Austin's Next Wave of High-Rises

[Echostatic]

Trying to compile everything in the pipeline now into one post. This list is based off my development map, which you can find here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Zw...Q8&usp=sharing

Topped Out

The Independent - 690'


Austin Proper Hotel & Residences - 397'


Third + Shoal - 389'


Hotel ZaZa & Apartments - 305'


Under Construction/Site Demo

The Travis Tower I - 595'


The Travis Tower II - 591'


Block 185 - 589'


Block 71 (200 W 6th) - 542'


300 Colorado - 446'


Austin Marriott Downtown - 386'


The Quincy - 369'


48 East - 358'


405 Colorado - 356'


5th & Brazos - 355'


Alexan Capital - 350'


RiverSouth - 234'


1801 Congress - 222'


1601 Congress - 211'


Approved

6 + Guadalupe - 848'


Hanover Republic Square - 516'


Travis County Courthouse - 234'


Hilton Garden Inn 17th Street Hotel - 230'


Under Review

The Republic - 709'


90 Rainey - ~680'


44 East - 585'


Velocity Tower - ~425'


West Avenue Apartments - ~330'


17th Street Condos - 319'


North Gateway Plaza - 242'


Proposed

WeWork Site Towers 1-4


Railyards Towers I & II - 563' & 597'


701 Trinity - ~436'


One Austin - 353'


The Avenue Hyatt Centric Hotel - 346'


Domain IV - 304'

Travis County Courthouse Phase II - 268'


56 East - 250'

[Syndic]

Man, thanks for putting that together, Echostatic. It really hits home just how much development is in the pipeline. If you lump it all together, it really is one of the most massive construction undertakings/transformations in history; probably comparable to the Big Dig.

It makes me wonder: Do we realize what Austin is becoming? Please correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't the amount of high rise construction here make Houston and Dallas pale in comparison? And what happens to a city whose downtown explodes like ours is? In some ways, isn't Austin becoming, like, the city in Texas?

We've always had an powerful cocktail of persistent factors leading to our prosperity; its central location, UT, the capitol, being a welcoming beacon for the liberals of Texas, an attractive economy for out-of-staters, the confluence of Anglo and Hispanic, the weather, the food, the music, nature. It feels like everything is coming together now at the perfect time for Austin to thrive.

Are we ready to be a huge city? Because our skyline will soon scream "huge city" loudly for all to hear.

[Echostatic]

Originally Posted by Syndic

It makes me wonder: Do we realize what Austin is becoming? Please correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't the amount of high rise construction here make Houston and Dallas pale in comparison?

I'm pretty sure Austin has more high-rise construction than the rest of Texas combined. If everything I listed gets built, our skyline would be comparable to Dallas.

Originally Posted by Syndic

If you lump it all together, it really is one of the most massive construction undertakings/transformations in history.

I agree. I think in a few decades from now, urbanists around the country will look at Austin as almost an American parallel to Dubai. All of this construction coming online within a few decades... Incredible.

The skyline comparison images from 2005 to 2015 were already crazy enough, now imagine 2005 to 2025. It'll look like an entirely new city.

[The ATX]

Dallas and Houston are on par with Austin for skyscraper development. The difference is that those Metros are more than 3 1/2 times the size of Austin, and their high-rise development is spread over a large area and suburbs and not so much in their downtowns like Austin. The fact that Austin is at the same level as those cities and has a much smaller population is what's so amazing.

[Sigaven]

God what an exciting next 5-10 years this is going to be. Even more exciting than the last 10 years, which has already been incredible.

[AustinGoesVertical]

When I moved here in 2012, people kind of talked like the boom had already happened, explaining that Austin had really changed recently, but I don’t think people fathomed how much more it was about to change. Mind you, the change that had recently occurred was in the context of The Monarch, Austonian, Ashton, 360, W Hotel, etc.

But I remember how small downtown still felt even just 5 years ago. There was a true crevice between the Market District and 2nd Street, plenty of dead space and a much more quiet CBD, especially at night.

Then came plenty of new hotels (JW Marriot, Westin, Aloft) and the first big office project since Frost (Colorado Tower). That’s when I started to realize the boom was really still going. Seaholm/Greenwater and The Independent were the accelerant that really blew it all open, totally activating 2nd Street & Market District into a cohesive sprawl. It still amazes me that Greenwater was a field not too long ago. It’s truly remarkable. It was about 7 years between Austin’s two 600 footers. There are 4-5 in the current pipeline, and that’s not counting 44 East and Block 185, which are pretty darn close.

You’d think it’d be over. But what’s in the pipeline might make 2013-2017 look like an ant hill.

[Urbannizer]

Nice list! What’s Railyard Towers? First time hearing about that one.

I don’t see 410 Uptown and The Huston listed. I’m not sure if you have a certain height criteria, but I’d add what’s going on in West Campus. The area is becoming one with Downtown, even more so once the projects for the north end of Downtown get out of the ground.

Austin has more 500’+ projects planned than both Houston and Dallas. Only recently did the city lose the title for tallest building under construction in Texas, to Houston (Texas Tower 737’). Once 6th + Guadalupe begins we’ll have that title again. :-)

[H2O]

I could quibble with some of your categorizations (under construction, approved, proposed), but it is an excellent compilation of the pipeline. Thank you for all the effort! As mentioned, this list does not include projects on the edges of Downtown. It also does not include a lot of pipeline development near the Domain, with the exception of the Burnet Gateway project.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Good goin' Austin! You're growin' up so fast....

Seems like just yesterday I was more impressed with my own town's skyline than I was with Austin's. Definitely can't say that anymore!

[78701]

The Avenue Hyatt Centric Hotel - 346'

Wait, what? This is no longer an apartment building, the first one without parking?

[We vs us]

What's really interesting is how pronounced the shift to the 500 ft plateau has been in just the last year.

Of course all of the 500 footers have yet to materialize, but it's clear that developers are aspiring to that next notch on the belt.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by We vs us

What's really interesting is how pronounced the shift to the 500 ft plateau has been in just the last year.

Of course all of the 500 footers have yet to materialize, but it's clear that developers are aspiring to that next notch on the belt.

I would even characterize as a shift to a 600' plateau since several of the towers are rubbing up against that number.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by 78701

Wait, what? This is no longer an apartment building, the first one without parking?

The switch to a hotel was announced in January with a mid-year start date.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by The ATX

I would even characterize as a shift to a 600' plateau since several of the towers are rubbing up against that number.

Agreed. It's a 600 ft plateau at this point.

[urbancore]

Gobsmacked!

[78701]

Originally Posted by The ATX

The switch to a hotel was announced in January with a mid-year start date.

Thanks, I missed that one.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by Urbannizer

Nice list! What’s Railyard Towers? First time hearing about that one.

It's from a marketing flyer that AusTxDevelopment posted:
https://www.cbredealflow.com/handler...7-U#_section_2

[KevinFromTexas]

I think at this point the Railyard Towers are more of a vision for what can be built there (marketing) than an actual proposal. No site plan has been filed for that one.

I've also pretty much written off the West Avenue Apartments as dead since they also haven't filed a site plan yet either, and there hasn't been any news about it for a while. Same goes for 56 East.

I don't doubt something will eventually happen with those, but I doubt it'll be in their current form.

[shoreditch]

For what it's worth too, there is a 'for lease' sign up on the Frank & Angie's location these days, so the property owner seems to at least be actively looking for a tenant.

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

I think at this point the Railyard Towers are more of a vision for what can be built there (marketing) than an actual proposal. No site plan has been filed for that one.

I've also pretty much written off the West Avenue Apartments as dead since they also haven't filed a site plan yet either, and there hasn't been any news about it for a while. Same goes for 56 East.

I don't doubt something will eventually happen with those, but I doubt it'll be in their current form.

[AusTxDevelopment]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

I think at this point the Railyard Towers are more of a vision for what can be built there (marketing) than an actual proposal. No site plan has been filed for that one.

I've also pretty much written off the West Avenue Apartments as dead since they also haven't filed a site plan yet either, and there hasn't been any news about it for a while. Same goes for 56 East.

I don't doubt something will eventually happen with those, but I doubt it'll be in their current form.

Karlin hasn't closed on the Railyard land yet. They have it under contract but I doubt they've had a chance to put anything together while doing their due diligence on the land, so it's not surprising no site plan has been filed. They have said they plan to built two towers on the site, similar to the marketing.

You're right the towers won't be in the current form, since those were just massings for the sales brochure. Karlin has built quite a bit of low rise in the Austin suburbs, but they've built towers in California so I have confidence they can pull something off. Unlike Nate's group.