Archives for 2008

Downtown Austin Parking + the most interesting presentation on parking in the history of the world.

Jude Galligan | November 16, 2008 |

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.

My Saturday – A Day in the Life of an Urbanite

AG | November 15, 2008 |

9:00 a.m. – Awaken to my view. Make some french toast and a fruit cup. Eat it, then out the door to the nearby gym, the Tower Health Spa connected to the 555.

12:00noon – Off to Whole Foods on 6th. I take the trolley, or The ‘Dillo as it’s known. I have a breakfast taco and a water, then I do a little grocery shopping. Trolley back to my place.

1:30 p.m. – I walk from my place to Roar, which is on 5th across from Eddie V’s. I’m getting a little glam in hair, a la a chunk of bright blonde in my bangs. Rory is the bomb, and he does an awesome job.

3:00 p.m. – Come home to take a rest and get ready for my Saturday night. My next door neighbor drops by a made-from-scratch pecan pie (the crust is made from scratch and everything!). It is AWESOME having neighbors that are just a step or two away!

6:00 p.m. – I’m on my way out to go walk to the movie theatre and have a couple of beers. That’s right, I’m headed to The Alamo Drafthouse on 6th.

It was a great day, and it’s going to be an awesome night.

A (non-work) day in the life of an urbanite. Pretty great.

Downtown Austin By The Numbers: How many dwellings?

Jude Galligan | November 14, 2008 |

This is the first in a series of three articles aimed at uncovering the number of residences in Downtown Austin. So, how many dwellings are there? This seems like a simple question, doesn’t it? I’ve never been able to get a satisfying answer – one that doesn’t try to determine the number of residents using a multiplier, is not rounded up or down, and that clearly indicates what is currently being lived in or is ready for occupancy (not under construction).

You may ask, “why don’t you just search Google?” Well, I did. I searched Google for “how many dwellings are in Downtown Austin”. I used other iterations and synonyms of those search terms and could not find a satisfying answer. Much of the data available is old and/or disparate. The last U.S. Census was in 2000. The next is in 2010. Because I am your loyal Downtown Austin Realtor (plug!), I am uniquely suited to discover and share with you my count, building by building, of the number of Downtown Austin condos and apartments.

The official Downtown Austin Blog count of Downtown Austin dwellings after the jump.

The Official Bird of Downtown Austin

Jude Galligan | November 13, 2008 |

On the morning of January 8th, 2007 something strange happened on Congress Ave. Birds fell out of the sky. Literally. I remember hearing this news and thinking to myself “is this how it’s going to end?” According to Texas A&M these birds fell victim to parasites and a sudden drop in temperature.

The good news is the world did not end. The bad news is that mother nature only claimed a handful of these birds – Grackles. They’re loud, aggressive, and poo everywhere. If you’ve ever been to Whole Foods and decided to enjoy your meal al fresco, a Grackle likely pulled up a chair at your table, looked you dead in the eye, and told you who’s in charge without every saying another word but ‘caw caw’.

I live on the 4th floor of my condo, so my windows meet the tree tops. It’s a stunning view, really. To be downtown with a verdant view is a luxury. Until, this past September when the Grackles took over my tree tops. They must number in the thousands with a communal biological clock which you could set your watch to. These birds became my alarm clock… at 5:30am. My business is real estate and I have no good reason to be up at 5:30. I decided to take action.

At a recent DANA board meeting I learned that Grackles don’t like lasers. Apparently, if you shine a laser light into the tree tops it irritates them so much that the Grackles move elsewhere. The University of Texas used to have a problem with grackles. Their solution was to fire shotgun blanks. It worked, but I don’t think my neighbors would think well of me it I took that route. Light seemed like a harmless way to deal with the problem. I don’t have any lasers, and I’m not sure where to get them, but I do have a powerful Mag-Lite.

I placed the Mag-Lite next to my bed and, like clockwork, at 5:30am thousands of birds erupted in cacophony of noise. I jumped out of bed, grabbed my Mag-Lite and proceeded to illuminate the trees, shaking and directing the light beam over several tree tops next to my building and across the street. (This must have looked very strange to those heading to work in the morning.) It didn’t take more than a second for thousands of birds to migrate to another spot a few blocks away. I did this for two weeks and the Grackles are gone and no longer wake me up at 5:30. Instead, they’ve gone to the other side of my building. So, neighbors if you are reading this, get your self a Mag-Lite and get back to bed.

There is a lively discussion about Grackles on yelp

Legacy On The Lake – first tour with video

Jude Galligan | November 13, 2008 |

I received an email last week that the new Legacy On The Lake residences were open for business, ready to lease, and offering tours of the building. This would be a good opportunity to preview a building that seems to have been under construction forever. So, I grabbed my camcorder and headed over. Located at 43 Rainey street, the Legacy is the third building, along with the Shore and Milago, to join the Rainey Street neighborhood in the past three years. With 31 floors, the Legacy towers over the lake. The views are what you would expect at that height – amazing.

Videos after the jump!