downtown austin

[Stop] Signs Of Progress In Rainey Neighborhood

Jude Galligan | February 24, 2011 |

I was expecting the City to share with stakeholders a draft of an “in the works” plan for Downtown Austin’s Rainey neighborhood. There’s not much to report. Instead, stakeholders were met with City staff taking notes on what the stakeholders had to say.

Staff from several City departments were in attendance, including: Public Works, Parks & Recreation, Austin Energy, Transportation, Planning & Development, Austin Police. Also present was perennial sustainability advocate and Austin City Council member Chris Riley.

What’s next? Each department will organize their feedback and report to…. nobody is sure. I’ve asked the City to create a dedicated web presence for Rainey Street (e.g. www.cityofaustin.org/raineystreet) to better organize and distribute information. Here is pdf scan of the handouts. And, I’m glad to share that there is real progress to report. [Read more…] about [Stop] Signs Of Progress In Rainey Neighborhood

Tribute To Tejano Culture Coming To Capitol Lawn

Jude Galligan | February 22, 2011 |

The gently sloping hill of the historic south lawn of the Texas Capitol grounds will soon host a monument that recognizes the legacy and contribution of Tejanos to Texas Culture. This monument will cover slightly more than 500 sq. ft. and will be the largest monument on any state capitol grounds in all 50 states.

There was a ban on new monuments on the south lawn, but an organized and persistent group of legislators helped push legislation which would mandate that the Tejano Monument be constructed on the South Lawn of the Capitol Grounds and [Read more…] about Tribute To Tejano Culture Coming To Capitol Lawn

Fat Guy Cycling Club – Downtown Austin Bicycle Rides

AG | February 21, 2011 |

My friend Zeke had a vision. He had a vision to make workouts fun and accessible to guys who don’t usually work out and who generally don’t really like working out. He had a vision to blend exercise with exploring. Zeke (and the other founding members of the group) made his vision into reality with a small (but growing) bike club call “Fat Guy Cycling Club.” The group does weekly (weather permitting) bike rides around central and downtown Austin, usually followed by a pretty manly lunch. Downtown Austin Blog loves his concept, and asked him to write a very short blurb on his group….

Progress at 68-74 Rainey Street

Jude Galligan | February 18, 2011 |

A couple of weeks ago we discovered this Rainey Street development site was placed under contract. Asking price was $2.4MM for the 0.57-acre parcel (24,840ft) assembled from three contiguous single family lots.

Thanks to a tip from Downtown Austin Blog reader Austin Talley [Austin is a rare downtown resident who owns and lives in a single family home in the Rainey Street neighborhood] there appears to be geotechnical survey truck on the 68-74 Rainey Street property today taking core samples.

Austin, who is an engineer, shared with us “… geotechnical engineering studies are primarily done to investigate subsurface conditions to assist with engineering design for a large scale building or other large projects. The previous times I saw a geotechnical truck in the Rainey area the Legacy, Shore, and Milago were later built on the sites. It is likely [Read more…] about Progress at 68-74 Rainey Street

Completed Deconstruction Of Green Water Treatment Plant (PICS)

Jude Galligan | February 17, 2011 |

We just got a note and some pics from Cindy Jordan with COA Public Works Dept. This looks like it could be a park! Great progress for downtown Austin, especially the 2nd Street District. “The work has reached Substantial Completion!!! If you drive by the site on Cesar Chavez you can actually see that the site is clear and that the area has been seeded. We hope to have grass growing soon to stabilize the dirt. The site will remain as it is until the redevelopment team takes possession and starts their construction.”

Pics after the jump! [Read more…] about Completed Deconstruction Of Green Water Treatment Plant (PICS)