Public meeting Tuesday for Auditorium Shores changes

[KevinFromTexas]

Public meeting Tuesday for Auditorium Shores changes
Central Texas Digest

COMPILED FROM STAFF REPORTS
Published: 9:00 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18, 2010

City officials say they want input on the renovation of the area. The Auditorium Shores plan includes parking improvements and changes to the trail and the off-leash dog area.

...

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...es-184854.html

[KevinFromTexas]

Sounds interesting. As someone who enjoys photographing the skyline and the area around the lake, I'm most excited about the 100 foot pier into Lady Bird Lake. There's also talk of a pedestrian bridge on the west end of the park over Bouldin Creek.

The city would fill in a pond and reinterpret the design of an existing pavillion to create a more inviting path down to the shore and the new pier, which would jut about 100 feet into the lake.

Improvements planned for Auditorium Shores
More parking, restrooms, lake pier are part of proposal; dog park will still be an off-leash area.

By Sarah Coppola
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Updated: 9:38 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, 2010
Published: 8:52 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, 2010

To fix that, the city is planning $4.2 million in improvements to Auditorium Shores and nearby Butler Park. They include more parking, new restrooms, a pier over Lady Bird Lake, a children's play area and a path that splits off of the hike-and-bike trail to ease congestion and redirect joggers, cyclists and walkers away from dog owners and their pets. There are no plans to make the off-leash dog area an on-leash area.
...

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...es-191894.html

[The Lorax]

There's a development that is proposed for Barton Springs across from Auditorium Shores that will be great -- a huge improvement to the streetscape and the cultural uses in the area. Currently it's a surface parking lot and snow-cone stand. But the neighborhood is trying to kill it, claiming it's too tall (it's lower than the building right next door!).

The mixed-use project is called The Park and it's designed by Juan Miro -- if any of you are interested in density and quality urban design, I hope you'll support the effort. If not, the mullahs who run my neighborhood organization and ANC will take away yet another opportunity for us to have nice things to walk to and enjoy.

[KevinFromTexas]

Yes, The Park. It's actually taller than the building next door, but not by much. Last year I think, there was an article about it complete with a rendering. The article mentioned it would be 180 feet tall with 14 floors. The funny thing is, the developer of the building actually contacted me asking if I had any building heights for the area. At the time I didn't, but later did. While it is the tallest along Restaurant Row, it's not the tallest south of the river. The Hyatt Regency is the tallest building south of the river in Austin. By the way, the Hyatt was first proposed as a 25-story building. That would have made it taller than 250 feet tall, probably about the height of The Shore or Westgate Tower. Either way, a 180 foot building in Austin isn't that huge of a thing. It would be around the 50th tallest in the city probably once it's finished.. Austin City Lofts is 180 feet, and it's the 44th tallest now, but then there's The Austonian, The W and Four Seasons Residences. Plus a few more that will be taller.

Buildings in that area are:

Hyatt Regency - 185 feet - 17 floors - 1981
One Texas Center - 183 feet - 13 - 1983
The Park - 180 feet - 15 floors
811 Barton Building - 139 feet - 9 floors - 1987
Embassy Suites Hotel - 106 feet - 9 floors
Long Center for the Performing Arts - 105 feet - 2
Lakeshore Tower - 84 feet - 5 floors
Zach Scott Theatre - 77 feet (Planned)
Congress Square II - 74 feet - 5 - 1971
Town Lake Center - 62 feet - 5 floors

By the way, the trees in that area alone are about 60 to 70 feet tall. Barton Springs Road through that stretch is surrounded on both sides by some really old tall Pecan trees.

[The Lorax]

The project was revised about 9 months ago, reducing height to 120'. The building next door is 138'. In its new configuration, it has gone to the Environmental Board, and been unanimously supported (it includes a proposal for improvements to the adjacent creek). It goes to the Planning Commission on February 9th. It's a pretty cool design that includes a dedicated public easement connecting Barton Springs to the creek, with retail and cafes lining both Barton Springs and the connection to the creek. It will provide me and others in the neighborhood with a place to grab a meal or a cup of coffee. Of course, my NA can't get past any height beyond 40', so they are dead set against.