Archives for 2011

Downtown Austin Condo Sales Show Growth

Jude Galligan | March 7, 2011 |

Downtown Austin condo sales continue to reflect strong fundamentals as resale data from February shows increases year-to-year, and from month-to-month.

I’m continuing to tinker with some new statistics, including the effect of the average age of square footage sold. Values of downtown Austin condos tend to be highly correlated with age. This “age/area” metric is useful when comparing monthly data, and I can quickly tell if the data set is skewed towards older or new buildings. In February, the [Read more…] about Downtown Austin Condo Sales Show Growth

Dress Shop Austin

AG | March 4, 2011 |

Perhaps you’ve noticed the elegant fashions in the window next to Annie’s on an evening stroll down Congress Avenue. Perhaps you’ve seen the sign with the simple, but apt, words “Dress Shop.”

Perhaps you haven’t.

But you should.

Dress Shop is, you guessed it, a dress shop selling dresses, jewelry, handbags, and ladies undergarments. It’s located 315 Congress Avenue, right above the Elephant Room, and just south of Annie’s. And the dresses are [Read more…] about Dress Shop Austin

[Stop] Signs Of Progress In Rainey Neighborhood

Jude Galligan | February 24, 2011 |

I was expecting the City to share with stakeholders a draft of an “in the works” plan for Downtown Austin’s Rainey neighborhood. There’s not much to report. Instead, stakeholders were met with City staff taking notes on what the stakeholders had to say.

Staff from several City departments were in attendance, including: Public Works, Parks & Recreation, Austin Energy, Transportation, Planning & Development, Austin Police. Also present was perennial sustainability advocate and Austin City Council member Chris Riley.

What’s next? Each department will organize their feedback and report to…. nobody is sure. I’ve asked the City to create a dedicated web presence for Rainey Street (e.g. www.cityofaustin.org/raineystreet) to better organize and distribute information. Here is pdf scan of the handouts. And, I’m glad to share that there is real progress to report. [Read more…] about [Stop] Signs Of Progress In Rainey Neighborhood

Tribute To Tejano Culture Coming To Capitol Lawn

Jude Galligan | February 22, 2011 |

The gently sloping hill of the historic south lawn of the Texas Capitol grounds will soon host a monument that recognizes the legacy and contribution of Tejanos to Texas Culture. This monument will cover slightly more than 500 sq. ft. and will be the largest monument on any state capitol grounds in all 50 states.

There was a ban on new monuments on the south lawn, but an organized and persistent group of legislators helped push legislation which would mandate that the Tejano Monument be constructed on the South Lawn of the Capitol Grounds and [Read more…] about Tribute To Tejano Culture Coming To Capitol Lawn

Fat Guy Cycling Club – Downtown Austin Bicycle Rides

AG | February 21, 2011 |

My friend Zeke had a vision. He had a vision to make workouts fun and accessible to guys who don’t usually work out and who generally don’t really like working out. He had a vision to blend exercise with exploring. Zeke (and the other founding members of the group) made his vision into reality with a small (but growing) bike club call “Fat Guy Cycling Club.” The group does weekly (weather permitting) bike rides around central and downtown Austin, usually followed by a pretty manly lunch. Downtown Austin Blog loves his concept, and asked him to write a very short blurb on his group….