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Archives for November 2014

How Much Convention Center Is Too Much Convention Center?

Jude Galligan | November 19, 2014 |

Block 8 sits in the southern shadow of the Four Seasons Residences, just west of the Austin Convention Center.  There are signals that the City of Austin is posturing for another Convention Center eminent domain battle (à la the Whittington Saga Part 1 & Part 2, which we wrote about in 2008).

City Staff recently recommended that the City acquire the southern tracts of what’s known as Block 8 to be part of an expansion of the Austin Convention Center, the first step in a larger proposed expansion.

block-8 2

The Convention Center currently sprawls over six city blocks, and hosts 881,400 square feet of space.  The City Memo states that there is “solid evidence” for expansion and is wanting up to 305,000 in additional square feet! No doubt the abundance of downtown hotel rooms recently built, and under-construction is part of that “evidence”.

You can view the memo in a recent report from the Austin Monitor, though talks about this have been going on behind closed doors for a while before this.

block-8-tcad-parcels
Plat map of the southern half of Block 8

Below is the breakdown of current ownership of the southern half of Block 8 that the city is intending to initially acquire:

101 E Cesar Chavez / 302 E Cesar Chavez – this is one of the most awkward buildings in downtown Austin. The tenant, Casa Chapala, recently closed its doors.  Public records show the lot to be owned by Bloctavo Holdings LLC / John Calhoun Miller, a real estate attorney in Texas. May be a registered agent.

304 & 306 Cesar Chavez – downtown’s purveyor of Aprilias and Vespas, AF1 seems to hide in plain sight.  Owned by Bandy Real Estate LLC, a family operated LLC located in Kingsland, TX.

af1
AF1 Racing

316 & 316 1/2 Cesar Chavez  – A lovely surface parking lot (sarcasm), adjacent to the Christian Science Reading Room. Public records indicated this is owned by Bloctavo Holdings / John Calhoun Miller, a real estate attorney in Texas. May be a registered agent.

the view of the lot looking to the north
the view of the lot looking to the north

102 / 104 Trinity – The Christian Science Reading Room, owned by the First Church of Christian Science.

front exterior of the Christian Science Reading Room
front exterior of the Christian Science Reading Room

Southwest Strategies has been marketing the assemblage of the southern half of Block 8, hoping to get a developer to build with a long-term ground lease.

They describe Block 8 as follows:

The Block 8 Tracts are an assemblage of 4 smaller tracts. Currently, the western portion of the property along San Jacinto is improved with a two story building containing 6,103 sq. ft. currently leased to a restaurant on a short term basis. The central part of the assemblage is improved with a one story building containing 5,320 sq. ft. Tenant is on a month-to-month lease. The eastern portion of the assemblage consists of a paved parking lot utilized for contract parking and an owner occupied one story building consisting of 4,161 sq. ft.

It’s true that the block sits on a prime redevelopment location.  It’s near the convention center, has CBD zoning, and “is unencumbered by any Capitol View Corridors.”

block-8-capitol-view-corridor

Per the Austin Business Journal, “City officials invested about $110 million to expand the convention center in 2002 by several city blocks.”

In their memo, the City states that it has already sent what’s called a Letter of Intent to Acquire to the property owners, and is also already throwing around eminent domain references (though the memo does state that the City will make a good faith attempt to acquire the properties at market value).

The above lots are just the first part of the plan.  From the Austin Monitor: “Rizer suggests the city will need to acquire ‘the equivalent of three to four City blocks‘ to accumulate enough room for the additional space.”

As a resident of downtown, the prospect that an additional three to four blocks of CBD zoned downtown Austin land, currently occupied by thriving businesses, would be annexed by a sprawling Convention Center is alarming.  This would divide downtown Austin using brute force malaise-era design principals.  The City should instead be investing in sustainable design that enhances the preciously compact pedestrian experience our downtown currently affords to residents and visitors.

I call BS on the dogma that Convention Centers can only expand horizontally.  City leadership should invite world class designers to show us a better path to expand vertically on the already significant Convention Center footprint.

-Jude

Filed Under: austin history, austin neighborhoods, austin news, city council, development, downtown austin, Real Estate

Three More In-Home Services For Downtown Dwellers

AG | November 13, 2014 |

I’ve written about food delivery services for downtown Austin residents, including some areas outside of downtown before, proclaiming my undying appreciation for the convenience they bring.  Downtown Austin Blog has also written of our support of Uber, and most Uber drivers I’ve talked to say the majority of their business is in downtown & central Austin.  Convenience services have been propelled into our lives within the past couple of years.  Unlike some startups from the early 2000s, these players seem to have entered a convenience economy, with consumers willing to consistently spend the extra money.

Below are a handful of services that you might not have heard of, but I wanted to highlight for the convenience seeking, time-crunched DAB reader (more after the jump):

[Read more…] about Three More In-Home Services For Downtown Dwellers

Filed Under: downtown austin

Handful of This Week’s Downtown Austin Events (and one on the East Side)

AG | November 11, 2014 |

DANA Urban Core Happy Hour
Sunday, November 16, 2014 – 2pm-4pm
Hotel Ella

RSVP Required.

hotel-ella

DANA members and guests are invited to enjoy the hospitality of the recently revamped Hotel Ella.

On the menu:

  • Truffle Risotto Cakes
    Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli
    Chorizo stuffed bacon wrapped dates with piquillo pepper sauce
    Antipasta Buffet Bar with imported cheese, house cured meats, preserved local fruits, and peppered flatbread with assorted crackers

+ complimentary beer, wine, and cocktails!

Creek Show, Light Night
Thursday, November 13, 2014 – Sunset ’til Late
Waller Creek (between 5th street and 7th street)

Event website.

"Flow" installation, Design Workshop
“Flow” installation, Design Workshop

As the sun sets on Waller Creek, five site-specific light installations will be revealed. These installations, all created by Austin-based architects and landscape architects, will illuminate Waller Creek in new and exciting ways. See the designs, hear local music and learn more about the future of Waller Creek.

East Austin Studio Tour
2 Weekends: November 15-16, November 22-23 – 11am-6pm
Various locations

Event website.

hallie

Big Medium presents the 13th East Austin Studio Tour! EAST is a free, annual, self-guided art event occurring over two weekends in November, providing the public with an opportunity to meet the makers: the local artists and artisans who leave a lasting imprint on Austin’s vibrant, dynamic culture. Tour-goers are invited to discover new artistic talent, see working studios, learn about artists’ tools, techniques, and inspirations, and explore unique exhibition spaces and local businesses.

One of the artists we love to support, Hallie Rae Ward, will be showcasing her work at Createscape Coworking.  Check it out!

Filed Under: around town, austin art, austin lifestyle, austin neighborhoods, austin news, austin parks, austin recreation, DAB Artists, downtown austin, girls night out, life in austin, miscellaneous, Red River District, urban family, waller creek

From Bail Bonds To Condominium

AG | November 3, 2014 |

12/10/2014: Updated rendering below!
09/15/2015: The project will be called Esquina Austin

While many of DAB’s friends will be sad to see Bail Bonds (777-7777) office go [sarcasm], we are interested in what is planned to replace it: 908 Nueces Condominiums.

908 Nueces LLC purchased the site in July.  The address for 908 Nueces LLC on the deed records matches up to several entities, but it looks like the management of 908 Nueces LLC is a company called Scotia Western States Housing LLC, based in Tucson.

Through a little research, we’ve confirmed that a builder in Tucson, A.F. Sterling Homes, will be the company developing this project.  While the company owns some single family rentals in Austin , this project will mark their first foray into developing dense housing in Austin.

Perales Engineering, who posted the below rendering of the project on their FB page in September, will be working with Urban Foundry Architecture on the project.

Here’s what we know so far:

  • Address = 908 Nueces
  • Lot =  0.29 Acres (~12,800 sf)
  • Proposed structure =  (~34,000) sf
  • Number of stories = 4 + 1 level of parking
  • Number of residences = 32
908-Nueces-Today
Google Street View Image of 908 Nueces Today
A rendering of the northeast perspective, given to us on 12/10/2014. All renderings subject to change.
A rendering of the northeast perspective, given to us on 12/10/2014. All renderings subject to change.
908 Nueces Rendering - Perales Engineering
Rendering of the future 908 Nueces Condos, posted by Perales Engineering on Facebook

Filed Under: around town, austin apartments, austin condos, austin lifestyle, austin lofts, austin neighborhoods, austin news, development, downtown austin, Real Estate

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