Photo snapped today. The Paradise bar at 6th and Trinity is getting a 2nd story patio. Too early to tell if the sidewalk will go underneath or around it.
downtown austin
Hotel Planned At 3rd & San Jacinto
Poe Companies and White Lodging appear to be working towards a hotel deal in downtown Austin. The project, as currently envisioned, would be a Hyatt hotel with ~275 hotel rooms. DANA was approached for preliminary feedback by Armbrust and Brown, in preparation for consideration by City Council for increasing the entitled FAR from 8:1 to 12:1. No site plan, architectural drawings, or financing is confirmed.
The property is currently a surface level parking lot. Poe Companies is planning the 21c museum/hotel/condo concept at Cesar Chavez and Red River – which had been planned at 3rd and San Jacinto. Poe Companies controls the lot being considered for the Hyatt hotel, and the 1/2 block located across the street, known as the Whitely Paper building.
Google street view showing current state of the property (please wait for it to load)
-Jude
Downtown Austin Open Houses
(Looking for this week’s open houses? You’ll find them here.)
The great thing about downtown Austin open houses is that you can generally walk from building to building. Take a stroll downtown now that summer is over and the temperature is cooler.
Today is the Downtown Living Tour, which means on this weekend’s calendar you’ll find the Austin City Lofts, 360 Condos, and the opportunity to tour the inside of several other buildings. I will be working registration for the DLT at Gables Park Plaza. Hope to see you there!
Sunday
1) 800 W. 5th Street #908, 2bd, 2ba, $995,000, 1-4pm [Tate Property]
2) 360 Nueces St #1616, 2bd, 2ba, $450,000, 2-4pm [Keller Williams]
3) 360 Nueces St #3801, 1bd, 1ba, $334,500, 1-3pm [Urbanspace]
http://actris.mlxchange.com/Pub/EmailView.asp?r=1076900420&s=AUS&t=AUS
4) Downtown Living Tour buildings, 12-5pm
Pros And Cons Of Living On The Top Floor
One of my favorite websites is Lifehacker.com. I was happy to find this article that highlights the potential downfalls of living on the top floor of a building. Though, depending on the desires of my clientele, quality of the building, and height of the building, I will advocate for the top floor. For instance, if they are sensitive to sound, I’ll point out that having nobody live above you means less risk of some girl in high heals, or a guy in boots with a penchant for pacing, to keep them up at all hours. On the other hand, the top floors will frequently cost more to cool. Especially if the attic space (if any) is poorly insulated.
Below is a quote from the story.
“Apartments are constructed at the cheapest costs possible and change hands often. I frequently pay more in utility bills than friends who have twice the space I do (and the temperature control doesn’t always guarantee comfort). Third floor units often offer vaulted ceilings, which are cool for aesthetic but bad for budgets.”
This statement is a generalization, but I’m comfortable agreeing with it when discussing older complexes and some new construction outside of downtown. High rise apartment buildings like the Monarch, Legacy, and Ashton, which are built from concrete and metal, are not immune to these issues, but they are much less prone to excessive noise and increased energy costs. In most downtown Austin buildings, energy costs are driven by which side of the building you face. If you face west, then you get the scorching hot evening sun. Interview residents in any building oriented north-south, on average those who live in units that face east will have lower energy bills than those living in units that face west.
Lifehacker: “Avoid The Top Floor To Save On Aparment Expenses
Related:
The Downtown Austin Blog studies Austin’s penthouse economics
-Jude
A New Mixed Use Project Near The Capitol?
Some people call it Uptown, others simply say “by the Capitol”. However you direct attention to the part of downtown Austin between the Original Austin Neighborhood and the Capitol complex, we can generally agree that this part of town needs some sizzle. The Statesman is reporting on a 12 story mixed-use project called “Capitol Terrace” at 14th and Lavaca.
Some people are comparing this design to department stores built in the early 1900s.
Below is a photo of the site as it exists today.
