The St. Elmo region of South Austin has been the “next big thing” for nearly a decade. Although the ongoing infusion of residential and creative retail uses into this warehouse-heavy industrial district still has plenty of potential, the whole enterprise got a big bucket of cold water to the face earlier this month with the announcement that the long-awaited St. Elmo Public Market plan — an adaptive reuse project…
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St. Elmo Residential Project Seeks Serious Height in South Austin
The ongoing transformation of the industrial district surrounding St. Elmo Road east of Congress Avenue in South Austin is currently one of the city’s most promising case studies for large-scale urban redevelopment with character. Like the best examples of growth in East Austin, the St. Elmo region could easily support a large number of new developments on its vacant lots, scrapyards, and other…
Turning Empty Rails to Urban Trails at the Bergstrom Spur in South Austin
A project by Austin Public Works converting more than six miles of abandoned rail line in South Austin to an all-access urban trail is shifting into the next gear this month — and although it’s not too flashy, the plan has the potential to bring some downtown-style urban design improvements to the region south of Highway 290,…
Congress Lofts at St. Elmo Condo Project Starts Construction Next Month
A South Austin condo project headed to the emerging St. Elmo District off South Congress Avenue is scheduled to begin construction next month, according to its local developer Intracorp. Located at the site of a former used car dealership at 4315 South Congress Avenue near a number of other recent additions to the neighborhood, the Congress Lofts at St. Elmo project will rise…
A South Congress Mixed-Use Project Builds on the Legacy of Hill’s Cafe
The 2018 closure of Hill’s Cafe, a longtime South Austin staple for chicken fried steaks and live music with roots on South Congress Avenue dating back to 1947, served as yet another indicator that the city’s dense development was boldly venturing south of Highway 290, anchored by the nearby St. Elmo district’s ongoing transformation from industrial neighborhood to trendier industrial neighborhood. But the mixed-use project…
The Central Williamson Creek Greenway Could Be South Austin’s Next Big Park
Among Austin’s many cherished waterways, Williamson Creek doesn’t find quite the spotlight it deserves in South Austin — Barton and Bouldin Creeks are the stars south of the river, while Shoal and Waller Creeks get the glory downtown. Running from west to east south of Highway 290 in a region growing nearly as fast as…