Austin | Block 32 (3rd & San Jacinto) | 604 FT, 54 FLRS | 472 FT, 41 FLRS | Proposed

[The ATX]

This project got a big haircut. The two towers went from 707' & 540' to 596' & 459'. It's up for its Density Bonus at next Monday's DC meeting.





https://www.austintexas.gov/citycler...tings/22_1.htm

[Sigaven]

Cool facade but can we please please please do better with our parking podiums JFC

[urbancore]

hotel?

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by urbancore

hotel?

The taller one has a hotel in it.

[GoldenBoot]

Well...that's disappointing. I was looking not only forward to the height, but the rounded design.

Based on the documents, the taller one is "54" stories and ~596'. The shorter one is 41 stories and "~446" feet tall.

Out of curiosity, where did you get 55 stories (for the taller) and 459' tall (for the shorter)?

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

Well...that's disappointing. I was looking not only forward to the height, but the rounded design.

Based on the documents, the taller one is "54" stories and ~596'. The shorter one is 41 stories and "~446" feet tall.

Out of curiosity, where did you get 55 stories (for the taller) and 459' tall (for the shorter)?

There's conflicting info in the two backup files. We'll need to wait for updated elevations to know for sure. A new file with elevations was added to the site plan on 07/11, but they still showed the previous design.

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by The ATX

There's conflicting info in the two backup files. We'll need to wait for updated elevations to know for sure. A new file with elevations was added to the site plan on 07/11, but they still showed the previous design.

Yeah. I also just noticed that one of the documents states that it is all residential (with 363 Type-A units each and one tower with 130 additional Type-B units). And, I just read that there is a hotel component?!? Confusing on the actual project scope...

[Echostatic]

The "residential type B units" don't look like traditional condos or apartments to me. No balconies, a separate lobby... either a really distinct few floors of affordable housing or some sort of hotel-residential mix like Natiivo.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by Echostatic

The "residential type B units" don't look like traditional condos or apartments to me. No balconies, a separate lobby... either a really distinct few floors of affordable housing or some sort of hotel-residential mix like Natiivo.

Good point. That's what caused some initial confusion between hotel & residential on the initial Sabine tower permits.

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by Echostatic

...either a really distinct few floors of affordable housing or some sort of hotel-residential mix like Natiivo.

That's what I was thinking.


Anyway...other than the podium, this is quite an interesting design. It will look good in the skyline.

[resansom]

Originally Posted by Sigaven

Cool facade but can we please please please do better with our parking podiums JFC

Agreed. Podium aside, I like the aesthetic. A largely white(ish) tower will look nice in that sea of blue - almost like a (dare I say it?) sail in rough seas...

[The ATX]

Manifold is developing this project, 506 West and Block 16. They don't have a history of large projects like these which makes me wonder if they can pull any of them off. Block 16 is dead because it's office. But I'm hoping either this or especially 506 West gets built.

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by The ATX

Manifold...They don't have a history of large projects like these which makes me wonder if they can pull any of them off.

Are they not still partnering with Carr (out of D.C.)? If so, Carr has the experience and some deep pockets.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

Are they not still partnering with Carr (out of D.C.)? If so, Carr has the experience and some deep pockets.

As far as I know, that was only on Block 16, and we know that's not happening anytime soon.

[Geckos_Rule]

I have to disagree about the facade of the building too. I really hope this doesn't get built in this form, because unless they end up using extremely high quality materials (narrator: "they will not"), this feels like a scaled up version of West Campus student housing, with a monstrous parking podium attached (shrouded entirely by a white/off-white metal mesh screen that is near-guaranteed to get dirty, rusty, and generally look miserable).

Looking back at a few recent developments, this actually looks worse than the Villas on Rio, as well as the renderings for the Icon (2200 San Antonio), both in west campus.

It blows my mind to say this, but the most interesting aspect of this building is the fact that there's a blue glass rectangle stuck into the middle of the left side.

IMHO, a lot of these post-modern off-white buildings with asymmetrical/irregular windows will end up being eyesores in the very near future...

[78701]

Originally Posted by Geckos_Rule

IMHO, a lot of these post-modern off-white buildings with asymmetrical/irregular windows will end up being eyesores in the very near future...

Agreed, this will not age well.

[The ATX]

The DC approved the Density Bonus for this one, by the way.

[uhhh_idk]

ABJ put out an article on this and included a cool rendering from Manifold Real Estate and Rhode Partners of how the tower would look downtown. I can't read the article past the paywall, but I'm sure it says everything already mentioned on this forum

[img]https://media.bizj.us/view/img/12584535/2023-block-32-tower-plans-01*1200xx1220-915-140-0.png[/img]

[img]https://media.bizj.us/view/img/12584537/2023-block-32-tower-plans-02*900xx1500-844-0-325.jpg[/img]

https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/n...-district.html

Edit: tried posting the images, looks like it's not wanting to show in the thread - maybe it's their paywall blocking it

[myBrain]

Looks like a 5-over-2 midrise stretched vertically. I swear we've seen like this exact facade treatment elsewhere. Tired of this icky mustard color. It will all come down to materials in the end, and I don't have high hopes.

[clubtokyo]

I like the mustard color haha