downtown Austin's real estate and neighborhood blog
I was thrilled to see the State Theatre sign illuminated (again) nast night,… I can’t remember the last time I saw it turned on. This particular sign – its scale, its history – adds so much life to Congress Avenue. It’s easier to see at night than during the day when a tree blocks part of the signage. Last night’s featured guest, Christopher Titus, was the the first stage performance in several years.
-Jude
It was the Downtown Austin Convention Center Overlay combined with a down market and CBD zoning that created a perfect environment for the bungalow-to-bar renovation boom on Rainey Street. Now, to spur new infrastructure and a better mix of retail uses, allowing surface level parking in Rainey Street neighborhood is worthy of reexamination.
Some of my highly informed friends in downtown Austin, whose opinions I greatly respect, will disagree with me. And, in general, I would discourage new downtown surface level parking in most circumstances. Short of incentives to develop structured shared parking [underground!], we need to take a pragmatic look at how to deal with the Rainey Street neighborhood in the short-run.
[Read more…] about Should The City Allow New Surface Parking On Rainey Street?
Downtown Austin Blog learned this past May about a project to erect a boutique hotel over what is currently Sky Lounge. Known simply as “416 Congress” we now have images and renderings from Dick Clark architecture that will be presented to the Downtown Commission. The proposal calls for 130 rooms and 26 stories. Downtown Austin rarely sees tall mid-block construction.
This could be a harbinger for more mid-block development and we hope the city supports the concept, not that it’s perfect. Expect some discussion around parking and sidewalk width. The site is not encumbered by a Capitol View Corridor, but there are setback requirements. The developer is seeking CBD-CURE zoning in order to bump the FAR from 8:1 to 13:1.
More info and pics after the jump. [Read more…] about 416 Congress Ave: Boutique Hotel Renderings
CBD zoning was required to create the giant residential tax base we now have in downtown Austin. CBD zoning also enables bars to easily obtain OMV permits. These are good examples of the power of CBD zoning. However, there is a legacy problem surfacing in CBD zoned non-entertainment districts of downtown Austin: compatibility.
The surge in new OMV permits issued outside of the established entertainment districts in downtown Austin has generated a response from the Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association. DANA has issued a position letter (pdf) that suggests procedural, enforcement, and compatibility improvements to be applied outside of E. 6th Street and the Warehouse District.
BTW, the local news media is going to generate plenty of hyperbole and “show down” sensationalism. I choose to ignore it. The solution to compatibility problems boils down to common sense and compromise. [Read more…] about CBD + OMV = Doh!
I’ve never been inside downtown Austin’s State Theatre – the Paramount Theatre’s sister stage located adjacent to the north. Years ago, the State Theatre flooded, and hadn’t returned to hosting performances (to my knowledge). If this performance info is accurate, Chris Titus’s appearance on February 1st will be first performance in nearly five years.
I hope this is a sign of more showcase performances at the State. Either way, this is a step in the right direction for a historic Congress Avenue theatre.
