When a fire destroyed Rio Grande Street bakery and restaurant Texas French Bread back in January, the future of this longtime local business didn’t seem particularly sunny . Owner Murph Willcott and his wife Carissa Ries, devastated at the loss of the nearly century-old building at this site occupied by their business since 1986, weren’t sure what a path forward for their…
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Commentary, analysis, and quick thoughts on almost everything in town.
Downtown Austin’s Seaholm Intake Celebrates First Phase of Renovations
The restoration at the former intake facility of downtown Austin’s decommissioned Seaholm Power Plant celebrated a milestone earlier this afternoon, with city officials and the project’s stewards at the Trail Conservancy marking the completion of the renovation’s critical first phase with a ribbon-cutting and tour. We are creating something so beautiful people are already coming by, I am so excited to…
When It Comes to Parking, Austin Could Learn a Thing or Two From California
Yesterday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2097, a bill eliminating parking requirements statewide for new housing and commercial developments located within a half-mile of major transit stations. It’s likely the most significant parking reform legislation ever passed, removing the parking mandates that often represent a significant burden to the cost and feasibility of housing construction. CA is making housing cheaper &…
This Downtown Demolition Application Could Tell a Tower-Shaped Story
A demolition application scheduled to appear at the October 5 meeting of the city’s Historic Landmark Commission could point to a new tower development on the northwestern edge of downtown Austin. The permit, listed for consideration on the upcoming meeting’s agenda, indicates an applicant is seeking to demolish the building at 1800 Guadalupe Street, a former apartment building dating…
Here’s the Latest Look for Downtown Austin’s HealthSouth Redevelopment
The 1.73-acre city-owned downtown property at 1215 Red River Street, formerly home to the HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital, is the lesser-known cousin of the significantly larger Central Health redevelopment next door — the latter project’s bringing a roughly 14-acre planned unit development with commercial and residential uses under the auspices of the University of Texas and Dell Medical School’s “Innovation District” branding…
Here’s How Austin Imagines Rainey Street’s New Pocket Park
Last week, we looked into the potential of a new “pocket park” space bound for the 0.27-acre city-owned tract at 64 Rainey Street, set to bridge the gap between the district’s iconic Mexican American Cultural Center and the main drag of Rainey’s nearby entertainment district — and while the City of Austin is currently conducting an official community engagement process for the site, we thought…