Austin Development News

[Dariusb]

Originally Posted by jonathaninATX

New rendering of The Grand Hotel at Waller Creek



http://utorange.wordpress.com/2012/0...out-of-towners

Gorgeous! How tall will this building be?

[jonathaninATX]

Originally Posted by Dariusb

Gorgeous! How tall will this building be?

It will be 581 feet to the roof and 700 feet to the spire. It will be Austin tallest building.

[FLAWDA-FELLA]

[Dariusb]

Originally Posted by jonathaninATX

It will be 581 feet to the roof and 700 feet to the spire. It will be Austin tallest building.

Wow! Looking at that rendering gave me an architectural orgasm.

[jonathaninATX]

New Renderings Of Capital Terrace





http://downtownaustinblog.org/2012/0...pital-studios/

[diablo234]

Work progressing on Ikea expansion, parking garage
By Gary Dinges
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Published: 8:36 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012
http://www.statesman.com/business/wo...e-2193649.html

It'll soon take even longer to navigate your way through the Round Rock Ikea.

Work is under way to add 54,000 square feet to the already cavernous 252,000-square-foot home furnishings store, with completion expected early this summer.

A 300-car parking garage is being built to offset spaces lost to the expansion and should be ready by April, an Ikea spokesman said. There will be 1,200 parking spaces once the garage opens — the same number the store had before.

The Swedish retailer's Round Rock location opened in late 2006. An expansion was planned at some point in the future but not this soon, said Joseph Roth, public affairs director for Ikea's U.S. stores.

"This is a clear indication of our success here," Roth said. "This store has grown faster than we expected, in terms of sales and customer base."

The extra space will allow Ikea to carry additional products and stock larger quantities of items, store manager Gerd Diewald said. Expanded areas will include the self-service furniture department and the store's warehouse. Six more checkout lanes will also be added.

"We're improving the efficiency of the store and improving the shopping experience," Roth said.

Shoppers routinely drive an hour or more to visit Ikea, according to Diewald, coming from as far away as Laredo and Waco.

"We're reacting to a need," Diewald said. "When you're coming a long distance, you want to get what you came for. It's instant gratification for our customers."

....

..

[jonathaninATX]

The Callaway House U/C



http://callawayhouseaustin.com/

[jonathaninATX]

Mueller set for quantum leap in growth this year

By Shonda Novak AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Published: 5:58 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012

E-mail Print Share Larger Type

With its remake into a master-planned New Urbanist development about one-third complete, the Mueller community northeast of downtown is poised to take a quantum leap in its growth this year.

Projects totaling about $250 million are set to break ground in 2012, said Greg Weaver, who has overseen redevelopment since before construction started in 2005 on the 700-acre site that once was home to Austin's municipal airport.

The new development will include Mueller's first grocery store and hotel, along with more housing, a new hospital wing and facilities for a nonprofit theater and a performing arts center.

Taken together, the projects mean 2012 will be pivotal for Mueller, the largest public-private venture in Austin's history. "There's so much happening at Mueller right now," Weaver said. "In the coming months, you'll be able to drive by a number of areas of the community, feel the energy and see the momentum that's taking shape."

One of the key additions will be a 75,000-square-foot H-E-B grocery store, which is expected to be a centerpiece of Mueller's highly anticipated Market District.

Also this spring, construction is due to start on a Residence Inn by Marriott with 112 rooms, as well as a second phase of apartments — 301 units — being developed by Simmons Vedder Co.

By summer or early fall, the Austin school district intends to break ground on its long-awaited performing arts center, with a targeted opening in August 2013.

And the Austin Playhouse, a professional theater now in temporary quarters at Mueller, hopes to start construction on a $4 million, 18,000-square-foot facility in March, pending city approval of a site plan, said Don Toner, the producing artistic director of Austin Playhouse.

http://www.statesman.com/business/re...s-2199751.html

[jonathaninATX]

So far Austin has 5 highrise projects that just started recently including the new 17 st. Calloway House at UT. I will soon be making alist on what has started like what Hannah Banana did on the San Antonio section. Also the 24st 7 Rio project will be starting soon.

[diablo234]

Apparantly Costco is going to open up a new store in Cedar Park.



In sign of area's economic health, Costco to open third Central Texas store

[desertpunk]

Originally Posted by jonathaninATX

So far Austin has 5 highrise projects that just started recently including the new 17 st. Calloway House at UT. I will soon be making alist on what has started like what Hannah Banana did on the San Antonio section. Also the 24st 7 Rio project will be starting soon.

Awesome news! Austin is the hottest city in the US right now. I'm dizzy at the news just this past year!

[jonathaninATX]

UT Area

The Callaway House U/C


2400 Nueces U/C


Grand Marc U/C


Circle West Campus U/C


Twentyfirst & Pearl U/C


Longhorn Luxury Living Center U/C

[jonathaninATX]

Originally Posted by desertpunk

Awesome news! Austin is the hottest city in the US right now. I'm dizzy at the news just this past year!

I know, it gives me a headache sometimes but in a good way.

[AusTxDevelopment]

Not a skyscraper, but its the first rendering I've seen of the boardwalk. From the AustinTowers website:

Hike & Bike Boardwalk Underfunded but Project will Proceed
February 22, 2012

According to the Statesman, "the boardwalk trail over and along Lady Bird Lake might cost at least $3.3 million more than estimates released for the 2010 City of Austin bond election that authorized the project. The city received eight bids for the work, all far exceeding the expected cost." Despite the significant projected cost overrun, the City remains committed to finding the funds to complete the popular downtown project.

The Hike and Bike Trail that runs alongside Ladybird Lake in downtown Austin is one of the City's most-valued recreational areas. 3,000 - 15,000 people use the trails each day to run, walk, bike, or relax. Unfortunately, the trail loop is incomplete: a 1.1 mile gap on the south shore on either side of I-35 is a problematic hole in a much-loved 10-mile loop. Ttrail users who venture East of Congress Avenue on the south shore "must divert onto the narrow sidewalk and travel along busy Riverside Drive, crossing 35 busy business entrances and other points of conflict and crossing 6 lanes of I-35 access roads to travel east or west and use the south side of the Trail."

Last year, the City passed $14.4 million in bonds to build a boardwalk in the lake to close the entire 1.1 mile gap. The bonds were contingent on a contribution of $3 million in private funds to be raised by the Trail Foundation. This week, the Trail foundation announced good news: they have quickly raised $2.4 million of the $3 million goal and are increasing the target to $5 million to fund additional trail improvements.

Rendering of the New Boardwalk


According to the article, Howard Lazarus, director of the city's Public Works Department, said there are numerous options for coming up with the extra money — unspent bonds authorized in past elections, bonds that might be OK'd this November, short-term borrowing, even private donations — and that the project is not threatened. He said he anticipates settling on a source, or sources, for the extra money later this week, and that the city staff probably will make a contractor recommendation to the City Council by late March or early April. That would allow the project to begin construction by late May."

http://www.austintowers.net/Austin_D...ing_issues.php

[jonathaninATX]

Uptown Austin

Hampton Inn & Suites U/C


Austin Planetarium Proposed


Downtown Austin

Capital Terrace Proposed


Grand Hotel at Waller Creek Approved


JW Marriott Approved


Hyatt Place U/C


3rd & Brazos U/C

[jonathaninATX]

South Austin

Flats on Wilson U/C


Gibson Flats U/C


Genesee Lofts U/C


South Lamar Plaza Approved


Hanover South Lamar Approved

[diablo234]

Weekend Rail Service, *every* weekend, beginning March 23

[AusTxDevelopment]

From reading the earlier articles about Novare purchasing the downtown post office site, I was under the impression that the US Post Office was closing the downtown Austin location rather than relocating it? Apparently they have changed their mind. the GSA posted a solicitation to lease space for a new downtown Austin USPS office location on their FBO website on March 1st:

https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&m...=core&_cview=0

Since it's a lease, it could also be a short-term location in case they need to move out of Novare's way prior to the wind-down of the downtown post office (they don't state the required lease term in the solicitation), however, relocating a government facility to a short-term lease space prior to closing it is a very expensive way to handle that issue. I guess we'll see.

[FM 2258]

Originally Posted by jonathaninATX

Development activity picks up at The Domain





http://impactnews.com/articles/devel...-at-the-domain

I was wondering what was going on at the domain. New buildings are always going up, excited about the new Whole Foods. I love Austin, I love living here!!!

[AusTxDevelopment]

What would the Austin Central Business District (CBD) look like in 2039?

The Downtown Austin Plan that was adopted by the City in December 2011 has a rendering on its cover of what the Austin CBD would look like if all of the potential developable sites were built out. PDFs of the full report and a summary report are located here (scroll to the bottom of the page for the links): http://www.austintexas.gov/department/downtown-plan

Its 208 pages, but there is a lot of interesting info (including proposed development) in the full version of the Austin plan. Below is the rendering of the potential Future Austin CBD in 2039:

(link removed)