Demolition could kick off as soon as later this month in downtown Austin at the southwest corner of East Fifth and Trinity Streets, clearing a path for a hotel project by well-known local hospitality developers White Lodging. Those guys aren’t available for comment, but the city’s recent approval of the demolition and excavation permits for the roughly half-acre assembly…
architecture
Austin’s Citywide Elimination of Parking Mandates Heads for the Finish Line
The news back in May that Austin’s City Council voted to eliminate citywide parking mandates made waves across the nation, cited by a number of publications as evidence that these outdated requirements for parking — which drive up the cost of housing and harm walkable urban design — were finally falling out of fashion. This is broadly true, but speaking as some of the city’s more notable pedants we’re forced to remind you that Austin…
Busting Northeast Austin’s Sprawl With 1,000 New Homes in a Hotel Parking Lot
A redevelopment plan for a 1970s-era hotel site on the south edge of the St. Johns neighborhood in Northeast Austin could bring denser and taller development with up to 1,000 new homes at the northeast corner of the interchange of Highway 290 and Interstate 35, according to a rezoning application scheduled for a hearing at tomorrow’s meeting…
Demolition Pending for West 12th Street’s Former Skate Shop
At its meeting earlier this week, Austin’s Historic Landmark Commission approved a demolition permit for the 1946 commercial building at 812 West 12th Street, a storefront that for 15 years was home to the beloved local skate shop No-Comply. The presence of the shop around the corner from a city skatepark and the hilly topography…
35-Story Downtown Austin Condo Tower Planned at 14th and Guadalupe
The headquarters of the statewide police union known as the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT), located in a fast-growing region of downtown Austin at the northwest corner of 14th and Guadalupe Streets, could redevelop as a 35-story residential tower, according to a concept design document prepared by local architecture firm Page on behalf of developer Northland Living. Distinct from…
Is Downtown Austin Working Hard or Hardly Working?
Last month, we asked the intrepid workforce of downtown Austin for some takes. Specifically, if you were an office worker somewhere in the downtown area prior to the pandemic, what does your work situation look like now? Are you back to the office in person, working fully remotely, or splitting the difference with a hybrid schedule? Is Downtown Austin Back in the Office? Although…