The recent planning effort by the City of Austin designating a large swath of downtown near I-35 as the Palm District has always felt a bit inexact for us, rolling the Rainey Street District, the area around the Austin Convention Center that also contains the plan’s namesake Palm School, the entertainment district along Red River Street, and the Innovation District near the new…
Teacher Retirement System Site Sells in Downtown Austin’s Innovation District
News broke in the Austin American-Statesman earlier today that the Teacher Retirement System of Texas has closed on the sale of its longtime headquarters in downtown Austin, a property occupying two full city blocks at 1000 Red River Street near what’s been recently dubbed the city’s new Innovation District. According to today’s report, the 3.83-acre site, currently occupied by some charmingly…
Turning Empty Rails to Urban Trails at the Bergstrom Spur in South Austin
A project by Austin Public Works converting more than six miles of abandoned rail line in South Austin to an all-access urban trail is shifting into the next gear this month — and although it’s not too flashy, the plan has the potential to bring some downtown-style urban design improvements to the region south of Highway 290,…
Saving North Austin From Suburban Sprawl, One Tower at a Time
The growing skyline of towers near the Domain area of North Austin is all the evidence you need for the success of the city’s North Burnet / Gateway Regulating Plan, a 2000s policy tweak unlocking extra height and density for projects around the intersection of West Braker Lane and Burnet Road. With an increased height limit of 420 feet recently approved in some areas and a new study requested by…
Texas French Bread Seeks Partners to Rebuild Its Business ‘Better Than Ever’
When a fire destroyed Rio Grande Street bakery and restaurant Texas French Bread back in January, the future of this longtime local business didn’t seem particularly sunny . Owner Murph Willcott and his wife Carissa Ries, devastated at the loss of the nearly century-old building at this site occupied by their business since 1986, weren’t sure what a path forward for their…
Downtown Austin’s Seaholm Intake Celebrates First Phase of Renovations
The restoration at the former intake facility of downtown Austin’s decommissioned Seaholm Power Plant celebrated a milestone earlier this afternoon, with city officials and the project’s stewards at the Trail Conservancy marking the completion of the renovation’s critical first phase with a ribbon-cutting and tour. We are creating something so beautiful people are already coming by, I am so excited to…