Bike Share delayed?
Sadly, it looks as if the bike share program in Austin is hitting some unexpected delays.
KUT reported “the program has seen complications, and that a launch planned for this spring– which would’ve coincided with May as National Bike Month – will be delayed.”
I’ve heard that some people who work at the city disagree with the KUT story, but the fact of the matter is this program – after a flurry of news and forward momentum – appears stuck in the mud. The city has not yet released a map of where the bike share kiosks will be installed yet, let alone what the timeline is for installing the kiosks.
Dell Medical School will reshape NE corner of downtown
Likely you caught a whiff of news about the UT masterplan for its Austin campus, and the attached medical district, which will house the Dell Medical School. The plan has been officially approved by the Board of Regents, and will transform the northeast portion downtown for generations to come.
Among the top things likely to come up at a dinner party, which you should know:
- The Dell Medical School is expected to open in summer 2016.
- Phase I would require the replacement of the Penick-Allison Tennis Center.
- Within five years the UMCB (University Medical Center Brackenridge) will be demolished.
- Within six to 15 years the Erwin Center will be demolished.
All the important points have been summarized over on Austin Towers, along with a collection of renderings and maps.
Truluck’s expanding downtown
Truluck’s, one of the anchors of downtown’s Warehouse District, is investing more than $2 million to add a third story.
This follows a trend of reinvestment and development of properties within the Warehouse District. Work is going on now, for example, at the building that housed The Spaghetti Warehouse Restaurant for decades.
Sometimes, it is easy to get fixated on the mega projects downtown, but this is a reminder that a lot of smaller projects are underway too.
Austin Business Journal has more
Wells Fargo teardown underway at 15th Street
As a sign of the increasing residential density of downtown, Wells Fargo has destroyed it’s drive through bank on the corner of 15th and Rio Grande, and instead plans a full service lot there.
In place of the relic 800-square-foot drive-thru center, Wells Fargo plans to build a 4,000 square foot full-service branch, with four drive through bays and 20 parking spots.
Wondering why that block was never developed? Oddly enough, back in the 1970s and again in the 80s, the city entered into a restrictive covenant with the former property owners to limit any use of that lot to a drive-thru bank – it had been zoned for office and then CBD, but any use outside office was limited to a drive thru. Odd.
Hey, months ago you said the B-Cycle was going to be the supplier for Bike Share of Austin. Just where did you hear that and do you still stand by that claim? As far as I know City of Austin is still look at who is going to be the supplier and there are two in the running with B-Cycle being one of them. I have no idea who the other company is and the city will not comment on it.
The claim for B-Cycle as supplier was on January 23, 2013
I can’t believe almost every other Big Texas city is head of us on bike share. It’s kind of embarrassing considering how many people bike here.
Dang, that’s too bad about the drive-thru Wells Fargo. I suppose that means the branch located in the tower will close. That one is so much easier to walk to from my office. I’d have to drive to the other location. That is, if and when I ever DO go to a bank in the first place. Couldn’t the city and Wells Fargo renegotiate the restrictive covenant?