After what seems like endless series of problems and delays, Cap Metro has announced that light rail service will begin in March. Service was originally scheduled to commence on March 30, 2009. MetroRail will run from downtown to Leaner with stops for Lakeline, Howard, Kramer, Crestview, Highland, MLK, Jr., and Plaza Saltillo. The full 32…
Austonian Dismantles Crane, Throws Party
Over the last few weeks, the Austonian has been slowly dismantling its crane, signaling the beginning of the final phase of construction. With the exterior shell complete and the elevators now fully functional, the Austonian invited hundreds of guests to a private party on the the top three floors of the tower last Friday night. From…
Update: New Central Library Progress
The City of Austin has more residents than the cities of Boston (although the Austin MSA is smaller than the Boston metropolitan area), Seattle and Nashville. Austin’s central library is 110,000 square feet – 1/5 the size of Boston’s main library, 1/3 of Nashville’s, and 1/5 of Seattle’s. The Austin central library seats 300 people…
Sabine Auction Planned for February
After a tenant lawsuit and a recent foreclosure posting, it looks as if 27 of the 44 long-vacant remaining units in the Sabine are finally headed to auction on February 28th. The Sabine is an 80-unit condo conversion project of a mostly-empty office building on Waller Creek into a new condo project adjoining the Hilton…
21c Austin: Condos Out, Apartments Possible
In December, the 21c team returned to Austin to comment on the Waller Creek plan and to discuss their future intentions for their prime Waller Creek site adjoining Red River and Cesar Chavez downtown. For those of you unfamiliar with the history, the project was originally scoped as a 44-story condo and hotel project on…
Exclusive: November Condo Sales Volume Strong, Prices Moderate
We’ve updated the AustinTowers | TOWERS Realty Downtown Austin Condo Market Index for November, 2009 and, for the sixth month in a row, MLS sales volumes have increased in comparison to previous year numbers. On a per square foot basis, year-to-date prices are down about 5% over the comparable 2008 numbers. Month Sales Avg. Price $/SF Avg SF Avg Year…