Welcome to the New East Avenue

A rendering of the planned 44 East Avenue condo tower. Image: Page

At 51 stories, the recently-announced 44 East Avenue project could soon become one of the tallest Austin condo towers built so far. Although a tower project at this address, located on the south end of the rapidly-developing Rainey Street District, has been anticipated for quite a while, the sheer size of the planned building is more than we ever could have expected. 51 floors isn’t just Rainey Street tall, it’s Austin tall — and even after the completion of the 6 X Guadalupe and Republic towers, it’ll still be pretty high up in the top ten. If plans stay on track, 70 Rainey will only enjoy about four years as the Rainey Street District’s tallest tower, with 44 East Avenue set to deliver in 2022.

Another rendering of the planned condo tower at 44 East Avenue. Image: Intracorp

Although the certainty of all these buildings actually being built varies somewhat, it’s striking to see the potential future skyline of the Rainey region, based on the addresses and floor counts of towers planned in the area so far. It’s especially fun to mock it up, so I make a new visualization of the district’s next crop of towers every time another is announced — as you can see, 44 East Avenue really changes the game:

with the announcement of a 51-story condo tower at 44 east avenue, it's time to update the ol' rainey street district near-future skyline renderinghttps://t.co/UTVTytKlU9 pic.twitter.com/SJv5H5A5vY

— James Rambin (@JamesRambin) October 3, 2018

But even though it’s enlightening to track the development planned all over the district, I find both the history and future potential of East Avenue to be one of the most interesting parts of the whole thing. A block removed from Rainey Street proper, East Avenue, like Red River Street, is the actual conduit connecting the district to the rest of the city.

A map of the Rainey Street District and East Avenue — it’s vertically oriented from east to west, rather than north to south, so don’t get confused! Click for a larger view. Image: Google Maps

Rainey Street itself is insulated from downtown by its lack of a direct connection with Cesar Chavez Street, while East Avenue receives traffic from the I-35 frontage road, intersects with Holly Street — which is rapidly becoming a corridor in its own right — and travels under the highway bridge on the north shore of the lake to connect the Rainey Street District with the RBJ Center / Holly Shores complex, both of which will likely grow in popularity pretty soon as plans for their redevelopment move forward.

Renderings of the 48 East Avenue condo tower. The 44 East Avenue condo tower will be directly south of this — as in, next door. Image: STG Design

The wildest part of the 44 East Avenue tower announcement is when you remember that there’s another condo tower planned literally right next door, a 33-story joint by developers Pearlstone Partners at 48 East Avenue. When you put massings of those two towers together, along with the existing Windsor on the Lake tower directly to the west of the 44 East Avenue site, the south side of the Rainey Street District starts looking like its own little downtown. Remember, these massings are just 3D models based on the stated height and property lines of these developments, and don’t necessarily reflect the look of the finished tower. We’re pretty confident in the accuracy of the heights, however, and the effect is striking:

Approximate massings of the 44 and 48 East Avenue condo towers planned in the Rainey Street District. Image: Google Earth / James Rambin

But we’ve got to pull the camera back even further and drop more massings in. Even though its development isn’t the surest, or even the fifth-surest thing, there’s supposedly an office tower in the works at the World Class Capital-owned building at 56 East Avenue — not to mention a third residential tower, likely apartments, in an unknown planning stage even further south down East Avenue by the Holiday Inn at the north shore of the lake! (That one’s also got a new name: One Austin.) There’s also unfortunately an Austin Energy electrical substation planned smack dab in the middle of all this action, at 55 East Avenue — but it doesn’t have to suck! When you assemble all these possibilities, it’s clear East Avenue has the potential to become a sort of district in its own right, though not as dense in bars and entertainment as Rainey Street proper:

Image: Google Maps / James Rambin

There’s also significant development potential on the stretch of East Avenue north of River Street. Homewood Suites, a strange building of unknown purpose, is wrapping up its construction at 78-80 East Avenue, and once upon a time, two additional hotels were planned along this stretch — a Kimber Modern property, and a Cambria Hotel. The Kimber plan, formerly bound for 62 East Avenue, is clearly dead in the water, but the Cambria project’s a little more up in the air. An Austin Business Journal update from earlier this year stated the Cambria project, planned at 68 East Avenue, was still in the “pre-development and early design phase” — but considering the hotel’s parent company, Choice Hotels, has started developing Cambria hotels elsewhere in Austin, I probably wouldn’t hold my breath. Still, considering its proximity to Rainey Street, this part of the avenue seems ripe for hotel development.

The above map of upcoming development and other properties on East Avenue should give you a better idea of the street’s potential. Needless to say, there’s a lot going on over there, and we’ll enjoy keeping up with it as this far end of downtown finds its legs.

Rainey Street Condos For Sale

54 Rainey ST #1015 , Austin

Home size: 756 sq ft
Lot size: 174 sqft
Year built: 2005

1 bed
1 bath
$344,900

603 Davis ST #606 , Austin

Home size: 868 sq ft
Lot size: 87 sqft
Year built: 2006

1 bed
1 bath
$365,000

54 Rainey ST #1217 , Austin

Home size: 865 sq ft
Lot size: 217 sqft
Year built: 2005

1 bed
1 bath
$344,900

40 N Interstate 35 #3D3 , Austin

Home size: 1,533 sq ft
Lot size: 1,219 sqft
Year built: 1983

2 beds
2 baths
$579,000

40 N Interstate 35 #4A4 , Austin

Home size: 1,234 sq ft
Lot size: 958 sqft
Year built: 1983

2 beds
2 baths
$475,000

70 Rainey ST #3006 , Austin

Home size: 2,179 sq ft
Year built: 2018

3 beds
3 baths
$1,968,570

603 Davis ST #1803 , Austin

Home size: 1,699 sq ft
Lot size: 304 sqft
Year built: 2006

2 beds
3 baths
$849,900

603 Davis ST #1009 , Austin

Home size: 1,286 sq ft
Lot size: 261 sqft
Year built: 2006

2 beds
2 baths
$639,000

54 Rainey ST #718 , Austin

Home size: 1,164 sq ft
Lot size: 435 sqft
Year built: 2005

2 beds
2 baths
$589,000

54 Rainey ST #PH09 , Austin

Home size: 1,164 sq ft
Lot size: 304 sqft
Year built: 2005

2 beds
2 baths
$535,000

54 Rainey ST #502 , Austin

Home size: 1,557 sq ft
Lot size: 392 sqft
Year built: 2005

3 beds
2 baths
$699,000

70 Rainey ST #2405 , Austin

Home size: 837 sq ft
Year built: 2018

1 bed
1 bath
$621,583

70 Rainey ST #1509 , Austin

Home size: 1,128 sq ft
Year built: 2018

2 beds
2 baths
$755,700

70 Rainey ST #1501 , Austin

Home size: 1,697 sq ft
Year built: 2018

2 beds
2 baths
$1,270,234

70 Rainey ST #2801 , Austin

Home size: 2,851 sq ft
Year built: 2018

3 beds
3 baths
$2,238,250

603 Davis ST #1909 , Austin

Home size: 1,286 sq ft
Lot size: 261 sqft
Year built: 2006

2 beds
2 baths
$699,980

603 Davis ST #1808 , Austin

Home size: 923 sq ft
Lot size: 174 sqft
Year built: 2006

1 bed
1 bath
$414,500

40 N Interstate 35 #PA1 , Austin

Home size: 6,639 sq ft
Lot size: 4,878 sqft
Year built: 1983

4 beds
5 baths
$3,299,000

40 N Interstate 35 #4D2 , Austin

Home size: 1,360 sq ft
Lot size: 1,045 sqft
Year built: 1983

2 beds
2 baths
$405,000

54 Rainey ST #1015 , Austin

Home size: 756 sq ft Lot size: 174 sqft Year built: 2005

1 bed 1 bath $344,900
603 Davis ST #606 , Austin

Home size: 868 sq ft Lot size: 87 sqft Year built: 2006

1 bed 1 bath $365,000
54 Rainey ST #1217 , Austin

Home size: 865 sq ft Lot size: 217 sqft Year built: 2005

1 bed 1 bath $344,900
40 N Interstate 35 #3D3 , Austin

Home size: 1,533 sq ft Lot size: 1,219 sqft Year built: 1983

2 beds 2 baths $579,000
40 N Interstate 35 #4A4 , Austin

Home size: 1,234 sq ft Lot size: 958 sqft Year built: 1983

2 beds 2 baths $475,000
70 Rainey ST #3006 , Austin

Home size: 2,179 sq ft Year built: 2018

3 beds 3 baths $1,968,570
603 Davis ST #1803 , Austin

Home size: 1,699 sq ft Lot size: 304 sqft Year built: 2006

2 beds 3 baths $849,900
603 Davis ST #1009 , Austin

Home size: 1,286 sq ft Lot size: 261 sqft Year built: 2006

2 beds 2 baths $639,000
54 Rainey ST #718 , Austin

Home size: 1,164 sq ft Lot size: 435 sqft Year built: 2005

2 beds 2 baths $589,000
54 Rainey ST #PH09 , Austin

Home size: 1,164 sq ft Lot size: 304 sqft Year built: 2005

2 beds 2 baths $535,000
54 Rainey ST #502 , Austin

Home size: 1,557 sq ft Lot size: 392 sqft Year built: 2005

3 beds 2 baths $699,000
70 Rainey ST #2405 , Austin

Home size: 837 sq ft Year built: 2018

1 bed 1 bath $621,583
70 Rainey ST #1509 , Austin

Home size: 1,128 sq ft Year built: 2018

2 beds 2 baths $755,700
70 Rainey ST #1501 , Austin

Home size: 1,697 sq ft Year built: 2018

2 beds 2 baths $1,270,234
70 Rainey ST #2801 , Austin

Home size: 2,851 sq ft Year built: 2018

3 beds 3 baths $2,238,250
603 Davis ST #1909 , Austin

Home size: 1,286 sq ft Lot size: 261 sqft Year built: 2006

2 beds 2 baths $699,980
603 Davis ST #1808 , Austin

Home size: 923 sq ft Lot size: 174 sqft Year built: 2006

1 bed 1 bath $414,500
40 N Interstate 35 #PA1 , Austin

Home size: 6,639 sq ft Lot size: 4,878 sqft Year built: 1983

4 beds 5 baths $3,299,000
40 N Interstate 35 #4D2 , Austin

Home size: 1,360 sq ft Lot size: 1,045 sqft Year built: 1983

2 beds 2 baths $405,000