The 30-story downtown Austin hotel plan proposed by local hospitality firm Merritt Development Group at the southeast corner of West Fifth and Lavaca Streets is set to appear before the city’s Design Commission tonight, seeking a ruling on its compliance with the design requirements of the Downtown Density Bonus Program. That’s great news for us, since it means we’ve…
Austin Preparing To End Parking Mandates Citywide in 2023
A draft resolution set to appear on the agenda of Austin City Council’s upcoming May 4 meeting would initiate an amendment to the city’s Land Development Code removing minimum parking requirements citywide, a long-awaited urban reform intended to reduce carbon emissions, create safer streets, and promote the development of affordable housing types while reducing sprawl. Introduced by Council . . ….
How the State of Texas Demolished a Downtown Austin Neighborhood
This morning, the Texas Facilities Commission celebrated the groundbreaking for Phase II of its Capitol Complex Project, the next step of a planning effort by the State of Texas to reshape its considerable land holdings north of the Capitol grounds with additional office space for state employees, a central pedestrian plaza, and thousands of underground parking spaces replacing…
South Central Waterfront Tower Plan Could Build Austin an Observation Deck
Last month, we dug into the potential rezoning of the Extended Stay America hotel at 507 South First Street in Austin’s growing South Central Waterfront district, with plans describing a residential tower at this site rising up to 490 feet. This month, an update to that rezoning application . . . Become a patron to get the full story and gain…
Residential Plan Seeks a Sweet 90 Feet on East Seventh Street
A rezoning case on the agenda for next week’s City Council meeting could bring extra height to an East Austin apartment project planned near downtown — and we think that means something! Scheduled for a public hearing at Council’s upcoming meeting on April 20, the case concerns a 0.65-acre assembly of adjacent properties at 1007 and 1021…
The Capitol Complex Clears a Corner at 15th and Lavaca in Downtown Austin
If you’ve strolled around downtown in the last few days and you’ve got a couple of brain cells left to rub together, you might have noticed a bit of demolition currently underway at West 15th and Lavaca Streets, clearing the existing buildings and a big parking lot from the state-owned block at the northeast corner of this…