AG

The Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association will be hosting a Transportation Forum THIS upcoming Monday, July 28, at Malverde – a lush, swanky private event space downtown located right above La Condesa.

The focus of the forum will be the proposed Urban Rail alignment from Project Connect, which DANA has publicly supported.  The current rail alignment would cut right through downtown through Trinity Street.  The current plan would also cause the less than 2-year old Waller Creek Boathouse (which is the location of one of my favorite little coffee shops, Alta’s) to be demolished to make way for the bridge over lady bird lake – which has caused a good amount of grumbling.

The program for the presentation will be as follows:

6:00pm – Doors Open
6:15-6:30pm – Presentation by Project Connect
6:30-6:35pm – Response
6:35-6:50pm – Presentation by AURA
6:50-6:55pm – Response
7:00-7:30pm – Q&A

So, as you can see, this will be more of a dialogue or debate rather than just a stiff ol’ presentation. AURA believes that the proposed urban rail route is actually worse than doing nothing.  I’m expecting things to get a little heated, for sure – which means this should be pretty darn interesting. Is it bad that I’m excited?

The event is free, but priority entry will be given to DANA Members, and RSVP is required.  Seating is limited.  Malverde will be offering 1/2 priced drinks and DANA is footing the bill for some light appetizers.

DANA to Host Transportation Forum Monday, July 28 http://t.co/C0C3oN2LzS

— Downtown Austin Blog (@downtown_austin) July 24, 2014

You can RSVP to the event directly from DAB:

Every morning, when I am walking my little canine creature, Blog (pictured left) – I see many of my neighbors walking their dogs, too.  It’s part of the culture of Austin, a place where we celebrate dog friendly restaurants, and where dog owners create public outcry when the city makes changes to off-leash park space.

So, it should come as no surprise that most downtown Austin’s highrises are pet-friendly.  However, there are a couple of towers that go a little above and beyond when it comes to our four-legged friends.  Here are some of my favorite downtown condos for the dog lover.

The Austonian

We know, we know, the Austonian is pretty much great at everything.  This fabulous, well-located, luxury condo complex boasts several high-end amenities.  But, for the dog loving resident, the amenities for man’s best friend are pretty great.  They not only have an 600 sf outdoor dog park on their 10th floor, but an adjacent indoor dog grooming room – right on site!  Check out the pics below.

The 360 Condos

A signature building of downtown Austin’s renaissance, the 360 Condos is in the heart of downtown. While easily accessible to Shoal Creek, with 430 units served by 4 elevator bays, the wait for an elevator may at times make a harried pet owner a bit nervous.

The 360 condos HOA got creative and transformed some underutilized garage space on the 4th floor into a very nice dog run, open 24/7! Very helpful for a pet owner in a hurry or a pet with a late night emergency!

Bonus points to the 360 for having a Royal Blue Grocery on its ground level – makes buying healthy dog treats very convenient!

Tie: Milago Condos / Villas On Town Lake

The Rainey Street district condos have what few other downtown Austin condos have, which is direct access to a plethora of green space, and even better, the hike & bike trail.  And, with the new boardwalk opening, you can get more excited to head east for that lap around the lake with your beloved Fido.

Additionally, according to their newsletter, Milago also just recently added a special pet corridor on the northwest side of their building.

To a dog, there’s just no substitute for a walk outside, but be careful on the hot concrete in the summer.

The benefits of dedicated dog “runs” like the 360 condos and Austonian have is not only a positive for your pets, but also these amenities provide residents with a safe onsite place for owners to walk their dogs during the night hours.  They are also convenient alternatives to the dwindling places dog owners have around their neighborhood to take their dogs out when nature calls, and they also lessen the impact on our communal park spaces.

Is your building especially dog friendly? Let us know what makes it so!

-A

p.s. if you’re planning on getting a dog or pet you should absolutely first look to Austin Pets Alive.
p.p.s. And now, just because we can – some gifs of some happy dogs.