AUSTIN | Projects & Construction III

[JoninATX]

Originally Posted by MichaelB

RE: The picture above at 3rd and Lavaca.. That is going to be a Steak House. I am so curious what it will look like when done. They have blown out the roof and are obviously going up in some way! Hum.... can't wait to see.

Cool... I had forgot what was going in. Definitely worth checking out once it's complete.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by MichaelB

RE: The picture above at 3rd and Lavaca.. That is going to be a Steak House. I am so curious what it will look like when done. They have blown out the roof and are obviously going up in some way! Hum.... can't wait to see.

I am so relieved that they're putting a steakhouse in! We need one on EVERY CORNER!!!! Just like wine bars and fro yo! It keeps Austin, ya know....weird!!!

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[rriojas71]

[QUOTE=Syndic;5700054]Well that children's museum looks positively bland.

I don't know about y'all, but Mueller has been a big disappointment to me, starting with the big box stores they put in there. Then, all the unnecessary parks. There's very little mixed-use. It's all basically suburbs with moderately more density. It's not like you can just walk to a corner store there and buy a gallon of milk. I'd prefer a bunch of little stores to one big H-E-B store. And the plans just keep changing.


I totally agree with you here. I love Austin and I'm glad to see they are getting some attention to their skyline, but I visited recently on a trip home to FW to see my family and I don't like what they are doing DT.

I know I'm going to get slammed on here, but I am just commenting on my impressions about my recent visit. I was initially excited about because it had been a while since I have visited Austin and I have not been since all the new skyscraper growth. I like a lot of the buildings and the effect on the skyline, but I was actually disappointed with what I saw at ground level where one can truly measure the vibrancy of it's central core.

All the new buildings seem too far apart and the areas surrounding them felt lackluster and sterile. There are too many parking lots and all they do to an urban environment is create a void between each development. It's like going to an art exhibit where each of the works of art is shown in a different venue. Just when I was starting to get excited I was interrupted by 2 or 3 parking lots. It didn't feel urban, but instead felt like a residential/office park near DT.

I really hope they start to focus more on infill in between to create more of a neighborhood feel. More small corner stores and independent grocers and drugstores to discourage people from having to drive for their goods & services. Less car centric, although that can be difficult in TX cities, but Austin has the where-with-all and the intelligent people to pull it off.

[earousseau]

it's going to take some time to plug up all the holes and fill in the gaps that are surface parking lots. my impression is that all the issues and problems that you have with DT Austin, are the very concerns the city is trying to address as they continue their development and density plans.

[migol24]

Originally Posted by rriojas71

I totally agree with you here. I love Austin and I'm glad to see they are getting some attention to their skyline, but I visited recently on a trip home to FW to see my family and I don't like what they are doing DT.

I know I'm going to get slammed on here, but I am just commenting on my impressions about my recent visit. I was initially excited about because it had been a while since I have visited Austin and I have not been since all the new skyscraper growth. I like a lot of the buildings and the effect on the skyline, but I was actually disappointed with what I saw at ground level where one can truly measure the vibrancy of it's central core.

All the new buildings seem too far apart and the areas surrounding them felt lackluster and sterile. There are too many parking lots and all they do to an urban environment is create a void between each development. It's like going to an art exhibit where each of the works of art is shown in a different venue. Just when I was starting to get excited I was interrupted by 2 or 3 parking lots. It didn't feel urban, but instead felt like a residential/office park near DT.

I really hope they start to focus more on infill in between to create more of a neighborhood feel. More small corner stores and independent grocers and drugstores to discourage people from having to drive for their goods & services. Less car centric, although that can be difficult in TX cities, but Austin has the where-with-all and the intelligent people to pull it off.

of course there are surface parking lots in downtown austin... nobody here would deny that. but things can't just be done from night to day. given austin's current boom its doing quite an exceptional job. and it's not as if they've been tearing down buildings to replace them with parking lots. Those parking lots have been there for the last 2 or 3 decades. And if you've been following these forums as much as everyone here has been for the last several years Austin is working slowly but surely on fixing this "empty surface lots" issue. If you'd of gone to 2nd st back in 2004 that place was dead. There wasn't anything there at the time, but go there now and it's a total 180 turnaround and it's still growing.

Look up on all the designs posted, particularly Seaholm and Greenwater Treatment. 2nd St District and Seaholm will just be what you see now but continued and expanded. It's on its way and growing very rapidly. But there are other sorts of issues like the Capital View Corridor and financing that delays many projects from breaking ground. Things don't just happen. There's politics and money involved. I don't see how anybody would want it to go faster, because given the circumstances it already is. It's impossible for it to go any faster.

[rriojas71]

Originally Posted by migol24

of course there are surface parking lots in downtown austin... nobody here would deny that. but things can't just be done from night to day. given austin's current boom its doing quite an exceptional job. and it's not as if they've been tearing down buildings to replace them with parking lots. Those parking lots have been there for the last 2 or 3 decades. And if you've been following these forums as much as everyone here has been for the last several years Austin is working slowly but surely on fixing this "empty surface lots" issue. If you'd of gone to 2nd st back in 2004 that place was dead. There wasn't anything there at the time, but go there now and it's a total 180 turnaround and it's still growing.

Look up on all the designs posted, particularly Seaholm and Greenwater Treatment. 2nd St District and Seaholm will just be what you see now but continued and expanded. It's on its way and growing very rapidly. But there are other sorts of issues like the Capital View Corridor and financing that delays many projects from breaking ground. Things don't just happen. There's politics and money involved. I don't see how anybody would want it to go faster, because given the circumstances it already is. It's impossible for it to go any faster.

Yeah it is a lot different from the last time I was there and in a positive way. I admit I haven't read much from the last couple of years with what they are doing with the "surface lots". Like I said it was just my initial impression with what I was expecting and what I experienced.

It feels like they are moving in the right direction, but I know it will take time.

[BevoLJ]

Originally Posted by rriojas71

I totally agree with you here. I love Austin and I'm glad to see they are getting some attention to their skyline, but I visited recently on a trip home to FW to see my family and I don't like what they are doing DT.

I know I'm going to get slammed on here, but I am just commenting on my impressions about my recent visit. I was initially excited about because it had been a while since I have visited Austin and I have not been since all the new skyscraper growth. I like a lot of the buildings and the effect on the skyline, but I was actually disappointed with what I saw at ground level where one can truly measure the vibrancy of it's central core.

All the new buildings seem too far apart and the areas surrounding them felt lackluster and sterile. There are too many parking lots and all they do to an urban environment is create a void between each development. It's like going to an art exhibit where each of the works of art is shown in a different venue. Just when I was starting to get excited I was interrupted by 2 or 3 parking lots. It didn't feel urban, but instead felt like a residential/office park near DT.

I really hope they start to focus more on infill in between to create more of a neighborhood feel. More small corner stores and independent grocers and drugstores to discourage people from having to drive for their goods & services. Less car centric, although that can be difficult in TX cities, but Austin has the where-with-all and the intelligent people to pull it off.

He was talking about Mueller which is not downtown.

But as for downtown I have to wonder where you went downtown to not be able to find anywhere with out blocks of vibrancy without parking lots? Second street has one parking lot. Granted it is a huge one that takes up a whole block, but that entire block is being built into a huge 1000 room hotel this summer. But still that is one parking lot for a total of 7 block long. Congress is the main street in Austin and it has the one parking lot I mentioned above and then tiny parts of two others (no more than 70 or 80 feet). And it is 10 blocks long. 6th Street has no parking lots until you get on the west side of downtown. That is 10 blocks with zero parking lots. 5th Street also has like 10 or 12 blocks with no parking lots. Edit: correction with only one tiny (80x80 foot) parking lot. That is like 80 feet out of over near 4,000 feet of street. Brazos has like 11 blocks with only the one big one I mentioned above, and the tiny one I mentioned on 5th. With the exception of 2nd (due to the convention center) all those streets I just mentioned there that is over a full kilometer each (over 3,200 feet), and after this summer that big parking lot I mentioned for Congress, 2nd and Brazos is no longer going to be there.

In most cities I would totally agree that big surface parking lots are bad. But not in the case of Austin as it is right now. Austin has tons of vibrant areas downtown. It is an extremely lucky city to have such a vibrant downtown. How you missed those parts I am not sure, but they are there. HOWEVER, one of the problems Austin has is the skyline is highly restricted due to such things and view corridors. Views of the Capitol building are protected to many parts all around Austin outside downtown. So tall buildings can't be build in many areas of DT. That does two things. One it lowers the value of what those lots that have those restrictions as development potential is limited. But most importantly it makes the lots that don't have those restrictions MUCH more important. There are two lots like that in DT. One Travis County owns and is building a new courthouse. The other one is the over 1,000 room hotel on the lot I mentioned in the previous paragraph (on Congress, 2nd and Brazos.)

Given that Austin has so much great vibrancy as it is downtown I do not think that the smaller areas that don't have the restrictions and have large development potential should just have infill thrown in for the sake of infill. I think they should sit until the full developmental potential can be filled with a kick ass project. Just trowing some half-assed infill in there is not needed. At least not in Austin, because our downtown is not hurting for vibrancy in the least.

[Jdawgboy]

Yea rriojas71, it was the Mueller redevelopment site not Downtown that we are complaining about but since you put in how you feel about downtown Austin, let me put how I feel.

I think Downtown Austin is transforming wonderfully, to see what we have now compared to what we had 5 years ago is amazing and there is so much vibrant activity now than there was 5 years ago. What we are seeing now is still only the beginning so to be disappointment in our downtown is misplaced IMO. Austin is ahead of the other big Texas cities in many respects to zoning as well as new steps to develop our central core, I urge you to come back in 5 more years and see the difference compared to now and I think you will realize what Im trying to say. Sure Austin is not a dense urban mecca yet, but we are on the right track and as I said earlier we are still only just starting our transformation.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by BevoLJ

He was talking about Mueller which is not downtown.

But as for downtown I have to wonder where you went downtown to not be able to find anywhere with out blocks of vibrancy without parking lots? Second street has one parking lot. Granted it is a huge one that takes up a whole block, but that entire block is being built into a huge 1000 room hotel this summer. But still that is one parking lot for a total of 7 block long. Congress is the main street in Austin and it has the one parking lot I mentioned above and then tiny parts of two others (no more than 70 or 80 feet). And it is 10 blocks long. 6th Street has no parking lots until you get on the west side of downtown. That is 10 blocks with zero parking lots. 5th Street also has like 10 or 12 blocks with no parking lots. Edit: correction with only one tiny (80x80 foot) parking lot. That is like 80 feet out of over near 4,000 feet of street. Brazos has like 11 blocks with only the one big one I mentioned above, and the tiny one I mentioned on 5th. With the exception of 2nd (due to the convention center) all those streets I just mentioned there that is over a full kilometer each (over 3,200 feet), and after this summer that big parking lot I mentioned for Congress, 2nd and Brazos is no longer going to be there.

In most cities I would totally agree that big surface parking lots are bad. But not in the case of Austin as it is right now. Austin has tons of vibrant areas downtown. It is an extremely lucky city to have such a vibrant downtown. How you missed those parts I am not sure, but they are there. HOWEVER, one of the problems Austin has is the skyline is highly restricted due to such things and view corridors. Views of the Capitol building are protected to many parts all around Austin outside downtown. So tall buildings can't be build in many areas of DT. That does two things. One it lowers the value of what those lots that have those restrictions as development potential is limited. But most importantly it makes the lots that don't have those restrictions MUCH more important. There are two lots like that in DT. One Travis County owns and is building a new courthouse. The other one is the over 1,000 room hotel on the lot I mentioned in the previous paragraph (on Congress, 2nd and Brazos.)

Given that Austin has so much great vibrancy as it is downtown I do not think that the smaller areas that don't have the restrictions and have large development potential should just have infill thrown in for the sake of infill. I think they should sit until the full developmental potential can be filled with a kick ass project. Just trowing some half-assed infill in there is not needed. At least not in Austin, because our downtown is not hurting for vibrancy in the least.

Couldn't have said it better.

[BevoLJ]

• Video Link

[ahealy]

Welp, that about says it all. I just wanna see "2012: Austinites vote for the first phase of urban rail, re-connecting the city"

Oh, and they left out GRINDHOUSE!

[migol24]

Originally Posted by ahealy

Welp, that about says it all. I just wanna see "2012: Austinites vote for the first phase of urban rail, re-connecting the city"

Oh, and they left out GRINDHOUSE!

i think it's more interesting to point out that austin has terrence malick, robert rodriguez, and richard linklater as 3 huge directors calling austin their home. and that it also has the coolest theater... alamo drafthouse.

not to mention that i got to see taylor kitsch almost everyday working at jo's and now he's like a huge movie star. it's insane. and i also worked with elise, one of the crazy twinsitters, in that grindhouse movie. basically, you have more chances of hanging out with a movie star in austin than most other major cities. not necessarily cool... but still pretty cool.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by migol24

i think it's more interesting to point out that austin has terrence malick, robert rodriguez, and richard linklater as 3 huge directors calling austin their home. and that it also has the coolest theater... alamo drafthouse.

not to mention that i got to see taylor kitsch almost everyday working at jo's and now he's like a huge movie star. it's insane. and i also worked with elise, one of the crazy twinsitters, in that grindhouse movie. basically, you have more chances of hanging out with a movie star in austin than most other major cities. not necessarily cool... but still pretty cool.

Duuude....so true. I remember Elise at Jo's back in 06-07.....Yeah, there was a lot they left out. Perhaps they are trying for a specific audience.

[migol24]

Originally Posted by ahealy

Duuude....so true. I remember Elise at Jo's back in 06-07.....Yeah, there was a lot they left out. Perhaps they are trying for a specific audience.

people don't really understand the way austin works. i feel like people just see it on the tv, or hear about it from a friend, or on a magazine... and yeah there are awesome events but, to me, at least, what was the coolest thing about austin was simply the community and the vibe. everybody's a friend of somebody. and if your friends with that guy, you're friends with the other guy who's also friends with that other guy who's also your friend.

i have two friends here in san francisco who lived there and i kid you not... we never met there in austin but we have mutual friends. we're like, "do you know this person?" "yeah i do! crazy!"

austin is probably one of the very very few cities in america that's like that. people just don't understand what is cool about it... and to me, that's what makes it cool right there. and these ads that are promoting austin will never do austin any justice until someone decides to move there for themselves and see what the fuss is about. it's true though... austin isn't for everybody and i can totally respect that. i understand what is so great about san francisco and why one would pick it over austin. the reason is probably more obvious than austin, because austin is one city still kinda "unknown" so to speak and its really hard to describe what's so cool about it.

and yeah elise quit like two or three months after i started working there. she really loved my hair! haha

[BevoLJ]

Originally Posted by migol24

people don't really understand the way austin works. i feel like people just see it on the tv, or hear about it from a friend, or on a magazine... and yeah there are awesome events but, to me, at least, what was the coolest thing about austin was simply the community and the vibe. everybody's a friend of somebody. and if your friends with that guy, you're friends with the other guy who's also friends with that other guy who's also your friend.

In the other thread people were talking about the part that says Austin was the "Best little city" and how it is so big now. To me because of like you are saying is why it will always be a "little city" no matter how many millions of people live there. It really is more like a small town than city where everyone some how knows everyone in one way or another. In London I constantly run into people who when they ask where I am from and say 'Austin' they know people who I know in Austin. It doesn't matter where you go. Everywhere people know people you know with ties to Austin. It is kind of creepy. lol.

• Video Link

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by migol24

people don't really understand the way austin works. i feel like people just see it on the tv, or hear about it from a friend, or on a magazine... and yeah there are awesome events but, to me, at least, what was the coolest thing about austin was simply the community and the vibe. everybody's a friend of somebody. and if your friends with that guy, you're friends with the other guy who's also friends with that other guy who's also your friend.

i have two friends here in san francisco who lived there and i kid you not... we never met there in austin but we have mutual friends. we're like, "do you know this person?" "yeah i do! crazy!"

austin is probably one of the very very few cities in america that's like that. people just don't understand what is cool about it... and to me, that's what makes it cool right there. and these ads that are promoting austin will never do austin any justice until someone decides to move there for themselves and see what the fuss is about. it's true though... austin isn't for everybody and i can totally respect that. i understand what is so great about san francisco and why one would pick it over austin. the reason is probably more obvious than austin, because austin is one city still kinda "unknown" so to speak and its really hard to describe what's so cool about it.

and yeah elise quit like two or three months after i started working there. she really loved my hair! haha

so true. It's like 1 degree of separation in Austin...Ads like that are flattering, but they objectify the very essence of what we're all so proud or obsessed with in this city.

The VERY WORST is the F1 Austin promo video. I suggest looking that up for a good laugh.

[migol24]

my friend here in san francisco says that austin has got to be the most nostalgic city ever. for everyone there was a decade better than the other. i hear people say, "you shoulda seen austin in early 2000s" then others the 90s, and some 80s so on and so on. And I thought it was particularly funny that they showed the part of "dazed and confused" how they were complaining how the 70s sucked and the 60s were better. i think linklater nailed it. and its probably gonna be like that for every decade as time goes by.

i also just finished watching this movie and some guy is interviewed there. and he basically tells one of the musicians that for all the decades in austin, musicians have always faced obstacles. and that it's part of the struggle as a musician. and its not something that the city itself is doing to give them a hard time. anyways... its pretty interesting and i thought it was cool looking at austin from a really cool perspective. and i recommend it.
http://youtu.be/kgdXRaxENfU

[Jdawgboy]

I get what y'all are saying about people knowing people but I think thats for those of us who are either from Austin or have been here more than 5 years. As the city grows im seeing less of that as tons of people from other areas flock here. What I do see and hear others say is that Austin is a very social city and that in itself creates the vibe that you can go out and meet interesting new people.

[The ATX]

Novare FINALLY completes the purchase of the Post Office site. So another 40+ story condo tower is in our future?

http://www.statesman.com/business/po...n-2364037.html

[BevoLJ]

New apartment complex in works in West Campus
By Shonda Novak
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Published: 7:58 p.m. Friday, May 18, 2012

More student housing is on the way for the West Campus area, with the latest project a $26 million upscale apartment complex in the works at 21st and Pearl streets.

The company behind the project is Austin-based Land Development and Construction LLC, a commercial real estate development company specializing in multifamily and mixed-use projects. The firm has developed more than $75 million in commercial real estate projects in Central Texas.

Robert Lee, the firm's CEO and a University of Texas graduate, brought together several Chinese American investors to fund the West Campus project, which will be called 21 Pearl.

The complex, which is four blocks west of UT's campus, will have 134 units with average rents of $850 a month and the average-size unit having 761 square feet. Floor plans range from efficiencies to two-bedrooms. Units will have private patios, balconies and gourmet kitchens, among other amenities.

The project is scheduled to open in August 2013, with preleasing set to start this October.

The project will have some units for rent at below-market rates; it also will have units designed for residents with disabilities.

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Read More : http://www.statesman.com/business/re...e=rss_business

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