Ever since the Hyatt hotel was built on the south shore of Town Lake, neighborhood groups have mobilized to limit development south of the lake. This week, in a marathon planning commission that lasted until 2:30AM, the commission recommended that the city counsel deny variances for two high profile “South Lake” projects.
Affordable Housing Task Force
Over the last year, a city-sponsored Affordable Housing Incentives Task Force has been discussing ways to encourage the development of afordable housing units as part of large scale development projects. The city wants more affordable downtown units, but State law doesn’t allow the city to place affordability requirements on new developments. The purpose of the…
A Second Downtown?
This week, Endeavor Real Estate announced ambitious plans for the second phase of the Domain: the new mini-city rising off Mopac just north of 183. Between now and 2015, Endeavor plans to build 50, yes FIFTY, new buildings with heights ranging from 2-26 stories (as tall as 310 feet). When complete, The Domain will form…
Austin Growth & Migration
The Statesman ran its annual analysis of migration in and out of Austin. The summary is that “More people [are] moving here but not as many as during the boom”. In the 1990’s Austin grew by an incomprehensible 41% as it added more than 190,000 new residents. Growth comes from two source: net migration and…
“Hyatt Towers” Approved
Today, the Austin City Council approved a project that will include two towers, each approximately 20 floors, adjacent to the Hyatt on the south shore of Town Lake. The project, to be developed by Fairfield Residential of Grand Prarie, shows how much the attitudes towards development has changed over the last few decades.
How many buildings fit downtown?
Last June, the Austin Chronicle published a fascinating analysis of potential downtown development. The main point is simple: it is getting very difficult to assemble a downtown parcel large enough for a major project. The number of viable sites is rapidly dwindling. The mayor has set a goal of 25,000 residents downtown by 2015 —…