The redevelopment of the 19-acre waterfront site at 305 South Congress Avenue formerly home to the headquarters of the Austin American-Statesman by local firm Endeavor Real Estate Group is in a bit of a rough patch, if you haven’t heard. As if recent concerns about the health of the real estate market weren’t enough, a new lawsuit filed…
Blog
Commentary, analysis, and quick thoughts on almost everything in town.
Here’s a New View of the Downtown Austin Hotel Planned at Fifth and Lavaca
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 Member Zohaib “Zo”…
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 filed by local land use firm Armbrust & Brown on behalf of the…
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…