Latest Waller Creek Newsletter Is Available (click for pdf)
904 West Ave
by | July 15, 2009 |4 Comments
904 West Ave - condo rehab
Not much is being released about the 904 West Ave apartment-to-condo conversion. The two-story complex originally constructed in the 1960′s should yield 22 units +/- depending on floor plans. The sign indicates the units will start at $160k and will be ready by the fall. From the street it appears they are still in the demolition phase of construction. No floor plans nor pricing have been released (I’ve inquired).
Located in the “Original Austin Neighborhood”, 904 West Ave part of a great downtown Austin neighborhood – equidistant to West 6th as are the 360 condos, Duncan Park is around the corner, and I would enjoy walking to Emerald City Press each morning.
Emerald City Press
Before he earned the position of Austin City Councilmember, Chris Riley had prepared an interactive map of OAN that includes the history of some great properties – very cool!
904 West Ave has a splash page, but not many details currently.
-Jude
[Part two] City of Austin v. Harry Whittington: the saga of a parking garage
by | December 5, 2008 |2 Comments
by jude galligan
Who has legal claim to the Convention Center parking garage? The City of Austin or Harry Whittington?
Part one begins here.
In 2003 Harry Whittington begins to win. But, the City is proving to be just as stubborn with their appeals – just as Whittington had been between 2000-2003.
Whittington has postured himself along the following legal issues
1) originally, the condemnation was incorrectly processed
2) on the second condemnation attempt, the City did not properly condemn the alley
3) the City hasn’t demonstrated the condemnation was done out of necessity for a public purpose
4) the City already has parking on 2nd & Trinity and the new parking lot and (later) chiller system are intended to benefit private sector, beginning with the new Hilton hotel, and specifically future developers
Chronology of events from 2003 to 2007 begins after the jump.
City of Austin v. Harry Whittington: the saga of a parking garage
by | December 4, 2008 |6 Comments
by jude galligan
17k square feet of retail at 5th & Sabine held hostage by legal battles
17,000 square feet of empty retail space rests at the base of the Convention Center’s parking garage. This retail space has the potential to add vibrancy and day time services to the Entertainment District. This is the only retail space within a few hundred feet of the 555, the Sabine on 5th, the Hilton, the Hilton Garden Inn, and the Convention Center. So, why hasn’t this space been filled?
After the jump: Part 1 of the chronology of City of Austin v. Harry Whittington
[Read more...]
Historic Downtown Austin property for sale
by | December 1, 2008 |3 Comments
by jude galligan
107 W 6th St Austin, TX 78701
To the chagrin of everyone who lives, works, and drives through Downtown Austin, the former office of the Texas Comptroller has owned, occupied, vacated, and allowed to rot, this remarkable piece of real estate. I can’t imagine how many thousands of people have attempted to peer through the windows that were covered from the inside with thick construction paper. From the outside, the building always had a cool mid-century modern design. Located at the corner of 6th and Colorado, and not burdened with a Capitol View Corridor, I expect this building to get the attention of some big developers. The listing gives it an address of 107 w 6th, 78701. Traviscad has no address for it other than “W 6th”.
H E B at corner of 6th and Colorado
Downtown Austin By The Numbers: How many hotel rooms?
by | November 25, 2008 |2 Comments
by jude galligan
Driskill Hotel Lobby
If you’ve ever had family visit on a weekend when there was a UT home game, then you’ve likely seen downtown Austin hotel rates jump to over $400 per night. Central Austin is notorious for having insufficient hotel space. I’ve taken a non-scientific, yet hopefully rigorous approach – I called every hotel in downtown Austin and simply asked “How many hotel rooms do you have?”
The answer is after the jump!
Downtown Austin's Entertainment District: Observations part 3 of 3
by | November 23, 2008 |Leave a Comment
Downtown Austin Entertainment District Still Has Room For Improvement – Part 1 of 3
Night time observations on the Entertainment District: Part 2 of 3
The effort to revitalize the Entertainment District is about recognizing problems and offering solutions. It is about a higher and better use of Austin’s historic landmarks. It’s about preventing decay. It’s about offering an array of services to the people who use the Entertainment District everyday. Adding more day time services is not a slippery slope to J Crews and Baby Gaps! This is about making the Entertainment District safe for everyone. This is about visitors leaving Austin with a more positive experience.
Flickr slideshow of day time photos
Day time tour
Saturday, November 22nd (11am-1pm)
- Where is everybody?
- Narrow sidewalks, empty parking
- “No, I don’t have a cigarette you can bum”
- “No, I’m not giving you change”
- A sandwich on the sidewalk
- Broken glass
- An empty Austin Visitors Bureau with a broken neon sign
- Landmarked buildings that look abused and neglected
- “Couldn’t they at least paint those doors?”
- Landmark plaques next to broken windows
- An ATM that someone had tried to rob
- Jail-style bars on doors and windows
- Awnings torn, tattered, and covered in dirt
- Too much chain link fence
- ATMs are everywhere
- A pay phone booth without a pay phone
- Waller Creek is shamefully littered
- There is 17,000 square feet of unused retail space at 5th & Sabine.
Towards the end of Saturday’s day time tour, Marshall Jones (President of DANA) and I were standing on the northeast corner of 6th and Brazos sharing observations. We see a guy across the street. He’s wearing a Hawaiian shirt, picking up litter on the street, and putting it in the trash. Turns out this was John Erwin, owner of B.D. Rileys Pub. John had no idea that Marshall and I were watching him do this. We caught up with him and chatted for a few minutes. What I like about John, and people like John, is that he is proactive and doing right by our community. Kudos, John!
Downtown Austin's Entertainment District: Observations part 2 of 3
by | November 23, 2008 |2 Comments
typical weekend on sixth street
Yesterday, I posted about the revitalization study underway for Downtown Austin’s Entertainment District. Below are my observations from our night time tour.
Night time tour
Friday, November 20th, midnight – 3am.
The focus is on the entertainment district as a whole – not just Sixth Street. Five of us rendezvoused at the Driskill hotel at midnight and we were on our way. Our mission was not to drink. We were there to observe. We were directed to walk the alleys, the side streets, and take notes on anything we found to be interesting. In general, I never once felt uneasy or threatened. Most people were out having a great time. Good or bad. For better or for worse. Below is what I observed.
- People still wait in lines? I’m getting old!
- Sixth Street, east of Neches was desolate. Minimal activity and seemingly an area which only exists to get from Red River or I-35 to the “good” clubs west of Neches.
- Police congregate on Trinity and Sixth. Couldn’t they spread out?
- Most people looked to be less than 25 years old.
- Concessionaires are doing good business (best wurst had a fifty foot line!)
- Hoek’s Pizza is blasting music louder than some clubs.
- I see and hear more iPod DJs, than I do live bands
- There are crews of guys full of alcohol and testosterone that could easily be instigated into a fight.
- I see one fight in front of the Texas Lottery Commission.
- We stopped and talked with homeless people outside of the ARCH. Some were under the influence of something, but generally not hostile. If anything, they were very chatty and candid about their problems, and the problems surrounding the ARCH. Below are some of the more interesting things we were told.
- Why on earth did they place the ARCH across from a major liquor store and a block from Austin’s biggest weekend party?
- Red River, IMHO, is keeping the “live music capital” brand alive.
- The owners of Koriente maintain a beautiful small garden at the southeast corner of 7th and Sabine. They should be acknowledged for giving to our community.
- None of the lights on Waller Creek were turned on. Who’s in charge of this?
Next, I’ll share my observations from our day time tour
-Jude
downtown austin entertainment district still has room for improvement – part 1 of 3
by | November 22, 2008 |2 Comments
downtown austin entertainment district
On Friday and Saturday I participated in a tour of 6th street. This wasn’t a bar hop. This was to observe. I’ve joined the ‘Community’ group for the Responsible Hospitality Institute’s (RHI)- ‘Austin Hospitality Zone Assessment for Sixth Street’. This effort is the result of 6ixth Street Austin and the DAA teaming up to develop a revitalization plan for Sixth Street. Our first mission is to tour the entertainment district and simply observe.
The convention center is located east of Congress. Several residential high-rises are located east of Congress. Have you noticed that all of Downtown Austin’s big hotels are located east of Congress! Sixth Street is the anchor. What do you imagine is the experience of visitors to Austin when they visit Sixth Street?
Sixth Street should be Austin’s historical and cultural hub. Landmarked buildings should be required to meet minimum aesthetic standards. Instead, as it is today, Sixth Street is in disrepair and needs to be cleaned up. This is the movement to do just that. There is opportunity to provide a better mix of services and overall experience for hotels guests, the convention center, and all of the residential buildings east of Congress. I’m not alone in this opinion as hotel operators, Sixth Street proprietors, city council members, city staff, police, and many outspoken residents were in attendance at the initial RHI meeting on November 4th.
Still to come, my [not under the influence] observations of Sixth Street.
Downtown Austin Parking + the most interesting presentation on parking in the history of the world.
by | November 16, 2008 |1 Comment
Downtown Austin Parking = FAIL
The most interesting presentation about parking in the history of the world (pdf).
(Okay, this is about parking so it’s dry as your grandmothers turkey. But, in the world of parking, this is a home run presentation. I’ve heard from DANA board members that Patrick Siegman, the guy who wrote the presentation, is an amazing speaker on the topic of parking and new urbanism.)
I’ll help out… below are three major reforms that could be applied to Downtown Austin parking.
1. Charge fair-market prices for curb parking
2. Spend the resulting revenue to pay for neighborhood public improvements
3. Remove the requirements for off-street parking
Over the past 48 hours there’s been lots of discussion over at Austin Contrarian about parking issues. This is encouraging because sometimes I wonder if our citizens recognize the immense impact that parking guidelines have on the look and feel of our city. Downtown Austin apartments, condos, and retail are putting more stress on the availability of [convenient] parking. Parking has a causal relationship with keeping cars on the road, walkability, and overall neighborhood-ness.
In October I was fortunate to be included in a delegation of Austinites sent to Vancouver in order to learn about how they’ve managed rapid growth and become one of the most admired cities in the world. One of their council members, Gordon Price, delivered one of the most impassioned orations about smart urban planning. He made one particular comment that struck me…
“Show me your parking ordinance, and I’ll show you what your city looks like!”
Personally, this was a revelation. Will Austin City Council adopt new parking rules that will encourage use of mass transit and walkability? I hope so. The alternative is more cars, more roads, and more scorched earth strip malls.
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so who is the owner of AGORA? and when does it open?
The wheelchair-accessible #fishing pier is featured in the Downtown Austin Blog: http://t.co/4CHzFfet Thanks, Amber!!
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