Austin’s great streets program has transformed second street into a prime downtown hub with wide sidewalks, rich landscaping, public art, controlled traffic, and crowded street cafes. Today, second street is a key destination for residents, tourists, and other visitors to downtown. With the Waller Creek tunnel eliminating the flood plain on the East end of…
News
Austin real estate news combined with editorial and opinion.
NPR: Austin Too Expensive for Musicians
It’s a fact: Austin is getting more expensive. Especially for renters, the cost of living here is just going up and up. When the economics of urban living change, the social composition can change as well. Unfortunately for Austin, many musicians are being priced out of the Austin market. According to NPR, “Austin is one…
7Rio Re-imagined as Rental Project
According to the Downtown Austin Blog , 7Rio may be back on the drawing board. The previously proposed 32-story condo project on 7th and Rio Grande — on the site of Ranch 616 — is now supposedly being redrawn as a 24-story rental tower adjacent to Ranch 616. With the rapid rise in rental rates, developers are racing to…
New Gables Tower Breaks Ground
Gables Residential has commenced construction on a new 18-story apartment tower on Lamar just across from Cesar Chavez and Ladybird Lake. The new project is the second face of its Park Plaza development. It will have 222 units and will open in 2013. Fortunately, it’s more attractive than it’s larger, shorter Park Plaza neighbor. The…
2nd Street: 3 More Fancy Blocks Coming Soon
In many ways, Second Street has become the center of downtown Austin activity. With a dense mix of retail and restaurants, Austin City Limits, and the W Hotel, the 2nd street action continues to accelerate. One of the ways that the City has made 2nd street social is by creating broad sidewalks with benches, rooms…
Downtown Post Office Sold to 360 Developer
The downtown post office building may be the worst structure constructed downtown in the last century. It wastes a prime central block (Block 51) with an enormous elevated parking lot. It leaves all four sides devoid of retail, restaurants or cultural use. It places the structure in the middle of the block, far from the…