downtown Austin's real estate and neighborhood blog
Complete pricing for the downtown Austin condo, The Shore, is available Jude Galligan, 512-226-3414, judegalligan [@] gmail.com
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(512) 226-3414
Jude Galligan
Downtown Austin Realtor
More images after the jump!
[Read more…] about The Shore Austin: Photos and Images
Yesterday, leaving the office on W 5th, I noticed a car2go branded smart car out front of Austin City Lofts. Maybe Mayor Will Wynn was getting a test drive? Earlier this year the Statesman reported the car share initiative would work like this:
“The city will set aside urban-core parking spaces for 200 of Daimler’s “Smart” cars. Rather than paying for the spaces, Daimler will let city employees use the cars for a number of hours that’s equal to the monetary value of the spaces. (That amount hasn’t been determined yet; it will be negotiated over the next few weeks, city officials said.)…The program will start in October and run for six months. Daimler will pay for fuel, maintenance and insurance during that time, said the city’s transportation director, Robert Spillar.”
I’d like to point out that Austin’s first viable car share program, Austin Car Share, was developed assisted by city council candidate elect (!) Chris Riley.
-Jude
[Thanks to Mark for the clarification: Chris Riley was an active board member of Austin Car Share]
Just found this terrific article about how Austin’s growth pattern is driven by the ‘freakonomics’ of Central and Old West Austin. I didn’t realize who the author was until the end. It was a nice [but not unexpected] surprise to see that is was authored by Chris Bradford! Great job, Chris!
Below are two great quotes from the article:
“Families also did not have to flee central Austin to escape dense, overcrowded neighborhoods. The typical central Austin neighborhood is no denser than a typical suburban neighborhood. Most central Austin neighborhoods consist almost entirely of single-family residences. Indeed, in some, nearly 90% of the residential acreage is set aside for single-family housing, with multi-family developments relegated to busy streets. And yard sizes in suburbs are frequently little larger than the yards in the central neighborhoods.”
“Yet there’s an ironic side to this. Alarmed by the decline of families in the city, the same city council that enacted the McMansion ordinance created a new task force a few months later to determine why central Austin has now so few families with children.”
The ABJ is reporting that the planned expansion of Stubbs in downtown Austin is inching forward.
“Austin City Council approved Stubb’s request to waive on-site parking requirements, with the exception of handicap parking, and to become classified as an outdoor entertainment venue.”…”The expansion will add 4,295 square feet to the restaurant, 6,445 square feet to an outdoor concert amphitheater, and a new 35,753 square feet indoor auditorium.”
From the Spring 2009 Waller Creek newsletter:
Early tunnel activities, which included survey work, geotechnical studies, physical modeling, and public outreach, have drawn to a close. The project has entered into the final design.
The design phase is expected to continue through January 2010 and will be followed by a bid and award phase, when the City seeks contractors to do the construction work. Actual construction is expected to begin in 2010 and be completed in 2014.
Design of this large project is separated into distinct sections, including:
• A Parks and Recreation Department boat house adjacent to Lady Bird Lake
• The tunnel
• The inlet
• The outlet
• Two creekside inlets located between 4th and 5th, and 8th and 9th Streets.
A 3 hour public meeting to discuss downtown Austin’s Waller Creek District Master Plan will be held on Wednesday, May 13th from 6:00pm to 9:00pm in Ballroom C of the Austin Convention Center, 500 E. Cesar Chavez Street. The meeting will include a presentation of existing Waller Creek conditions and a brief presentation of the flood control project. In addition, the Consultant will lead a general discussion of the community’s desires for activities along the Creek and within the District, potential character, and private development along the Creek.
-Jude
You can download a pdf of the Waller Creek newsletter here
