A view of the courtyard at the Fourth& site. Photo by James Rambin.
The TOWERS Realty team recently had the opportunity to tour Fourth&, a 97-unit condo development by Capsa Ventures in East Austin, located at the corner of Fourth and Chicon Streets — I guess that’s where they got the name.
A rendering of Fourth&. Photo courtesy of Capsa Ventures.
Fourth& is a particularly interesting project, as far as midrise multifamily developments go, for a couple of reasons. It uses concrete and steel, not wood, for its framing structure, which is fairly unique for this side of town. The building is focused on sustainable design, with exclusively LED lighting and rooftop solar panels to offset the electrical usage of its residents. Its units, some of which are advertised as “micro-lofts,” range from 500 to 1,200 square feet.
A sketch of Fourth&. Photo courtesy of Delineate Studio.
The Fourth& site, formerly used as city warehouse space, required environmental reclamation by the developer to be suitable for the project. Mark Kendrick, agent for Canvas Properties and our tour guide for the day, is particularly proud of this point — it’s one of the few projects in East Austin that can proudly say it didn’t displace any of the area’s original residents. It’s a candid approach to the inevitable politics of development on the east side, and appears to be a recent trend among developers focused on the area.
A rendering of the completed Fourth& building. Photo courtesy of Capsa Ventures.
The project wasn’t far enough along to really get a full idea of its completed potential, at least without comparing the photos to renderings of the finished building, but I kind of like it that way. If you’re lucky enough to live here, might as well get a good look at the guts first.
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