Circuit of the Americas Formula 1 Race Track

[ATXboom]

What's looking sketchy are our local governments... they all need a take, and in the process of doing so may ruin any chance they have to take.

[KevinFromTexas]

Travis County is the problem, not the City of Austin. Look at what the county did to the Villa Muse project. Of course, no other county could land it either, so I guess we're even.

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by Armybrat

But if the environmentalists discovered a new rare species of blind wombats there, nothing would be built fer sure.

Uh, what's wrong with that? Endangered species should be protected. If they're only found in Central Texas, then they're something that should be considered as making this place unique. Some of the species here aren't found anywhere else in North America or in the world.

Besides, building in the Hill Country wouldn't work because of the terrain, and also the roads couldn't handle the traffic. Eastern Travis County is a much better option since it's closer to the airport. Imagine all the 10s of thousands of people landing at ABIA and driving in from Houston and beyond, and then having to drive to the other side of Austin. 10s of thousands more cars driving through Austin is not a good thing. Besides, let's face it, there's a larger population closer to Austin to the east, than there is to the west. Strategically, it makes more sense to put it east of Austin.

[hookem]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Travis County is the problem, not the City of Austin. Look at what the county did to the Villa Muse project. Of course, no other county could land it either, so I guess we're even.

What did Travis County do to Villa Muse? I thought the City of Austin killed it. The project wanted out of the Austin ETJ, to avoid future CITY taxes and permitting/regulation. And the city council said no way.

[KevinFromTexas]

Wasn't it the county? Maybe not.

[H2O]

Villa Muse was nothing but a ruse by the land owner to get his property out of City regulatory authority so he wouldn't have to meet environmental standards on property constrained by floodplain. He's been trying to do just that for decades, and the City called his bluff. That's why you haven't seen the project go forward elsewhere.

[UrbanTrance]

I was just looking on San Antonio business journal for some news and came across this.

So this thing is actually going to get built?

Austin Formula 1 project gets another green flag

A group that includes San Antonio businessman Red McCombs and is seeking to build a Formula 1 auto race site in the Capital City says it has received approval from the Austin Zoning and Platting Commission to proceed with that project.

The Austin Business Journal reports that the Formula 1 developers plan to break ground next month on the $250 million project, with completion scheduled for mid-2012.

[KevinFromTexas]

City Council still has to vote on it, that is if they haven't already.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/sports/form...e-1065471.html

Cowboys Stadium architects to design Austin's Formula One complex

By John Maher
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 11:56 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010
Published: 11:07 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010

Promoters of the U.S. Grand Prix are going to Cowboy up.

Dallas-based architectural firm HKS Inc. has been hired to design much of the proposed $250 million Formula One complex on a 900-acre tract southeast of Austin, although not the circuit itself. HKS is perhaps best known for its work on the Dallas Cowboys' futuristic, $1.2 billion stadium that debuted this year.

German engineering firm Tilke GmbH is designing the 3.4-mile circuit at the site.

Tilke representatives have said they are not worried about missing the 2012 deadline.

Recently, the project has been getting the needed approvals from various city commissions.

[BevoLJ]

Ah nice. They also did the Bob Bullock History Museum and the AT&T Center across the street on the UT side right? I guess there aren't to many things they haven't done, this should be a good opportunity for them to do something new and different for a change. I do like them.

[KevinFromTexas]

HKS is a huge firm. They have offices all over the world. They've done a ton of buildings in Texas.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...t-1122221.html

Formula One track planners get a green light on land grading

By Eric Dexheimer
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 9:14 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010
Published: 9:00 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010

Travis County commissioners voted Tuesday to grant a permitting variance that is likely to allow promoters of the proposed Formula One racetrack to begin grading work on the site southeast of Austin as soon as the end of the year.

Organizers have said they need to break ground by then to have the facility ready for the inaugural 2012 race.

Because portions of the 900-acre site lie within a flood plain, grading work normally requires review by the Federal Emergency Management Agency before dirt can be moved. The agency typically takes as long as six months to weigh in.

The approval represented the biggest hurdle remaining in Formula One United States Grand Prix's grading permit application, which, according to county planners, could receive final approval within weeks.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/sports/form...inglePage=true

An F1 primer, from aerodynamics to zoning

By John Maher
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 11:45 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010
Published: 11:29 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010

One of the biggest local sports stories of the year was the surprising announcement that Austin had landed a Formula One Grand Prix race, beginning in 2012.

There hasn't been an F1 race in this country since 2007, when Indianapolis staged its final F1 event. For most area residents, there's a lot to learn about the exotic sport that will soon be coming our way; groundbreaking at the Elroy site should begin in a matter of days.

[KevinFromTexas]

The 2011 schedule for F1 racing. Check out the list of cities we'll be joining.

http://www.statesman.com/sports/form...inglePage=true

F1's 2011 schedule

Formula One's 2011 season begins in March, in Bahrain, and ends in November in Brazil. There will be 20 races in 2011, a new high, with the addition of the Indian Grand Prix. F1 races are carried on the SPEED channel.

March 13: Bahrain (Sakhir)

March 27: Australia (Melbourne)

April 10: Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)

April 17:China (Shanghai)

May 8: Turkey (Istanbul)

April 22:Spain (Catalunya)

May 5: Monaco (Monte Carlo)

June 12:Canada (Montreal)

June 26: Europe (Valencia)

July 10: Great Britain (Silverstone)

July 24:Germany (Nurburgring)

July 31: Hungary (Budapest)

July 28: Belgium (Spa)

Sept. 11:Italy (Monza)

Sept. 25:Singapore

Oct. 9: Japan (Suzuka)

Oct. 16: Korea (Yeongam)

Oct. 30: India (New Delhi)

Nov. 13:Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina)

Nov. 27: Brazil (Sao Paulo)

[KevinFromTexas]

They broke ground Thursday.

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...y-1154979.html

Construction finally under way on Austin's F1 facility
Formula One organizers make good on promise to break ground in late 2010.

By John Maher
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 9:25 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010
Published: 7:58 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010

Not long after the stunning announcement in May that Austin had landed a Formula One race, organizers said they hoped to begin moving dirt by December in order to complete construction in time for the inaugural U.S. Grand Prix race in 2012. Then months slipped by without much happening on the site.

Until this week, that is, when groundbreaking finally got under way on the 970-acre tract southeast of Austin.

The construction activity cannot clearly be seen from FM 812 or the other adjacent roads: The future racetrack is too far away and hidden by hilly terrain and vegetation.

Dallas-based Austin Commercial was recently selected as the general contractor for the project, which will cost $250 million according to the most recent estimate from the race organizers. Another prominent Dallas-based firm, HKS Architects , will design the grandstands and fan amenities for a site that will accommodate more than 120,000 fans. German firm Tilke GmbH will design the track, as it has for almost all the recently built or improved F1 circuits.

[Jdawgboy]

Im really excited, my nefew actually lives near the F1 site and saw them moving in the equipment.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/conte...ving_dirt.html

F1 to start moving dirt soon

By Eric Dexheimer | Monday, January 24, 2011, 01:19 PM

With the handing over of a $900,000-plus check on Friday, promoters of Austin’s Formula One race facility essentially crossed the final ‘t’ on the application to begin scraping dirt on the site of the future track complex east of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. A spokeswoman for the Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources division said the company should officially have the permit in hand sometime this week.

Although promoters of the U.S. Grand Prix have performed soil sampling at the site, they have not yet been permitted to begin actual grading. Following a pre-construction meeting at county offices Monday, F1 crews would be free to begin installing erosion control devices, said Anna Bowlin, TNR’s director of development services.

[Armybrat]

That black gumbo dirt down there is going to be quite a challege to those German engineers. Dunno if they have any soil like that over there.

One thing for sure, it's gonna stir up a lot of fire ants.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/ne...ves-final.html

Formula One Austin receives milestone permit; inks deal for Austin Energy substation

Austin Business Journal - by Jacob Dirr , Staff Writer
Date: Monday, January 31, 2011, 2:44pm CST - Last Modified: Monday, January 31, 2011, 3:04pm CST

The Austin Formula One project received final approval late last week to start leveling the hundreds of acres planned to house a $250 million, 3.4 mile track and associated development.

Project developers have also struck a deal with Austin Energy to build a private substation.

The county and city permits mean work can start in earnest on shaping the land for construction, which will happen at breakneck speed in order to meet a mid-2012 completion date. Heavy equipment is lined up and some work — such as soil testing — has reportedly started, but moving dirt on a large scale hasn’t been able to start yet.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/pr...-for-many.html

Report: Formula One Austin construction a boon for many

Jobs, wages estimated; much focus on timeline
Austin Business Journal - by Jacob Dirr, ABJ Staff
Date: Friday, February 25, 2011, 5:00am CST - Last Modified: Friday, February 25, 2011, 12:55pm CST

A report detailing construction spending for the proposed Formula One racetrack presents exciting data about hundreds of new jobs and about $400 million in economic impact, and further demonstrates just how tight and ambitious the construction timeline is. According to the report commissioned by local F1 officials, the construction project— costing between $215 million and $242 million — will:

- Create as many as 2,000 direct jobs between 2011 and 2012.

- Generate $850,000 in Austin sales and hotel taxes.

- Pay out as much as $176.2 million in wages.

- Create $398 million in regional economic activity overall.