An aerial view of the tracts now seeking a zoning change for extra height on North Lamar Boulevard near its intersection with Airport Boulevard. Image: Google Maps / James Rambin
A transit-oriented residential development now in the early planning stages at the southeast corner of Lamar and Airport Boulevards at the edge of the Highland neighborhood could set a new record for height in this region of Central Austin, with the project’s developers now seeking a zoning change from the city unlocking a maximum height of 160 feet or about 15 floors. The approximately 350-unit project would rise on 1.73 acres at 6817 and 6901 North Lamar Boulevard, two adjacent sites respectively occupied by an Enterprise car rental facility and a single-story office.
The properties are both owned by prolific Austin real estate investor Jimmy Nassour, who is now seeking a zoning allowance for extra height at this location in exchange for affordable units in the building as part of the transit-oriented residential growth goals of the Lamar/Justin TOD Station Area Plan — first adopted in 2008 to encourage dense development around the Crestview rail and bus station, but tweaked on a project-by-project basis over time as Austin’s definition of “dense” evolved. We’re of the opinion that any building within rock-throwing distance to a train station ought to be about as tall as what’s now being proposed here, especially as Project Connect explores similar heights near its upcoming stations, but 15 floors would still be a notable increase for this region compared with the district’s current base zoning height limit of 60 feet.
A view of the office building currently standing at 6901 North Lamar Boulevard. Image: Graphicerr.com / Facebook
The 160-foot density bonus for this site would require 25 percent of the upcoming building’s 350 residences to be affordable to individuals or families earning no more than 60 percent of the median family income if the project offers rental units, or 80 percent if the building’s residences are sold as condos — that’s a total of approximately 87 affordable units in the building. Alongside that mixed-income housing, the rezoning application also indicates the building planned here could contain about 100,000 square feet of undefined commercial space.
Demolition Pending for North Lamar Apartment Site Near Crestview Station
Besides the affordable housing increase and transit-adjacent design, one benefit of allowing these buildings to rise beyond the typical wood-framed “Texas Donut” height of five floors is that it unlocks completely different architectural possibilities — a 15-story building is a tower, meaning what goes up at this prominent corner site could become a defining feature of the neighborhood. Has Mr. Nassour considered…gold?
Leave a Reply