downtown austin

No Tower of Babylonic Courthouse Until 2015?

dab | July 18, 2011 |

There is a presumption that buildings in downtown Austin financed with public money have a better shot of getting off the ground quicker than private ones.

That was the case among many hopefuls, perhaps, when Travis County purchased the former Austin Museum of Art block to build a skyscraper courthouse.

But Travis County Purchasing officer Cyd Grimes busted that myth in a recent article by InFactDaily, telling the subscriber political newsletter the project won’t break ground for three or four years.

“A lot of people have been pushing this (public-private partnership),” she said. “I’m not convinced that it’s going to be cheaper, better, or faster. I think if we went and borrowed the money and did either a Construction Manager at Risk, or a Design-Build, we would be quicker down the road.”

[Read more…] about No Tower of Babylonic Courthouse Until 2015?

New Renderings Of Park Plaza Tower

Jude Galligan | July 16, 2011 |

Architect Ziegler Cooper has posted new renderings of Gables Park Plaza’s nascent mixed-use neighbor. Site plan approval from the city has been extended through February of 2012.

Near the intersection of Cesar Chavez and Lamar, back in the day this site was home to Cedar Door (910 Cesar Chavez) which was moved to Brazos @ 2nd.

I like the design. It successfully handles a few site specific challenges, notably a Capitol View Corridor and train track. Thanks to downtown resident Mitchell McGovern for the heads up! Pics after the jump…

Pics From DANA Social at Annie’s On Congress

Douglas Galloway | July 15, 2011 |

Thanks to Escobedo Esthetics and Annie’s Cafe for sponsoring this month’s Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association Happy hour! Escobedo just moved into the ground floor of the Spring Condos, and last night they brought with them a fancy skin care machine that yours truly experienced. Annie’s provided an outstanding spread of food, helpful staff, and terrific venue. [Read more…] about Pics From DANA Social at Annie’s On Congress

Mayor’s Chief of Staff Exits And Why You Should Care

dab | July 14, 2011 |

Casual observers of city hall, at first glance, might take little notice that Mark Nathan, Mayor Lee Leffingwell’s chief of staff, has announced his departure.

But it is a noteworthy event whenever an executive politician’s chief of staff exits. A chief of staff is the one who gets stuff done, while their boss is smiling for the camera. The office of chief of staff and the person holding it become synonymous.

To that point, the mayor said on his own website “Mark has been a driving force behind almost every major initiative we’ve undertaken.”

As a nerdish observer of City Hall, which is one level above casual, I can read into that a few ways, but the simplest is just to look at three things the mayor’s office has pushed in the past 12-16 months: A new downtown hotel, an urban rail system and the United States Grand Prix F1 race. (As for the F1 race, one could say Lee isn’t a “pusher” maybe just an adamant supporter. He was the only council member who wanted to approve the contract about 60 days ago, when his six other colleagues — including Randi Shade on her last day — voted to postpone the vote under threats it could blow the entire deal. That’s telling.) [Read more…] about Mayor’s Chief of Staff Exits And Why You Should Care

Bicycle Boulevard Progress

Jude Galligan | July 10, 2011 |

Here are visible signs that the “Bicycle Boulevard” and the accompanying traffic calming improvements are taking shape. After breakfast, yesterday, I snapped this photo of the construction at Rio Grande and 10th Street (POV is south along Rio Grande).

I really like this. Traffic circles are… just… charming. This should be complementary to the Original Austin neighborhood.

Rainey Street has one that I go around most days. It seems to be effective. They encourage drivers to pay more attention, and to interact with other drivers through gazes, gestures, and waves.