South Congress Avenue, one of the most popular destinations for weekend strolls for residents and visitors alike, is slowly but steadily redeveloping — including a new, yet unannounced boutique hotel, just South of Oltorf.
The big South Congress news reported this week is an $8 million office, retail and condominium development planned behind Guero’s Taco Bar at South Congress Avenue and West Elizabeth Street.
Reports indicate 7,000 square feet of ground floor retail space, double that amount of office, and a smattering of condos. The South Austin development is still in the design phase, but if it comes to fruition, it would replace Eco-Wise and Vulcan Video, behind Guero’s.
At the same time, AustinTowers.net is the first to tell you about a Chicago-based boutique hotel that is replicating itself in South Congress, just south of the Oltorf intersection, called the Guesthouse.
From Dawson Neighborhood Assoc.
The site planned for construction is the dormant Taste of China Express at 2510 South Congress, next to where the Blockbuster used to be, which is now a laundromat. The Taste of China closed sometime in 2014, unsurprisingly, and we’re excited about the energy this classy boutique hotel would bring to the scene.
The Guesthouse Hotel project is comprised of 1.5 acres, and expected to be three to four stories tall, along a narrow, long footprint. There will be a terrace overlooking a courtyard, parking, and landscaping, as well as a pool and event center with associated cabanas and breezeway.
The Guesthouse motto is “live like a local,” and developers have been actively presenting to neighborhood associations this summer. This is an indication that the project is past the conceptual phase and on its way to a site plan submission.
The Guesthouse is being designed by local Levy Architects which has a couple of small multifamily projects also in the works on South Congress, including a three story project across from Penn Field at 3110 South Congress.
Meanwhile, the South Congress Hotel is on track to host its first guests this September in the lot that once held a much-loved food trailer park. That boutique hotel located at 1603 South Congress will have 83 rooms total, and an event space to host up to 300 guests.
