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 —…
Downtown Post Office Redevelopment
Not everybody is thrilled with the rate of development downtown. However, most Austinites would agree that the downtown post office at 6th & Guadalupe is one of the worst developed sites in the city. They took a prime downtown lot and built a small ugly 2-story post office that takes up less than 30% of…
Seaholm Details Revealed
More details emerged today on one of the most important downtown projects: the redevelopment of the Seaholm power plant site between Lamar and the second street district and just north of the river. Seaholm is a 7.8 acre site, the main feature of which is the 136,000 historic art deco decommissioned power plant. The redevelopment…
Beyond Residential: Other Downtown Projects
While the focus of AustinTowers is downtown high-rise residential development, there are a number of non-residential projects that will also help reshape downtown over the next few years. Here are a few: W Hotel – The new W Hotel will anchor the $225 million “Block 21” project in the heart of the second street district….
Is this the Future Austin Skyline?
With more than a dozen high-rise projects currently in the planning or construction phases, Austin’s skyline will change fast. This composite image (source unknown) provides a sense of the scale of the different projects. Note that the Congress Condos has been renamed the Austonian and is currently planned at 55 stories — about the height…
The Downtown Condo Market: 2003-2006
It’s not easy to get a clear picture of downtown condo sales volumes. Real estate sales statistics are reported by MLS area , and the downtown area cuts across a few zones: Area 4 runs from Guadalupe to I-35. Area 1B runs from Scenic on the west to Guadalupe / Lamar. Both are bounded on the south…