Archives for 2012

Rivals Steakhouse Coming To 5th & Trinity

Jude Galligan | March 5, 2012 |

I spotted this while walking this morning in the burgeoning Railyard District.

Rivals Steakhouse is under construction at the southwest corner of 5th & Trinity. This comes after more than three years of vacancy, since property owner Tim Finley refused to renew Paradox’s lease.

This isn’t the neighborhood’s vision for highest and best use of a downtown corner property, but, overall, most of the surrounding loft owners are pleased that it’s no longer vacant.

I wonder what the economics of steakhouses are because there seems to be a lot of them. If you would have asked me ten years ago where to buy a good steak in downtown Austin I would have instinctively said “Sullivans”.

A Smarter Route? Proposed Urban Rail Along Trinity Street

Jude Galligan | March 2, 2012 |

Transportation wonks: is there something different about the conceptual urban rail alignment depicted in the latest flyer from Project Connect?

The portion of the rail system south of 4th Street is showing that the preferred alignment (solid orange lines) is not Congress Ave, rather it’s humble ol’ Trinity Street.

On previous maps, I recall Congress Ave having the bold lines and Trinity Street relegated to a hypothetical dashed line. This is a subtle change on paper, but a potentially big improvement to ridership and economic impact.

I presume a Trinity alignment would have a stop at/near Waller Creek. Imagine connecting businesses and visitors to the Rainey Street district, Waller Creek, the Boat House, the MACC, the Convention Center. There’s greater density of residential and recreational use. There’s more [taxable] development opportunity along the Trinity alignment.

Somethin’s Happenin’ Here… What It Is Ain’t Exactly Clear…

Fred Schmidt | February 22, 2012 |

Remember that great old Buffalo Springfield song? Well those were the lyrics that started going through my head as I spotted this scene unfolding tonight in the long-vacant retail space in City Hall, at the SE corner of 2nd Street / Willie Nelson Blvd and Guadalupe.

What I do know is the sweet vibe of SXSW is definitely in the air all around Downtown on these 80-degree late February days. The countdown is on: only 16 more days til Austin starts rockin’ off its hinges! And I don’t just mean with music… but also energy, enthusiasm, innovation, creativity, knowledge, adventure, technology. It’s a week when we all can really visualize Austin’s future as a global creative capital.

New Renderings Of Capital Studios

Jude Galligan | February 17, 2012 |

Foundation Communities’ proposed downtown Austin affordable housing development will no longer be referred to as Capitol Terrace, but rather Capital Studios. Yes, the spelling is correct.

DAB has obtained draft drawings of the development at 11th & Trinity. These are intended to show massing and different uses within the building. There might be small changes to the final design – the colors are for clarity and do not represent how the skin of the building will look.

DANA Hosting Discussion On Affordable Housing (Thursday February 16th)

Jude Galligan | February 15, 2012 |

With the proposed Foundation Communities development needing support of the neighborhood, DANA invites its membership to come out for a special presentation by the CEO of Foundation Communities and a discussion on development proposed for 11th & Trinity Street that would be the first affordable housing project proposed Downtown in over 45 years and which will include Permanent Supportive Housing. DANA board members will be looking for feedback on the design and operational proposals.

When: Thursday, February 16th, 6pm
Where: St. Mary’s Cathedral, Bishop’s Hall, 203 E 10th St Austin, Texas 78701

More Info