Front elevation of a proposed two-story townhome (left) juxtaposed next to the East Fifth Condos next door. Images: City of Austin / Google Street View / Graphic by Adolfo Pesquera.
Next door to the East Fifth Condos at Fifth and Tillery Streets in the Govalle-Johnston Terrace neighborhood, there sits a well-kept little blue house on a single-family lot — and if the owners of two small woman-owned local businesses get their way, it will soon be replaced with six two-story townhomes.
The little blue 1940s-era house next door to the East Fifth Condos is on a lot slated for a six-unit townhome project. Image: Google Street View
The concept for these new townhomes could not be a more stark contrast from the recently-completed East Fifth Condos, which with their simple lines and two-tone boxy look all but scream “modern urban.” In terms of style, the East Fifth Condos are closer to The Guthrie, a larger contemporary multifamily project underway just a few blocks down at Tillery and Gonzales Streets.
Instead, the townhome project at 507 Tillery Street looks like a throwback to architectural styles of the 1920s. At least that’s how the structures appear in the sketchy watercolor illustrations submitted to the city:
An illustration of the proposed 507 Tillery Street townhomes. Image: RizePDC / City of Austin
Ross Frie, president and CEO of Frie Planning, Development & Construction LLC (FriePDC), submitted a project narrative to the city describing the townhomes as “traditional architectural style homes to blend into the existing surrounding traditional Govalle-Johnston Terrace neighborhood.”
The landowner working with FriePDC is Caren Wendt, a small businesswoman who operates a janitorial service and dabbles in real estate. She bought the house in 2016 as an investment.
The proposed site plan includes six residents in two rows, lined up three deep. Image: RizePDC.
This may get a little convoluted, but Ross Frie is carrying out this project with Kelly Rush-Frie, the vice president and COO in his company who also happens to be president and CEO of Rize Planning, Development & Construction (RizePDC), the firm that prepared the development’s conceptual illustrations and site plan.
Looking at the lot from Tillery Street — the frontage is just 60 feet wide — it appears to be an unlikely place to fit six two-story townhomes, but city staff at Development Services appear to be in support:
“The Govalle-Johnston Terrace Neighborhood plan supports a diverse range of housing options for all stages of life. Staff believes the applicant’s proposed development supports this goal and fits the scale of the area,” the department’s report states. It does help, however, that the lot is 200 feet deep and has an area of just under a third of an acre.
“It’s a deep lot,” said Ross Frie in a neighborhood meeting, according to city records. “There is multifamily development directly to the south … but we want to do something different, something that blends into the neighborhood.”
The house on site that will have to be removed was built in the 1940s, and is similar in age and style to the others that still stand in the 500 block of Tillery Street.
Once constructed, Frie intends to sell the units, which he refers to as “cottages.” He has told neighbors he would probably price them at around $320,000. When it was suggested that seemed low for the area, he said, “We will see what the market will bear.”
Google Map with the 507 Tillery Street site plan inserted. Graphic by Adolfo Pesquera.
Each townhome is proposed to be two stories tall, with a total living area of 1,650 square feet (1,000 square feet downstairs and 650 square feet upstairs). There will be a single driveway entrance with spur cut-offs to each residence, and each will have a two-car garage. These are all three-bedroom homes with two or three baths, a home gym, spacious central family rooms and open concept kitchens. There’s even an outdoor space reserved for a dog walk and pet wash area.
Once the zoning change to multifamily is approved, Frie has estimated construction could start in 12 to 18 months. But this case has been in front of the Planning Commission since December — it was postponed again earlier this week and is scheduled to come back on August 9.
East Austin Homes For Sale
-
$1,099,000
2606 E 14th Street #1
Austin, TX -
$1,150,000
2729 Lyons Road
Austin, TX -
$1,950,000
2107 Garden Street
Austin, TX -
$825,000
2102 New York Avenue
Austin, TX -
$695,000
2106 New York Avenue
Austin, TX -
$699,900
908 Brass Street #2
Austin, TX -
$1,498,000
1215 Maple Avenue
Austin, TX -
$820,000
68 Mildred Street
Austin, TX -
$1,919,900
2114 Haskell Street
Austin, TX -
$724,900
800 Embassy Drive #401
Austin, TX -
$710,000
1220 Taylor Street
Austin, TX -
$899,990
902 Willow Street #2
Austin, TX -
$1,299,900
902 Willow Street #1
Austin, TX -
$1,699,000
2008 E 17th Street
Austin, TX -
$490,000
3101 Govalle Avenue #303
Austin, TX -
$1,200,000
3201 & 3203 Govalle Avenue
Austin, TX -
$499,000
1803 Ulit Avenue
Austin, TX -
$309,000
2220 Webberville Road #225
Austin, TX -
$975,000
1308 Walnut Avenue
Austin, TX -
$925,000
1212 Poquito Street #1
Austin, TX -
$850,000
2509 E 5th Street
Austin, TX -
$650,000
2907 E 5th Street
Austin, TX -
$850,000
2909 E 5th Street
Austin, TX -
$699,000
1001 Walter Street #2
Austin, TX -
$899,000
1001 Walter Street #1
Austin, TX
-
$1,099,000Lot Size6,304 sqft
Home Size1,572 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
$1,150,000Lot Size6,273 sqft
Home Size1,872 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths3 Baths
-
$1,950,000Lot Size6,722 sqft
Home Size2,119 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths4 Baths
-
$825,000Lot Size7,972 sqft
Home Size1,616 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
$695,000Lot Size7,963 sqft
Home Size1,092 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
$699,900Lot Size3,594 sqft
Home Size1,029 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths3 Baths
-
$1,498,000Lot Size4,200 sqft
Home Size2,243 sqft
Beds4 Beds
Baths4 Baths
-
$820,000Lot Size3,494 sqft
Home Size1,106 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
$1,919,900Lot Size6,752 sqft
Home Size2,658 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths4 Baths
-
$724,900Lot SizeN/A
Home Size1,214 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
$710,000Lot Size3,276 sqft
Home Size994 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
-
$899,990Lot Size3,050 sqft
Home Size1,100 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
$1,299,900Lot Size3,568 sqft
Home Size1,634 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
$1,699,000Lot Size5,036 sqft
Home Size3,034 sqft
Beds4 Beds
Baths4 Baths
-
$490,000Lot Size1,586 sqft
Home Size1,040 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths2 Baths
-
$1,200,000Lot Size22,869 sqft
Home Size1,560 sqft
BedsN/A
BathsN/A
-
$499,000Lot Size5,703 sqft
Home Size1,160 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
$309,000Lot Size5,838 sqft
Home Size527 sqft
BedsN/A
Baths1 Bath
-
$975,000Lot Size6,047 sqft
Home Size2,124 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths3 Baths
-
$925,000Lot Size7,798 sqft
Home Size1,625 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths4 Baths
-
$850,000Lot Size4,500 sqft
Home Size1,552 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths3 Baths
-
$650,000Lot Size6,787 sqft
Home Size652 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths1 Bath
-
$850,000Lot Size6,787 sqft
Home Size884 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths1 Bath
-
$699,000Lot Size5,628 sqft
Home Size1,090 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths3 Baths
-
$899,000Lot Size5,637 sqft
Home Size1,939 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths3 Baths
Leave a Reply