It’s been about a year since the City of Austin approved new rules for development under the city’s Vertical Mixed-Use (VMU) zoning program, which allows properties on central transit corridors to exceed typical limits on height and density in exchange for a percentage of on-site affordable residences. Last year’s update created a new tier of…
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Commentary, analysis, and quick thoughts on almost everything in town.
Inside the 506 West Residential Tower’s Incredible Retrofittable Parking Garage
Remember when downtown Austin was absolutely covered in surface parking lots? Folks that recall the old days firsthand often have a hard time believing there’s still a ton of parking downtown after decades of growth — although new buildings haven’t been required by the city code to include parking since 2013, almost every tower added to the skyline sits on…
Riverside Place Could Be Austin’s Next Big Strip Mall Redevelopment
A demolition permit filed with the city earlier this month could point to a redevelopment of the Riverside Place shopping center in Southeast Austin. Located at 2410 East Riverside Drive near the intersection with South Pleasant Valley Road, the approximately 10-acre strip mall was purchased in 2019 by an LLC associated with local development firm Endeavor Real…
Here’s How the State Bar Plans to Adapt This Historic Downtown Building
The long saga of the Bartholomew-Robinson Building at 1415 Lavaca Street could find its next gear this summer, as the property’s new owners at the State Bar of Texas move forward with plans to expand its headquarters, currently located next door, into the historic 1880s building at the southeast corner of West 15th and Lavaca Streets in downtown…
Twin Oaks Redevelopment Bringing South Austin Nearly 1,000 New Homes
A redevelopment plan for the 10-acre Twin Oaks Shopping Center in South Austin by Dallas-based global real estate developer Trammell Crow Company and its subsidiary High Street Residential could bring nearly 1,000 new homes, a hotel, offices, and extensive new retail space to the 1950s strip mall located at the northeast corner of South Congress Avenue and Oltorf Street, according to…
Burnet Road Apartment Plan Bringing Hundreds of Homes to Brentwood
A rezoning case headed to Austin’s Planning Commission next week could bring 350 new homes to an approximately 2.44-acre site just off Burnet Road in the Brentwood neighborhood of Central Austin. The plan for the building at the site, which is linked to local real estate firm Narrow Road Group and architects Urban Foundry, would replace a collection of vacant commercial buildings and…