• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

TOWERS

Austin city life since 2007

  • News
    • Condo Projects
    • Neighborhoods
  • Listings
    • Austin Condo Guide
  • Newsletter
  • Realty
Search
You are here: Home / News / Here’s a Closer Look at Travis County’s New Downtown Courthouse
Search suggestions: condos for sale • rainey street

Here’s a Closer Look at Travis County’s New Downtown Courthouse

James Rambin December 18, 2018 Comment

Image: Gensler

Back in July, we saw our first rendering of Travis County’s new civil and family courts facility planned at 1700 Guadalupe Street atop a city block bound by Guadalupe, San Antonio, 17th, and 18th Streets. Now, thanks to the project’s application to Austin’s Downtown Density Bonus Program through the city’s Design Commission, we’ve got a better understanding than ever of what to expect at this site, which is being developed by Hunt Development Group and Chameleon Companies. 

The apartment and office structure at 408 West 17th Street, next door to what was formerly the site of the Dog and Duck Pub. This whole area will soon be occupied by the county courthouse development. Photo by James Rambin.

Currently occupied only by two parking lots and a small apartment and office structure at 408 West 17th Street, for many years the future courthouse site was home to beloved campus pub the Dog and Duck — so, in a sort of roundabout way, you could say this block’s been a contributing factor in divorces for quite some time, and now it’s just going pro. The bar’s generally kinda low around here for local government buildings, so even though this project’s not reinventing the wheel, it’s nice to see in these renderings what appears to be some thoughtful design for the facility courtesy of the folks at Gensler and TBG Partners:

Image: Gensler

Sharp-eyed readers will note that the rendering above has gained another tower since the last time we saw it. Here’s a handy-dandy little gif comparison of the new rendering and the same angle from back in July:

Images: Gensler

That second structure, seen on the left in the rendering below, is a 14-story office tower that will potentially be built at the site as part of a Phase II configuration:

A view of the courthouse project looking north from 17th Street, with the two towers and plaza space between them visible. Image: Gensler

For now, the 12-story courthouse building on the right side of the above rendering is what we can count on, with the space occupied by that possible office tower to be built out as a large public plaza space, according to the project’s density bonus application. There’s also apparently a street-level cafe space planned for the facility, though its location at the site is unclear at the moment.

Overall, according to the application, the completed project as configured with its two towers will comprise more than 725,000 square feet of space and 25 courtrooms, along with 390 parking spaces in a four-level underground parking garage, which is contained within a raised podium at the base of both structures. This design element is visible in all renderings of the project, though more prominent in the street-level views seen below:

A rendering of the courts building’s street level seen from 17th and San Antonio Streets. Image: Gensler / TBG Partners

A rendering of the courts building’s street level seen from San Antonio Street. Image: Gensler / TBG Partners

A rendering of the courts building’s street level seen from 18th and San Antonio Streets. Image: Gensler / TBG Partners

As part of the density bonus program, the facility will receive a 4.5:1 increase in floor-area-ratio, exceeding the site’s typical DMU-zoned limit of 5:1 to reach a proposed total FAR of 9.5:1. To meet the program’s gatekeeper requirements, the project will improve the streetscape along all public frontages to Great Streets standards, and seek to comply with the rest of the city’s Urban Design Guidelines. The development also must commit to a minimum 2-star rating with Austin Energy’s Green Building Program.

The Design Commission’s Planning and Urban Design Working Group expressed some objections to the building’s design regarding how well the project’s streetscape and elevated parking structure enabled a good pedestrian experience along its frontages. The group also voiced concern about the building’s lack of visibly environmentally-friendly features, and the area along the west side of San Antonio Street potentially being included in a National Register Historic District, which the building apparently does not compliment. 

A December 5 memo from the Design Commission’s Urban Design Working Group regarding the Travis County courts facility. Image: City of Austin

Despite these initial criticisms, after discussion with the project’s development team at last night’s Design Commission meeting, the project was ruled in compliance with the city’s Urban Design Guidelines by a unanimous vote. The facility, its cost to the county recently estimated to the tune of $344 million, should open by 2023. Additional information about the courthouse, its features, and the estimated timeline of its construction can be found at the county’s website for the project, tccourts.com.

Related

Filed Under: News Tagged With: 78701, architecture, city politics, design, offices, streetscapes, urbanism

About James Rambin

James is an Austin native and fifth-generation Texan, but tries not to brag about it. Email him anything at james@towers.net.

Austin Homes with Seller Financing available

Seller Financing in Austin
Previous Post: « Central Austin Development Roundup: The Hits Just Keep On Coming
Next Post: Where’s the ‘Heart’ of Downtown Austin? »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  •  Schedule a showing

FEATURED Listings

2804 Lafayette Avenue #2
Austin, TX
Photo of 2804  Lafayette Avenue #2, Austin, TX 78722 (MLS # 6466792)
$679,988
30
  • Lot Size
    2,178 sqft

  • Home Size
    953 sqft

  • Beds
    2 Beds

  • Baths
    2 Baths

210 Lavaca Street #2711
Austin, TX
Photo of 210  Lavaca Street #2711, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 9784437)
$1,475,000
26
  • Lot Size
    109 sqft

  • Home Size
    1,423 sqft

  • Beds
    2 Beds

  • Baths
    3 Baths

View Virtual Tour
301 West Avenue #5103
Austin, TX
Photo of 301  West Avenue #5103, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 5945580)
$1,894,900
33
  • Lot Size

  • Home Size
    1,474 sqft

  • Beds
    2 Beds

  • Baths
    2 Baths

360 Nueces Street #907
Austin, TX
Photo of 360  Nueces Street #907, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 3584447)
$648,500
40
  • Lot Size
    131 sqft

  • Home Size
    852 sqft

  • Beds
    1 Bed

  • Baths
    1 Bath

View Virtual Tour
501 West Avenue #3701
Austin, TX
Photo of 501  West Avenue #3701, Austin, TX 78701 (MLS # 9503524)
$3,299,000
40
  • Lot Size
    157 sqft

  • Home Size
    2,517 sqft

  • Beds
    3 Beds

  • Baths
    3 Baths

austin condo report

Featured Buildings

  • The Independent
  • Fifth & West
  • 360
  • Austin City Lofts
  • W Residences
  • The Shore
  • 70 Rainey

Footer

LEGAL NOTICE

TREC Information About Brokerage Services (pdf)

Texas Real Estate Commission Consumer Protection Notice


TOWERS realty

Austin Condos For Sale

Agents

Downtown Buildings

Luxury Towers

  • Four Seasons Residences
  • W Hotel & Residences
  • The Austonian
  • 5 Fifty Five at Hilton

Most Popular

  • The Shore
  • 360 Condos
  • Seaholm Condos
  • Spring Condos
  • Milago Condos

New Construction

  • The Independent
  • 70 Rainey
  • Austin Proper
  • Fifth & West

Loft Style

  • Austin City Lofts
  • Brazos Place
  • The Sabine
  • Plaza Lofts
  • Brown Building

Resources

  • Austin Condo Guide
  • Condos For Sale
  • Condo Buyer FAQ
  • Property Search

Featured

Archives

Newsletter · About · Contact Us · DMCA · Privacy Policy · SLAPP · Copyright © 2007-2022 TOWERS.net · All Rights Reserved
 

Loading Comments...