AUSTIN Metro Update Thread

[Jdawgboy]

Personally I'd rather see a high speed direct line from Austin to Houston. As it is, we do not have a direct expressway connecting our cities (though we do have two routes rather than one) and while they are mostly adequate and improving, neither is a full on expressway all the way through. Austin is closer to both Houston and Dallas than San Antonio is so that shaves time off for any connections as well. Given Austin's GDP power and 2nd tier global status, it just makes more sense.

[drummer]

To continue some of the discussions of WilCo development that was started in the AUSTIN | Projects Updates Thread Part II, I came across this article talking about more development in Cedar Park.

Cedar Park to continue looking at Lime Creek Quarry redevelopment with end of mining plan

The quarry is operated by Ranger Excavating, whose operation lease ends June 30, 2023. Blasting at the site will end in 2021, Assistant City Manager Chris Copple said, but extraction will continue through 2022.

City Council requested a feasibility study in May 2019 to determine the viability of redeveloping and reusing Lime Creek Quarry...

...The firm presented three development scenarios to City Council at the Dec. 3 meeting. One scenario focused on low-density and medium-density residential areas. Another presented destination recreation uses for mixed-use development. A third option presented 25% of office space and a mix of high-density residential, neighborhood commercial and other land uses.

Edit: This is at Anderson Mill and 1431, and actually half of this proposed development looks to be in Travis County and half is in Williamson County.

[We vs us]

At their last meeting, the City Council approved rezoning for 7700 Parmer, which is a corporate office development surrounded by a huge parking lot. And -- coincidentally -- just north of the Apple Campus construction. Per Council agenda, the 7700 Parmer rezone would:

. . . allow a conversion of existing surface parking and provide additional uses on the property. This amendment . . . will allow the PDA to exceed the current
maximum allowable square footage of 1,755,000 square feet with the inclusion of 80,000
square feet of a retail shopping center including restaurant uses, 340 rooms hotel rooms,
and 1,800 multifamily residential units (

There aren't any renderings yet, but they did have a handy map showing the 7700 site, and the proximity to the Apple campus.

[Mikey711MN]

Originally Posted by We vs us

There aren't any renderings yet, but they did have a handy map showing the 7700 site, and the proximity to the Apple campus.

Here's one...



...excerpted from the developer's marketing brochure here: https://resources.aquilacommercial.c...hase-Flyer.pdf

[We vs us]

Awesome, nice catch!

[H2O]

When it says the parking ratio is dense, that means the development is not.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by H2O

When it says the parking ratio is dense, that means the development is not.

Correct. I live around the corner and the development is very very undense.

TBH, this is a great outcome for what is now an exceptionally sub-urban usage.

[drummer]

I've always thought that Anderson Mill ought to continue east and connect to Grand Ave Parkway, which currently stops around Burnet/1325 on the SE corner of Mopac/45. It would be a good east-west connection. It would create a nice grid with McNeil and provide a good connection for Pearson Ranch to come south, as well as O'Connor, and both of those could potentially continue down to McNeil/Howard. It would have to work around the quarries, of course, but this area is ripe for development and Robinsons seem to know just how much money they're sitting on.

This is an interesting article from 2018 that I just came across again - at the time they were wondering if Amazon might land there for a second HQ, which obviously didn't happen.

https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/n...ch-photos.html

[We vs us]

Here's the brochure Mikey711MN found for 7700 Parmer.

[drummer]

So would the multifamily residential be on the remaining surface-level parking there?

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by drummer

I've always thought that Anderson Mill ought to continue east and connect to Grand Ave Parkway, which currently stops around Burnet/1325 on the SE corner of Mopac/45. It would be a good east-west connection. It would create a nice grid with McNeil and provide a good connection for Pearson Ranch to come south, as well as O'Connor, and both of those could potentially continue down to McNeil/Howard. It would have to work around the quarries, of course, but this area is ripe for development and Robinsons seem to know just how much money they're sitting on.

That's one of the new roads in the ASMP

https://austin.maps.arcgis.com/apps/...7d788c8391f158

Edit/Add: link for full plan/site https://www.austintexas.gov/departme...-mobility-plan

[drummer]

Originally Posted by Novacek

That's one of the new roads in the ASMP

https://austin.maps.arcgis.com/apps/...7d788c8391f158

Thanks for sharing this - didn't know about this resource.

[We vs us]

I'm actually a little surprised that they haven't already built that Anderson Mill extension yet. Even without development along it, having a connecting route across town is a major need at the moment, and especially as Apple gets up and running, and now this new 7700 expansion . . . there's going to be a real need to get people into and out of the area quickly.

(And this is actually my major concern with the Apple Campus, which I think I've said before: right now there's just one entry/exit point, and that's at Dallas/Parmer. If that remains true, think how badly chunked up that intersection's going to end up!)

[drummer]

When some of this stuff happens, can we all agree that McNeil Dr. needs to pick one road and stick to it?

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by drummer

When some of this stuff happens, can we all agree that McNeil Dr. needs to pick one road and stick to it?

And make it so that there's not both a McNeil DR and a McNeil RD

[drummer]

Originally Posted by Novacek

And make it so that there's not both a McNeil DR and a McNeil RD

I didn't even make that connection - just further supports the absurdity of the current situation. Even Vandergrift High School (just off of 2222) is on McNeil Dr....a road that is all kinds of bad/congested for its use and ends in a cul-de-sac...

[The ATX]

Amazon is building their second San Marcos warehouse. This one is near the border with Kyle on Yarrington RD. This is in addition to other large planned/UC Amazon facilities in Kyle, Buda, Round Rock and of course the really big one in P'ville.

https://communityimpact.com/austin/s...al-texas-news/

[Riverranchdrone]

Does anyone know of any big projects completed or almost completed in Leander. Its for my next drone project.

[drummer]

Originally Posted by Riverranchdrone

Does anyone know of any big projects completed or almost completed in Leander. Its for my next drone project.

The only one of which I'm aware is the Crossover building on Scottsdale Dr., which isn't probably very exciting from the air. Beyond that, I know that some of Northline is under construction. Of course, there are several suburban neighborhood developments under construction throughout, especially along 183A and Ronald Reagan, as well as to the west on 1431.

One cool one is actually Lakewood Park, which is just east of 183A and south of Crystal Falls. I would say 90% done based on my visits, just waiting for some grass to grow at this point.

[ATX2030]

350 acres in rail-served RCR Taylor Logistics Park available

https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/n...-for-sale.html

"Part of a huge, blossoming industrial park in Williamson County will soon be on the market. RCR Taylor Logistics Park, which includes rail lines from both BNSF and Union Pacific, is being broken up as demand for industrial space skyrockets."

This has Tesla written all over it for logistics and transport.