For years, I’ve yearned to get inside John Treviño Jr. Metropolitan Park. The request seems simple enough, as far as hopes and dreams go — it’s a roughly 330-acre tract of former ranch land located on FM 969 in Far East Austin on the northern bank of the Colorado River, purchased by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department in 2003 and named for…
city life
Here’s Our First Look at Downtown Austin’s Fifth and Trinity Hotel Plan
The plan by prolific local hospitality developer White Lodging to build a 13-floor hotel at the southwest corner of East Fifth and Trinity Streets in downtown Austin heads for review at the city’s Design Commission meeting on Monday next week, meaning we’re now getting our first public look at renderings of the building — which will reportedly contain a…
How Does Austin’s VMU2 Zoning Program Create Affordable Housing?
It’s been about a year since the City of Austin approved new rules for development under the city’s Vertical Mixed-Use (VMU) zoning program, which allows properties on central transit corridors to exceed typical limits on height and density in exchange for a percentage of on-site affordable residences. Last year’s update created a new tier of…
Inside the 506 West Residential Tower’s Incredible Retrofittable Parking Garage
Remember when downtown Austin was absolutely covered in surface parking lots? Folks that recall the old days firsthand often have a hard time believing there’s still a ton of parking downtown after decades of growth — although new buildings haven’t been required by the city code to include parking since 2013, almost every tower added to the skyline sits on…
Riverside Place Could Be Austin’s Next Big Strip Mall Redevelopment
A demolition permit filed with the city earlier this month could point to a redevelopment of the Riverside Place shopping center in Southeast Austin. Located at 2410 East Riverside Drive near the intersection with South Pleasant Valley Road, the approximately 10-acre strip mall was purchased in 2019 by an LLC associated with local development firm Endeavor Real…
Here’s How the State Bar Plans to Adapt This Historic Downtown Building
The long saga of the Bartholomew-Robinson Building at 1415 Lavaca Street could find its next gear this summer, as the property’s new owners at the State Bar of Texas move forward with plans to expand its headquarters, currently located next door, into the historic 1880s building at the southeast corner of West 15th and Lavaca Streets in downtown…