Archives for November 2009

Not So Great Streets

Jude Galligan | November 17, 2009 |

The phrase “great streets” gets a lot of lip service in downtown stakeholder circles. This has been going on since 2000. We’re all familiar with 2nd Street District, and I think we can generally agree that the City/AMLI knocked it out of the park with this one. It’s a terrific pedestrian experience.

With the Great Streets Program available since 2000, not all buildings constructed since then have fully adopted the notion. Two examples:

1) Hampton Inn

Sure, the New Orleans style terrace is charming, but if you’ve ever walked by the hotel you were almost certainly dodging valet podiums, bellhops, guests, and tiny bistro tables that are so crowded that nobody uses them.

2) Champions @ Courtyard Marriot

If you know this corner, you know there is a string of cabs parked along 4th street. Here we see a hard fence forcing pedestrians towards the street, and creating an uninviting al-fresco experience for bar patrons. The far end of this fence terminates into a round-a-bout entrance into the Courtyard. A better alternative to activate this corner would be planters like we see at Annies, which would also provide an entrance to the the restaurant along 4th street.

photos courtesy of Mike McGill

Downtown Austin Open Houses

Jude Galligan | November 14, 2009 |

(Looking for this week’s open houses? You’ll find them here.)

Open houses in downtown Austin for Sunday, November 15th

The great thing about downtown Austin open houses is that you can generally walk from building to building. Take a stroll downtown now that summer is over and the temperature is cooler. If you’re into adaptive reuses of older buildings, checkout DAB’s list of downtown Austin lofts. Looking for FHA approved condos? We’ve got the info here.

This weekend you can browse at your own pace at the Austin City Lofts, The Nokonah, Spring, and the Austonian sales center. While you’re here, checkout DAB’s gift suggestions found on 2nd Street.

Sunday
1) 901 W 9th St #418, 1bd, 1ba + study, $320,000, 1-3pm [Urbanspace] map
2) 800 W 5th St #201, 2bd, 2ba, $649,900, 1-3pm [Urbanspace] map
3) 300 Bowie St, Spring sales center, model units, 1-5pm map website
4) 200 Congress Ave, Austonian sales center located at 300 W 6th, 12-5pm map website

Don’t see the properties you’re interested in? Ask a Realtor who lives and works in downtown Austin.

Waller Creek Meeting Notes

Jude Galligan | November 13, 2009 |

At last night’s WCCAC meeting:

1) We learned that the City is negotiating the purchase of three contiguous lots located along southbound frontage road and bounded by 4th and 5th Streets. This area hosts the east bank of Waller Creek between 4th and 5th and is currently used as a surface parking lot. The land acquisition will be purchased with funds from the Waller Creek Tunnel Project, and will likely become a temporary staging ground for the construction of the tunnel. Ironically [to me at least] these lots are not on FEMA’s 100 year flood maps, and therefore wouldn’t directly benefit from the tunnel improvements designed to remove land from the 100 year flood plain. The lots are encumbered by Capitol View Corridors, though. You can see the lots under “Kuykendall Addn”.

2) The WCCAC made an official recommendation to City Council that the Strategy 1 improvements identified by ROMA’s Waller Creek District Master Plan be included in the items for the 2010 Transportation Bond. The bond is limited to issues of mobility, including pedestrian uses such as the conversion of Sabine Street into a promenade.

3) Perry Lorenz provided citizen communication that the 21c project is moving forward and the development team is flying to Austin from Louisville with updates in the first week of December. In addition to getting a more comprehensive project status, we should receive a better idea of the amount and types of consideration the project is paying towards Waller Creek improvements adjacent to the property.

4) The I-35 Makeover project is going to be complete in 2010 and will be funded from the parking fees collected underneath I-35. No word yet on improvements to the 4th Street overpass, but WCCAC requested to be included as a stakeholder should that discussion commence.

5) Matt Knifton of the Texas Rowing Center provided citizen communication about TRC’s bid for the boathouse. Notably, last year TRC donated roughly $30,000 in community outreach in the form of education and classes for minority children and those with disabilities. Matt estimated that as a PARD concessionaire since 1999, the TRC has returned over $400,000 to the city;moreover, throughout a 20 year lease of the new boathouse, there is potential to generate nearly $3MM in concession revenue for the city. The TRC would have the opportunity to further increase their community outreach programs, making the lake more accessible to more Austinites.

In summary, it’s nice to see action and momentum!

-Jude

Tonight's WCCAC Agenda

Jude Galligan | November 12, 2009 |

This evening is our monthly meeting of the Waller Creek Citizens Advisory Committee (WCCAC). I’m especially interested to get the updates on the I-35 makeover project.

WALLER CREEK CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MEETING AGENDA

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE WALLER CREEK CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMITTEE WILL MEET ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12th, 2009, AT 6:00 P.M. IN BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ROOM, CITY HALL, 301 WEST SECOND STREET

The City Council Waller Creek Citizen Advisory Committee may go into a closed session under the Open Meetings Act, Section 551.071, of the Texas Government Code, to receive advice from legal counsel on any item on this agenda.

Call Meeting to Order

1. Approval of Minutes – (October 22, 2009)

2. Citizen Communication (3 minutes)

3. Waller Creek Master Plan Update – Discussion

Jim Robertson, COA

4. IH-35 Makeover Project – Discussion

Erica Leak, COA

5. WCCAC-Parks Board Joint Subcommittee – Discussion

Sara Hensley, COA

6. Waller Creek Tunnel Update – Discussion

Gary Jackson, COA

7. Competitive Design Process – Discussion

Jude Galligan, WCCAC

8. Waller Creek District surface improvements/2010 Transportation Bond Election

Discussion and possible action

Jeb Boyt, WCCAC

9. Future Agenda Items for December 3, 2009 Meeting

Discussion and Possible Action

Downtown Austin: These Are the Places to Get Your Flu Shot (AKA – It's official. Google literally knows everything.)

AG | November 11, 2009 |

It’s flu season, which means it’s flu shot season.

I just found out Google has launched a new service that will map out the nearest place to get a flu shot, based on your search criteria. The service includes results for shots for H1N1.

I’ve taken the liberty of doing a search for flu shots near 78701 (downtown Austin). The search pretty much gave me every location with available flu shots in Austin. Click here for a map/list of the results. Or look below to get an idea of how many places nearby are offering the shots:

FYI, per Google, it looks like all the places that carry the H1N1 vaccine are temporarily out of stock….

New Renderings Of 21c

Jude Galligan | November 11, 2009 |

Hmmm…. I wouldn’t say these renderings show a design that is inspired. Certainly my design expectations for 21c are high. Below is a [hopefully] early rendering of the hotel and museum portion taken directly from the 21c website.

The Skyscraper crew is not happy 🙁

Veterans Day Parade

Jude Galligan | November 10, 2009 |

From Travis County Press Release:

Veterans Day Parade, memorial service to pay tribute to military families

The Travis County/City of Austin Veterans Day Parade will march along Congress Avenue beginning at 9 a.m. Wednesday, culminating with a memorial services at the State Capitol. The parade will start from the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge and continue to the Capitol. Spectators can observe the parade at any point along Congress Avenue. A reviewing stand will be at the Inter-Continental Stephen F. Austin Hotel at Seventh Street and Congress. A special ceremony honoring the families of veterans and active duty military will be conducted at 11 a.m. at the south steps of the Capitol. The Commemorative Air Force from San Marcos will also be performing a flyover during the ceremony.

The parade will have some effect on streets in the downtown area. The Ann W. Richards bridge will cause closure of Congress Avenue from Riverside Drive to Cesar Chavez Street from 6:30 a.m. to noon. Also, Congress from Cesar Chavez to West 11th Street will be closed from 9 a.m. to noon.

The parade will celebrate our nation’s veterans and those service men and women currently serving at home and abroad. The City of Austin employs more than 1,200 military veterans and Guard and Reserve members.

City of Austin News Release_Veterans Day Parade.doc

Open Thread: What Types Of Retail Do You Want In Downtown Austin?

Jude Galligan | November 9, 2009 |

What is downtown Austin missing? What is working? Where is retail trailing demand?

Leave your ideas in the comments.

Downtown Austin Open Houses

Jude Galligan | November 7, 2009 |

(Looking for this week’s open houses? You’ll find them here.)

Open houses in downtown Austin for Sunday, November 8th

This weekend you can browse at your own pace at the 5 Fifty Five, 360 condos, Spring, and the Austonian sales center.

Sunday
1) 360 Nueces St #3811, 2bd, 2ba, $576,700, 1-4pm [Urbanspace] map
2) 360 Nueces St #1616, 2bd, 2ba, $435,000, 2-4pm [Keller Williams] map
3) 555 E 5th St #713, 2bd, 1ba, $375,000, 2-5pm [Remax] map
4) 555 E 5th St #2811, 1bd, 1ba, $399,555, 2-5pm [Capital City Sothebys] map
5) 300 Bowie St, Spring sales center, model units, 1-5pm map website
6) 200 Congress Ave, Austonian sales center located at 300 W 6th, 12-5pm map website

Fantastical Fun Fun Fun Fest

AG | November 6, 2009 |

In honor of Fun Fun Fun Fest (this weekend at Waterloo Park), I thought I’d write a fun, fun, fun and fantastical story that incorporates some of the band names (with links to their Myspace pages or Website) that will be playing. Because word games are fun, and not at all nerdy.

RATATAT!!! Was the sound made by some group of Night Marchers, and heard loudly in the Crystal Castles of Montreal (which just happens to be less than 7 Seconds from the Moonlight Towers, but an incredible distance from Harlem.) Regarding all this noise, Why? Well, the marchers were a group of The Laughing Young Widows, along with their All Leather wearing Street Dogs (whom, by the way, kept running Russian Circles around the Strange Boys that were passing by) and were on their annual Mission of Burma to find the Shonen Knife and to finally come Face to Face with Lucero (who, in his ever Growing power, would grant them the gifts of the mighty Destroyer.)

The plan that this Youth Brigade had was to Broadcast the Atlas Sound and light the sacred D.R.I Torche in The Underground Railroad to Candyland, where hopefully they would meet Lucero. Then, these Cool Kids would Reign Supreme, yelling “Off With Their Heads” to the deaf yeasayers and the already Dead Confederates who made mayhem in the Coliseum there. Things might get Fucked Up, but they were prepared for The Roller coaster, and did not let the bitter warnings of “This Will Destroy You!” upset their brave Foot Patrol or push their Fuck Buttons.

Danzig, the Neon Indian who was their king, donned ceremonial Crystal Antlers atop his Royal Bangs. He seemed to have No Age – to be in perfect HEALTH. Death could not touch him. His Kid Sister, whom they called Mika Miko, however, was definitely one of the Whitest Kids U’Know (or will ever know – trust me on this). Red Sparowes told of how her whiteness was brighter than Alaska in Winter.

As their journey wore on, the group began to Coalesce like a Melt Banana – their purpose was clear and true. There were the Bankrupt and the Borrowers during these Black and White Years, but one Pack of Wolves would begin the New Movement that had been wished for since the beginning, since the time of Vega. It was time….time to conquer, time to entertain, time to get on with things…it was time to go to FUN FUN FUN FEST!

Enjoy everybody!