Austin Towers has obtained a couple of additional renderings of 70 Rainey condos, a tower proposed in the Rainey Street District of downtown Austin.
The renderings come from the architect, Page (née Page Southerland Page).
70 Rainey (aka “SEVENTY Rainey”) is expected to be 35 stories tall, hosting approximately 160+ residences. The site has unique geography that will provide the west facing residences protected views of the Hill Country and Lady Bird Lake. West facing units will also have view of the downtown Austin skyline.
What we can glean from the images is that there is a lot of attention being paid to the mezzanine deck, above the parking structure. Looks like the gap between the podium and the tower, around the 10th-12th floor could clear 30-40 feet which, if correct, would be a dramatic setting for outdoor amenities.
Drawing by Page Architects
Also, it’s nice to see the parking podium – typically an ugly feature on any building – wrapped with a green wall, of sorts. Hopefully that feature does not get value-engineered out of the final product.
Another subtlety: it looks like the adjacent lot to the south, owned by the MACC, could become a complimentary pocket park next to the building. This would take some coordination with the City or the MACC, but it could be a nice bonus for the neighborhood.
Rendering by Page Architects
Progress at the site appears earnest. Yesterday, we observed engineers doing geo-technical drilling. Hopefully these renderings are more than just ideas, and the developer can execute on this vision. The site that 70 Rainey sits on was originally entitled by Riverside Resources, and there was a previous proposal before Riverside owned it. Sackman Enterprises acquired the site in 2014 and is seeing the project through to fruition.
Here’s the thing about Rainey: it’s a multi-use district that is evolving within downtown Austin. It’s not purely residential. It’s not a bar district. It’s the wild west of downtown. The juxtaposition of everything, the frenzied mixture of restaurants, venues, parks, and high-rises, is what I love about living here. When complete, 70 Rainey will join other district buildings like Milago Condos, The Shore Condos, and Skyhouse.
-Jude
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