Mueller Redevelopment Update Thread

[Syndic]

Went by Mueller today. They've got some more streets finished, but they're still blocking them off. McBee, I think, goes all the way to Aldrich now. Berkman still isn't completed out to 51st. The wing feature on the HEB is going to have sheet metal over it, apparently. I noticed that they're erecting some walls on the eastern side of Mueller Blvd, but I don't know if they're for the town center or for the Mosaic II apartments across the street. They're facing the wrong way, so I'm thinking they're for the apartments. Looks like they've already laid some foundations for some houses all the way out near Philomena St. on Page St., I believe. That hotel is almost done, too. You can see it from the I-35 frontage road.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/news/busine...elopmen/nWGhD/

Posted: 6:28 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013
New shops, restaurants bound for Mueller development

By Gary Dinges
American-Statesman Staff

More shops and restaurants – including several that are new to Central Texas – are on the way for the rapidly growing Mueller development.

Mattress Firm is among the newcomers at the Mueller Retail Center, near Interstate 35 and East 51st Street. It will join a tenant mix that includes Best Buy, Chair King, Home Depot, Old Navy, PetSmart and Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Construction work is well under way at the Mueller Market District, near Berkman Drive and East 51st Street. It’s expected to open in June and will be anchored by an 83,000-square-foot eco-friendly H-E-B grocery store first announced in late 2011.

[The ATX]

I like how Mattress Firm is the first named new store. That is just awesome and headline worthy.

[jngreenlee]

Originally Posted by Hill Country

I like how Mattress Firm is the first named new store. That is just awesome and headline worthy.

I've seen some interesting stuff on how the mattress industry is all an overpriced sham (pun), that somehow shields itself well from new players entering the industry.

But hay, with all those people moving into Mueller, that and a furniture store (and BB) make sense for at least a year or two.

[Syndic]

I went by last night and noticed a few changes.

Aldrich and McBee are connected now and the road is open, so you don't have to drive down Simond past the Children's museum/Lake Park anymore. You can just cut behind it.

The northern part (at least) of Mueller Blvd is being expanded, I guess to four lanes, finally making it a legitimate boulevard. I'm sure you guys know how wonky the street was going north when it nears 51st Street. So that should be fixed soon.

Berkman looks pretty close to being finished. They don't want people driving down it, getting in the way of their construction, I guess, so they're intentionally leaving it unfinished for now. The HEB and shopping center are coming along nicely. Still a ways away from being finished, but you can kind of get a sense for what it's going to look like, especially at the Berkman/51st St. intersection and the entrance to the HEB on 51st St., which has a big limestone wall thingy.

The land north of Philomena has been leveled. It used to be a big incline. You can tell they're going to start building a new phase of homes out there soon.

That's pretty much it. No pictures, unfortunately. But things are coming along steadily out there.

[NYC2ATX]

Someone go get photos! Thanks for your efforts Syndic, I love the Mueller updates

[Austin_Expert]

I drove around Mueller recently, and was blown away with the progress. I don't understand the complaints. It is already one of Austin's top neighborhoods in my opinion, and is only going to continue improving. There really is nothing like it anywhere else in Austin.

[Komeht]

Kinda gloomy out today (seems to happen everytime I drop by) - but here are pics - yes, Catellus has been busy in the last year and does not seem to be letting up the pace.

Lots of lots ready to go for next phase of house - this is the second half of section 6 - first half of section 6 looks to be 2/3rds complete:



Berkman getting ready to be connected through to 51st


Paggi Park - a cool little pocket park with a Petanque Court - open sometime in April



Looking back on McBee - new homes almost done. I have a feeling McBee is going to be THE place to be in Mueller. 2 minute walk to town center/ACM/Park - but still residential.


Looking back McBee to Aldrich. Yellow thing on left is framed up Dell ACM, ahead left is Mosaic, ahead right is framed up Elements (Mosaic 2) - vacant field on left will be AMLI breaking ground soon, vacant ground on right is to be town center area.


A few shots of ACM - can see shape of building - will be clad in a red sheathing - will definitely stand out. . .

[migol24]

Originally Posted by Austin_Expert

I drove around Mueller recently, and was blown away with the progress. I don't understand the complaints. It is already one of Austin's top neighborhoods in my opinion, and is only going to continue improving. There really is nothing like it anywhere else in Austin.

Count me in as one of the complainers but maybe I need to go see it in person for myself because nothing seems very inspiring given from the photos. It looks like loads of shopping centers being built in some suburb.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by migol24

Count me in as one of the complainers but maybe I need to go see it in person for myself because nothing seems very inspiring given from the photos. It looks like loads of shopping centers being built in some suburb.

NE corner looks exactly like that.

You really can't judge town center however since it is really just dirt right now.

As for ACM - I think that will be in the eye of the beholder - the renderings look better than the form it is in now. I will say that walking around the lake park is extremely pleasant on a nice day (and very very popular - filled with families having an outing) and that it will be a great place for the ACM right between park setting and the town center (someday).

The residential parts of Mueller are really nice - I suggest getting out of a car to really appreciate it. All in all I think its inchoate - it will also be some time (decades) before it feels truly lived in - like a central Austin neighborhood.

[Syndic]

What I think people don't get about Mueller is that it's the only place in Austin that has row houses. Any city worth a damn in America has row houses and Austin didn't until Mueller. We still don't have enough and obviously row houses aren't as ideal as vertical mixed-use, but they're still a lot more dense and have a lot more character than typical suburbia. A lot of the non-row houses in Mueller resemble the historic neighborhoods in Old Austin. It's easy to focus on the big box stores. But we should be taking the residential neighborhoods into consideration, too.

The town center is obviously going to change everyone's perception of the whole thing. And I too take a long-term view of the neighborhood. In 25 years, it's going to be considered a true Austin gem. Maybe the big box stores will have been retrofitted or replaced by then.

[wwmiv]

The problem is that Mueller was not supposed to be that. The potential for Mueller was for mixed-used grid development, and that has been morphed into pseudo-suburbia for most of it.

[wwmiv]

Also, can someone please resize the images above to fit into a normal computer screen?

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by wwmiv

The problem is that Mueller was not supposed to be that. The potential for Mueller was for mixed-used grid development, and that has been morphed into pseudo-suburbia for most of it.

Rome (and Mueller) was not built in a day.

Mueller is following the plan that was made maybe a decade ago,..other than an upward adjustment for density and commercial development in the town center abut 4 years ago.


Other than that it is developing pretty much as promised...if it in the pace people hoped due to the financial crisis over the last 5 years.

[migol24]

Originally Posted by Syndic

What I think people don't get about Mueller is that it's the only place in Austin that has row houses. Any city worth a damn in America has row houses and Austin didn't until Mueller. We still don't have enough and obviously row houses aren't as ideal as vertical mixed-use, but they're still a lot more dense and have a lot more character than typical suburbia.

To be completely honest... forgive me if it upsets anyone, but these row houses look like they were all designed by KB Homes or something. Or they look like those apartment/condos out in the suburbs that are built to resemble houses. Basically, the architecture is very uninspiring.

I find that the only houses "worth a damn" in Austin are those cool bungalow and victorian houses out on Old West Austin. I also find that the row houses in other great cities were all built in different times that drew on its own character and rubbed off the architecture style from its era. Its also hugely cohesive to the rest of the city. This going on in Mueller on the other hand is still too far off from the rest of the city. Seriously, judging from the pictures and knowing fully well where this area is, it feels like its a community for like old rich folks who move there to retire. Its got a sense of that bedroom community that could very well be Cedar Park or somewhere in Round Rock. Am I the only one that feels this way?

However, my opinion may change if I get to see it in person.

Originally Posted by Komeht

Rome (and Mueller) was not built in a day.

Mueller is following the plan that was made maybe a decade ago,..other than an upward adjustment for density and commercial development in the town center abut 4 years ago.


Other than that it is developing pretty much as promised...if it in the pace people hoped due to the financial crisis over the last 5 years.

Fair enough. I still think they could have tried a little harder with its architecture style. Maybe not as cool as an Edwardian or Victorian style housing, but something a bit more modern and less contrived would be good. I mean, okay, they're not ugly, but still. It's like, meh. No biggie.

[Komeht]

In the transit rail discussion that is going on, one of the big pitches for the Mueller route is that transit allows Mueller a denser development... pushing buildings in the town center from 3 to as many as 5 stories (Mueller is limited by traffic impact).

I believe a Mueller route was first proposed somewhere about 2008...but a vote was delayed until 2010...and then 2012...and now end of 2014 at the earliest.

In the meantime everyone keeps waiting for town center to develop. Catellus has given alternative reasons (credit crisis, waiting for economy to recover, allow for a more organic more successful town center once enough people are in Mueller...). All of that makes sense. But I'm wondering of there isn't another component to this and that Catellus is waiting for Austin to decide the fate of the Mueller route before really developing town center and the unstated reasons for the delay is that urban rail keeps slipping.

If so, that is bad news for Mueller since it means another two years (at least) before town center really gets going...hope that's not the case.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by migol24

To be completely honest... forgive me if it upsets anyone, but these row houses look like they were all designed by KB Homes or something. Or they look like those apartment/condos out in the suburbs that are built to resemble houses. Basically, the architecture is very uninspiring.

I find that the only houses "worth a damn" in Austin are those cool bungalow and victorian houses out on Old West Austin. I also find that the row houses in other great cities were all built in different times that drew on its own character and rubbed off the architecture style from its era. Its also hugely cohesive to the rest of the city. This going on in Mueller on the other hand is still too far off from the rest of the city. Seriously, judging from the pictures and knowing fully well where this area is, it feels like its a community for like old rich folks who move there to retire. Its got a sense of that bedroom community that could very well be Cedar Park or somewhere in Round Rock. Am I the only one that feels this way?

However, my opinion may change if I get to see it in person.


Fair enough. I still think they could have tried a little harder with its architecture style. Maybe not as cool as an Edwardian or Victorian style housing, but something a bit more modern and less contrived would be good. I mean, okay, they're not ugly, but still. It's like, meh. No biggie.

Well there is a variety... For example:

These shop homes are going to be delicious, IMHO:

http://www.homesbyavi.com/en-US/find...stin_mueller#_

And there are these Michael Hsu designed row homes which are very urban:

http://www.hsuoffice.com/projects/ho...townhomes.html

[migol24]

Originally Posted by Komeht

Well there is a variety... For example:

These shop homes are going to be delicious, IMHO:

http://www.homesbyavi.com/en-US/find...stin_mueller#_

And there are these Michael Hsu designed row homes which are very urban:

http://www.hsuoffice.com/projects/ho...townhomes.html

The first render looks like office buildings and the second look nothing like the ones in those photos from Mueller. If anything ever gets done like the 2nd render, then it would look real nice, but right now it looks mediocre.

[NYC2ATX]

Thanks for the photo update komeht I have to say, if this is how mass homebuilders build houses out west, I wish they'd come out to the East Coast and build some stuff. All the infill where I live looks like half-assed brownstone-wannabe shlock.

I think it's also worth considering that this neighborhood will look ten times better once it's been lived in for a few years. I have a theory that any new neighborhood tends to improve in appearance once it's been inhabited for some time, once the homes have been personalized (everything from address plates to patio furniture), once the trees have grown in and it's been absorbed as another (likely very desirable) neighborhood of the city.

I won't make any judgments while half the 'hood is still a construction site, but the quality of housing construction seems to be well up to par. I agree with you too Syndic, urbanizing Austin needs to embrace row homes, especially ones like these that still embody the Texas-style of living.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by migol24

The first render looks like office buildings and the second look nothing like the ones in those photos from Mueller. If anything ever gets done like the 2nd render, then it would look real nice, but right now it looks mediocre.

The Michael Hsu row homes have been built. Those are photos not renderings. More on the way in 2014 supposedly.