Congress Avenue District

And Then There Were Two

Jude Galligan | June 27, 2011 |

A well timed announcement for a 50+story hotel at Red River and Cesar Chavez has shifted the attention away from the Mariott Marquis seeking a waiver of $4MM in development fees.

The latest hotel announced by Manchester Texas Financial Group is receiving good reviews for its design, ambition, and potential for embracing the Waller Creek District Master Plan.

To be clear, there really isn’t a choice here. Each project is pushing forward on their own merits. But the timing begs the question “which building can break ground first?”.

Both would be significant additions to the skyline and economy. Development fee waivers, if any, will likely go to the project that is most prepared and that can begin construction soonest.

That’s incentive!

Below is a rendering of the “Grand Hotel” at Waller Creek

Mega Hotel Subsidy Draws Fire From Austin Council

dab | June 21, 2011 |

It seems that having Armbrust & Brown attorney Richard Suttle as the representative of the hotel developers I wrote about Monday may be a little too hot for some council members to handle.

On Tuesday morning, Council Members Bill Spelman, Sheryl Cole and Laura Morrison seemed skeptical that his clients need almost $4 million in city breaks to help to build a hotel downtown.

Students of city politics should note that the power base at city council has now shifted from Mayor Lee Leffingwell, Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez and Chris Riley — who are losing defeated incumbent Randi Shade — to the other council members, who are gaining Kathie Tovo next month.

New Mega Hotel Planned, City Waiving $3.8M In Fees

dab | June 20, 2011 |

News broke Friday that the shelved White Lodging Services Corp. plans for a 1,000-plus hotel at 2nd Street and Congress Avenue are back on the stove.

The news seems to echo what Assistant City Manager Robert Goode told council at a recent hearing: “We are a big city, get over it.”

Second Bar + Kitchen in Downtown Austin

AG | June 18, 2011 |

Second Bar + Kitchen is aptly named for it’s Congress Ave @ Second Street location. But don’t think for a second that the food isn’t first-rate (wakka wakka!).

On a whim, I ventured over to Second a couple of Sundays ago (after a morning coffee at the Austonian’s Caffe Medici) and was pleasantly surprised by the food and the atmosphere of the restaurant. I was seated on the second story, which was a small, covered balcony with simple tables and faux grass carpeting: [Read more…] about Second Bar + Kitchen in Downtown Austin

Caffe Medici Opens Under The Austonian

Jude Galligan | March 11, 2011 |

Just in time for SXSW, Caffe Medici opens its third location. Located in the Austonian on Congress Ave, I was immediately impressed with the finish out. Great layout, great light, great coffee. We’ll soon need to update our Best Coffee Shops In Austin list. A couple of quick android pics after the jump. [Read more…] about Caffe Medici Opens Under The Austonian