Lamar Business Park Rezoning Approved in North Loop

A view of the full Lamar Business Park site now pondering a large-scale redevelopment. Image: Google Maps / James Rambin

The redevelopment of the Lamar Business Park, an approximately 14-acre shopping center and office park in the North Loop neighborhood of Central Austin best known for its anchor tenants of Goodwill and Half Price Books, is now free to move forward at 5555 North Lamar Boulevard after receiving a vertical mixed-use rezoning from Austin City Council at its April 18 meeting.

After securing a recommendation from the Planning Commission back in February, the request from the business park’s owners at Link Logistics to add a vertical mixed-use zoning category to the commercial zoning of the 9.3-acre rear office section on the eastern part of the tract to match the existing zoning of the shopping center facing North Lamar Boulevard was approved on second and third readings by council yesterday. This unified zoning allows the site’s owners to pursue a planned redevelopment of the full property with a multi-building mixed-use project described as containing 1,070 apartments and 45,000 square feet of retail space. 

An aerial view of the Lamar Business Park site at the southeast corner of North Lamar Boulevard and West Koenig Lane. Image: Link Logistics

With the vertical mixed-use zoning secured, a project at this site could rise up to 60 feet, although it is currently subject to compatibility limits due to nearby single-family homes at the rear of the site. But what’s particularly interesting about this plan is the reaction from its neighbors in North Loop, who generally seem enthusiastic about the potential for a project here to improve the site’s current land use with more active uses for the community. According to District 4 Council Member José “Chito” Vela, the North Loop Neighborhood Association provided a letter of support for the site’s rezoning case, but nearby residents might actually prefer to see a more significant project than what these current zoning entitlements might imply. 

Traditionally the neighborhoods try to ratchet projects down, and have less height and less units. This is a situation where the neighborhood would like to see a larger, more signature-type project on that property.

— CM Vela

It’s easy to imagine nearby residents watching transformative, sprawl-busting plans unfolding recently for new mixed-use developments at aging strip shopping centers like Brodie Oaks in South Austin and thinking, hey, can we do that here?