AUSTIN | Projects & Construction III

[Austin1971]

Jan BuchholzStaff Writer- Austin Business Journal

A high-density apartment project could be built at the northeast corner of West Riverside Drive and South First Street in downtown Austin. The site is south of Lady Bird Lake and kitty-corner from the Long Center for the Performing Arts.

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/bl...velopment.html

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by Austin1971

Jan BuchholzStaff Writer- Austin Business Journal

A high-density apartment project could be built at the northeast corner of West Riverside Drive and South First Street in downtown Austin. The site is south of Lady Bird Lake and kitty-corner from the Long Center for the Performing Arts.

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/bl...velopment.html

The Bouldin Creek NA seems pretty teppid to the idea. What strikes me as funny is they will complain about traffic citing 2,000 trips a day but with that location how many of those will be by car? Its reasonable that most of the people there will likely use mass transportation options, bike, or walk rather than use a personal car for most things.

[Austin1971]

By Sarah Coppola | Thursday, May 24, 2012, 11:03 PM
Austin-American Statesman

At 1:46 a.m. Friday, after a discussion that lasted more than four hours, the Austin City Council unanimously agreed to sell a downtown block to Trammell Crow Co. to transform into a $500 million mix of shops, eateries, offices and housing.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/conte...een_lan_1.html

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by Austin1971

By Sarah Coppola | Thursday, May 24, 2012, 11:03 PM
Austin-American Statesman

At 1:46 a.m. Friday, after a discussion that lasted more than four hours, the Austin City Council unanimously agreed to sell a downtown block to Trammell Crow Co. to transform into a $500 million mix of shops, eateries, offices and housing.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/conte...een_lan_1.html

Now I just hope they work around those beautiful heritage oaks. They add such charm and character to an urban setting.....it would be a sin to chop them down

[Jdawgboy]

Anyone know if the council passed Imagine Aistin?

[migol24]

Originally Posted by ahealy

Why can't people see the bigger picture with these developments? Y'all, I've had a rough past couple of days with total brain dead NIMBYs. Just casually hearing people say "yeah, this is the end of Austin", "Downtown and all those high rises are evil", or "Austin is turning into downtown Seattle; we'll only have homeless downtown in a few years" !! I can't stand ANYMORE OF THIS STUPIDITY!!#$@ First. These poeple don't have any solid information about what they're bitching about. Second. They did not vote, nor do they even know who the current mayor is. Third. THEY JUST MOVED HERE FROM LA, NY, DALLAS, OR CHICAGO!!!!

for every decade there will be people saying that. and in a way they are right, only that the current austin will change and form another cooler and newer austin. just like it's been occurring for the last several decades.

[BevoLJ]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

Anyone know if the council passed Imagine Aistin?

Who is Aistin and is he hot?

Sorry Jdawg, I am probably the last person of this forum who should give anyone a hard time for spelling, but I just couldn't help my self.

In related news, from last weeks commencement, the UT LBJ School of Pubic Affairs.



They printed and handed out thousands of those before anyone noticed. lol

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by BevoLJ

Who is Aistin and is he hot?

Sorry Jdawg, I am probably the last person of this forum who should give anyone a hard time for spelling, but I just couldn't help my self.

In related news, from last weeks commencement, the UT LBJ School of Pubic Affairs.



They printed and handed out thousands of those before anyone noticed. lol

Opps I was typing on my droid phone my bad.

LMAO that is so funny.

[N90]

Originally Posted by wwmiv

In a way I agree with this. Even with the attempt to create a secondary downtown (Domain v. Buckhead) or with a world-class event (Olympics v. F1), but we also have failed in ways where Atlanta excelled: mass transit.

Well we have to remember a few things though. MARTA began its train service in 1979 when Atlanta was a metro of 2,284,100 people which is considerably 500,000 or so more than what Austin is today. Give Austin time to get it.

Austin's topography is the main reason it sprawls more like Atlanta than either Dallas or Houston. Austin's development pattern has a lot of 'leap frog' effects and it becomes harder to build high density on the hills. The reason I bring this up is because Austin's got the same form of development as Atlanta, which is now the least dense major urban area in the world and Boston (another city with similar constraints) follows up on that. Austin in contrast is the least dense major urban area in our state, its behind Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, El Paso, and San Antonio.

Austin's future:

[JoninATX]

Just got back yesterday, took a short trip around the city there is a new crane up for the 8 st. project at 22 1/2 & Rio Grande, also there are 2 trucks parked where the new Skyhouse Austin will be, I believe they are taking soil samples.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by N90

Well we have to remember a few things though. MARTA began its train service in 1979 when Atlanta was a metro of 2,284,100 people which is considerably 500,000 or so more than what Austin is today. Give Austin time to get it.

Austin's topography is the main reason it sprawls more like Atlanta than either Dallas or Houston. Austin's development pattern has a lot of 'leap frog' effects and it becomes harder to build high density on the hills. The reason I bring this up is because Austin's got the same form of development as Atlanta, which is now the least dense major urban area in the world and Boston (another city with similar constraints) follows up on that. Austin in contrast is the least dense major urban area in our state, its behind Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, El Paso, and San Antonio.

Austin's future:

But Austin has more urban residents than Dallas or Houston will ever have....

[BevoLJ]

Originally Posted by Austin1971

Jan BuchholzStaff Writer- Austin Business Journal

A high-density apartment project could be built at the northeast corner of West Riverside Drive and South First Street in downtown Austin. The site is south of Lady Bird Lake and kitty-corner from the Long Center for the Performing Arts.

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/bl...velopment.html

I saw an article that Runtex will be included and not have to move. So that is great news.

[NYC2ATX]

Originally Posted by N90

Austin's future:

Maybe I missed something but I have to know, where did you find that image? Can I see it bigger?

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by ahealy

But Austin has more urban residents than Dallas or Houston will ever have....

Austin also has the densist neighborhood in Texas. While I can see where N90 is coming from on a metro level, Austin on a city level is becoming fairly dense and if Imagine Austin becomes the blueprint of all future growth inside the city limits, Austin will become the densist city in Texas.

[N90]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

Austin also has the densist neighborhood in Texas. While I can see where N90 is coming from on a metro level, Austin on a city level is becoming fairly dense and if Imagine Austin becomes the blueprint of all future growth inside the city limits, Austin will become the densist city in Texas.

That area is the University of Texas, which is where I graduated from recently. For what its worth I picked Austin to live in over Houston and Dallas.

Although I prefer big cities, Austin became a sole exception for me. A pleasant surprise, the place really grows on you more and more.

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

Austin will become the densist city in Texas.

No, more like it will have the densest and most vibrant core not the entire city (I mean really, Houston to Sugar Land or Katy and Dallas to Irving or Frisco are MUCH more continuously developed than Austin is to Round Rock (which feels like a semi rural farm to market road type of drive almost)). Its the same way in California, San Francisco's core far outpaces Los Angeles's but outside the core 15 miles (radius) its complete Los Angeles take over from there on out. Actually on radius Houston and Dallas take over right after 5 miles where Austin's lead ends but considering they're over 3X larger and much more decentralized it goes without saying.

Dallas and Houston can learn from Austin on what to do with their downtowns, and while their downtowns improve those areas will NEVER be as desirable as areas like Binz, Upper Kirby, Uptown (both for Houston or Dallas), Midtown, and so on let alone have the effect that downtown Austin has. Austin doesn't have areas like those (like Upper Kirby, areas as lively or developed as that miles away from a "downtown"), it has the university area and the downtown and adjacent areas. Much more Atlanta like, strong core but falls fast outside of the core.

Either way, the only states I could ever live in are Florida, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Washington, and California so that should say quite a bit about what type of cities I prefer.

Originally Posted by StatenIslander237

Maybe I missed something but I have to know, where did you find that image? Can I see it bigger?

Right here: http://www.houstontomorrow.org/livab...m-rail-vision/

[Jdawgboy]

I think that is the point of Imagine Austin to keep the core and most of the growth compact within 183 south to 290/71 and Mopac to I-35 rather than spreading out more to Round Rock and other areas, though in the plan the empty land between Austin and Round Rock is slated to become a regional center with highrises. My guess is that would act as a Downtown for far Northern Travis County and most if not all of Williamson County. Another regional center is planned right on the southern edge of Travis at 35 and SH 45 south.

[N90]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

I think that is the point of Imagine Austin to keep the core and most of the growth compact within 183 south to 290/71 and Mopac to I-35 rather than spreading out more to Round Rock and other areas, though in the plan the empty land between Austin and Round Rock is slated to become a regional center with highrises. My guess is that would act as a Downtown for far Northern Travis County and most if not all of Williamson County. Another regional center is planned right on the southern edge of Travis at 35 and SH 45 south.

I haven't kept up with "Imagine Austin", well partly because who actually has time to even catch their breathe between a project announcement in Austin. Seems like a new one every single day or something of the sort.

Do you have information, renderings, blueprints for this project? The fact that you mentioned several highrises between Austin and Round Rock is the part that caught my attention. Now that's infill, city altering infill at that.

[N90]

New Apartments off Riverside/Run Tex Apartments:\

Alliance Residential Co. submitted plans May 9 for a 353,000-square-foot apartment community that would be built on the northeast corner of West Riverside Drive and South First Street south of Lady Bird Lake.

The proposed site plan shows a multilevel structure on 1.5 acres that are occupied by a couple of retail businesses and parking lots.

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/pr...de-living.html

[BevoLJ]

Originally Posted by N90

I haven't kept up with "Imagine Austin", well partly because who actually has time to even catch their breathe between a project announcement in Austin. Seems like a new one every single day or something of the sort.

Do you have information, renderings, blueprints for this project? The fact that you mentioned several highrises between Austin and Round Rock is the part that caught my attention. Now that's infill, city altering infill at that.

Here is the plan: http://issuu.com/jgoodman/docs/iacp_..._2012-4-20-web

And a little video on what it is

• Video Link

[JoninATX]

Austin Planetarium moves forward with development

by KVUE.com

kvue.com Posted on May 26, 2012 at 4:26 PM

AUSTIN -- The Austin Planetarium is moving forward with their plan to build the largest planetarium in Texas. The nonprofit has submitted a proposal to the Texas Facilities Commission to build the planetarium on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Congress Avenue, where there is currently a state parking lot.

The proposed location would create a museum district in Austin. The planetarium would be across the street from the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum and the Blanton Museum of Art.

The proposed 157,000 square foot facility will include the planetarium, an interactive science museum and a technology center showcasing Texas innovations.

However, the facility will include more than just a museum and planetarium. A 47 story residential tower, restaurants, retail space and more than 1,000 underground parking spaces are also part of the proposal.

The total cost is estimated at $240 million. Only $95 million would be used for the science and technology museum.

http://www.kvue.com/news/Austin-Plan...154556155.html