A resolution passed earlier today by Austin City Council directs our beloved city staff to research how to gas up UNO. What’s UNO? Well, UNO is for you and me, and UNO’s building density. UNO keeps rents lower here than any district far or near! UNO stands for “University Neighborhood Overlay,” of course, but that’s not as fun to sing or…
west campus
West Campus’ remarkable growth, charted
This blog has something of an obsession with West Campus. It’s the neighborhood that lives by upside-down, inside-out rules and it’s a window into the Austin that could be. So when we got a hold of data about West Campus’ growth, we pretty much had no choice but to put it in charts. Part 1: Understanding the scale and…
Prepare for the Moxy Hotel’s Extremely Authentic Arrival in West Campus
When plans first emerged last year for the West Campus development of a Moxy Hotel, Marriott International’s boutique-esque chain seemingly intended to corner the wallets of the millennial set, details were scarce enough that I spent most of my time ranting about the brand’s dreadful marketing, which appeared as adept at capturing the hearts and minds of young people as…
Proposed Student Housing Complex Would Surround Historic Freedmen’s Building in West Campus
According to plans filed with the city, a student housing development in West Campus planned by local developer Johnson Trube & Associates would surround the historic Franzetti Store building at 2402 San Gabriel Street, better known as bar and barbecue restaurant Freedmen’s. Public city documents prepared for tonight’s meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission give us a better look…
Welcome to Bizarro Austin
There’s a neighborhood in central Austin that everybody knows but only its true students really understand. It’s a place where the normal laws of neighborhoods (or zoning ordinances at least) don’t apply. A place where up is down, zig is zag, and 40-minutes cursing at bumper-to-bumper traffic on MoPac is 15 minutes humming with your…
West Campus Makes Way for High Density Developments
There is no shortage lately of real estate investors willing to bet on West Campus, and the demand for upscale student housing is about to bring another high-density project to Rio Grande Street. Scannell Development Company, operating as Scannell Properties , is an Indianapolis company proposing a seven-story building at 2100 Rio Grande Street, which is directly…