The Mueller airport redevelopment has kicked off construction of the first of its residential component. Having been months since I last visited, I thought I'd drive around and get some shots of the new homes popping up near Airport Blvd...
That place is going to be awesome in a 10 years or so when everything is built out and matured some.
__________________
"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." -- Galileo
We did the same thing today! I will say that I was very pleasantly surprised by several things in the development. While stylistically the development is not our "cup of tea".... we really understood the mass appeal of the design. We talked to sereral folks we knew and heard their very positive response to what they were seeing. I also liked the fact that there was a wide range of builders and price range. Land use was as good as I think you will see in that type of development. Homes were really on the least of mount of land possible... and then great amounts of room was used for green space, trails, playscapes, lakes.
Almost everything out there that has been build has been sold! Looks like it is being received very well.
Of course I would have loved to have seen a more modern option in the designs, but hey, I am a minority. These homes have really hit the target for the mass market of the moment.
Great pics. This whole process of redeveloping the old airport has been very interesting. And I think it is such a cool thing that they left the old control tower. Gotta leave it, it's basically an Austin landmark. How cool is it that you can see it from some of those neighborhood streets.
Great pics. This whole process of redeveloping the old airport has been very interesting. And I think it is such a cool thing that they left the old control tower. Gotta leave it, it's basically an Austin landmark. How cool is it that you can see it from some of those neighborhood streets.
Its intriguing to speculate what might occupy the former control tower. I'd love to see the top floor opened to the public in some form... as an observation deck or a restaurant. The lower floors were occupied by FAA offices as I recall.. there's possibilities there too.
I'm also curious about the base of the tower, where the terminal building used to be. Perhaps a new structure will surround the bare concrete base? The project maps seem to indicate the tower will be situated within a park setting. I guess we'll see. Lots of opportunities there.
__________________
Austin.Texas.USA
Home of the 2005 National Champion Texas Longhorns
I am really hoping for an observation deck. The tower isn't all that tall, only 86 feet, but because of how close it is to downtown, the views would be good. I would imagine you'd be able to just about any highrise up and down I-35 and within Central Austin. If a park is going to surround it, they might just be planning an observation deck for it.
Hugh range! Look at the Mueller site for all details. As part of the land deal, 25% are "affordable" housing. As low as $100,000. THe "David Weekley" homes are the most economical, starting in the upper 2oo's for 1500 and up sq ft. On the upper end.... there are some 3000+ sq ft homes that start at $700,000. These are in the minority. (But you can tell the difference in quality of construction, and finishes.) Everything felt solid, though materials varied widely. Check out the site at
I've been out to Mueller a bunch of times in the past months. I _REALLY_ want to move there. The only problem is that you can't really get in there without about $260k. That's for a pretty small crappy home. If you want anything fairly nice you need to have at the minimum $300k. What's interesting though is that if you go out to Kyle, Buda, Cedar Park, or Round Rock you can get a house twice the size for the same amount of money. Must be location, because there are no good ways of getting into town from the suburbs (M1EK can attest to this I'm sure!)
I've talked to a couple of the builders out there and their phase 1 stuff sold out without people even looking at the floor plans. As a result they are increasing their prices by 10% pretty much across the board! I'm hoping by the time I'm ready to buy the market there will cool off and prices will come down. I really want the apartments to be ready there by the time my lease runs out so I can give the neighborhood a test drive for a few months and save a bit more cash to get the house I want there.
This place looks awesome! I love how the homes all vary from one another, with differences rather than all cookie cutter designs. It is an awesome neighborhood right in the middle of the city.
This place looks awesome! I love how the homes all vary from one another, with differences rather than all cookie cutter designs. It is an awesome neighborhood right in the middle of the city.
Hugh range! Look at the Mueller site for all details. As part of the land deal, 25% are "affordable" housing. As low as $100,000. THe "David Weekley" homes are the most economical, starting in the upper 2oo's for 1500 and up sq ft. On the upper end.... there are some 3000+ sq ft homes that start at $700,000. These are in the minority. (But you can tell the difference in quality of construction, and finishes.) Everything felt solid, though materials varied widely. Check out the site at
muelleraustin.com
Thanks for that. I actually just bought a house in suburbia but wanted to see if these were comparable in price. Not so much but still nice. Seems they are "shotgun" style in the price range I was looking at.
The models/floorplans I browsed had them in the back. On the map you can see a little alley between houses.
Yes, the garages are in the back of the homes, facing rear, one-way alleys. There are now several 'traditional' style neighborhoods as this out in the 'burbs. Forest Oaks and Cedar Park Town Center come to mind, among many others in Kyle, Buda, Pflugerville, Georgetown and Round Rock. The Mueller is superior to all, in my opinion.
You can see garages in this pic, across the lake:
__________________
Austin.Texas.USA
Home of the 2005 National Champion Texas Longhorns
Actually Yes, They all have double car garages on the back of the property that open to alleys. Like that a lot. Makes the designs not have the first suburban mistake of having a garage be the focus of the front of a house!
Oooops just saw Mopacs answered this.
I took some time to see what the average house price is in Austin right now.... couldn't find it.... know it is in the mid 200's, right? Does anyone know how the prices at Mueller compare to the Austin average? Seems like they stacked the deck with a good bit of properties that are at or below the average in Austin. But heck. with that location, I couldn't imagine expecting to find things much below the average, cause the average property does not have that location! ( well, I guess if you want be close to the center of town!)
Last edited by MichaelB; Apr 21, 2008 at 10:55 PM.
Ugh, I hate when the garages are in the back of the houses. The alleys are usually too small and can cause more of a traffic jam than if they were on the roads.
Anyhow, it looks like a great development. I like that they kept the control tower, and I also hope they turn it into an observation deck or something.