partner with the owners of those blocks.

They label JW Marriot and the Roosevelt Room as new and the transit map does not mention Project Connect.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by wwmiv

but the summer heat is going to do nothing but get worse

I think the solution for that is more shade at ground level (trees, canopies, arcades, etc.). And getting rid of stupid setback/stepback rules intentionally trying to prevent shade.

[IluvATX]

Looks like a combination of these:


In all honesty I like the new renderings though.

[We vs us]

What a wild change. Completely realigns everything we've been assuming. If Karlin really does have two full city blocks under control, I'd say the 1000 room hotel rumor suddenly is a lot more feasible than with the previous footprint. Even the podium seems built up enough to suggest meeting space/ballrooms.

And if this is a new concept (not from a year or so ago, as H2O guessed), then it's also suggesting the shape of the new CC. Check the pic below from the flipbook. They're not only showing the Railyard, they're also showing a completely flipped and reconfigured CC alignment. In this pic, the CC goes east-west, not north-south between Trinity and Red River, and 3rd and 4th; there are ghost renderings on the current CC land along Cesar Chavez; there's a re-established street grid, and a paseo under the Railyard (rather than the CC) at 3rd; there's an expansion of Palm Park on two city blocks going east; and that park view is NOT from Brush Square, but from that new portion of Palm Park. And there's even a separate ghost tower attached to that new CC building, across from the Hilton.

I think I'm actually talking myself into the idea that Karlin is partnering with the CC to be part of its expansion.

[bobbywest87]

If both this and waterline get built we'll have two giant boots in our skyline. Nothin' more Texas than that.

[paul78701]

My guess is that this is an old concept. As this rendering suggests that projects we already know about aren't happening.