Downtown Austin Blog

downtown Austin's real estate and neighborhood blog

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Bicycle Boulevard Progress

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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.

Hank’s: From Garage to Entrepreneur’s Dream

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Downtown Austin office workers, visitors, and residents have a new choice when it comes to grabbing a bite and a beer: Hank’s Garage.

Formerly Sister’s Edge II, a lesbian bar, and before that “The Cockpit,” an aptly-named gay bar, Hank’s instead caters to all people of all sexual orientations with a strong thirst for Belgian beer.

They have a whopping 32 beers on tap, such as Duchesse de Bourgogne, which will give Gingerman loyalists a run for their money, and some premium entrees.

Hank’s also offer something to the brunch crowd with a plate of two eggs — served your way — with potatoes and toast for an Abraham or an omelet for a couple extra Georgies.

The guy behind this, Jeffrey Kuhn, spent about three decades in the service industry, dabbling in finance and real estate as well.

Kuhn represents what is great about Austin and downtown. He’s bootstrapped this whole thing himself and spent about a year gutting Sister’s Edge by himself, in the process unearthing  remnants of when the building used to be a legit garage run by a mechanic named “Hank” almost 75 years ago.

Located at 115 San Jacinto (half block north of the Four Seasons), the renovation really dresses up the outside of the building, too. After you stop by, check out these photos of how the place looked as the Cockpit and Sister’s Edge. ¡Ay, caramba!

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Coworking Space in Downtown Austin – CoCreate

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Coworking is not a new concept in Austin.  Several quirky and cool spots exist in the city – and now there is a sexy new one located on 8th and Congress (convenient!).

CoCreate is a coworking venture designed with the oft-isolated creative freelancer in mind.  It’s in a modern, hip art gallery (Austin Details | Art + Photo) in a central, walkable location.  The idea is that going to a beautiful work-space and networking / collaborating with other creative professionals will [Read more…] about Coworking Space in Downtown Austin – CoCreate

The Well-Mannered Downtown Austin Blog (the dog!)

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We have a dog.  His name is Blog, incidentally, and he is a very sweet shih tzu that we have had since he was 2 months old (he is now 7 months old).  As I said, he is very sweet, but he is NOT always very well behaved.

Dog behavior is a quality of life issue for human owners all on its own, but it’s compounded when you live in smaller quarters without a yard where you can just let your pup play and be out of your hair.  A well-mannered, trained dog is simply a [Read more…] about The Well-Mannered Downtown Austin Blog (the dog!)

A Tale Of Two Hotels

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Anyone listening in at City Hall might have heard city staff remind city council not to call the new hotel hotels being pitched downtown a “convention hotel.”

If you are wondering why, check out this story I wrote while at the Austin Business Journal in December.  It is curious why this point has been overlooked or ignored by other media outlets.

To plagiarize, well, myself: “The city barred itself nine years ago from designating any other hotel as one of the city’s ‘convention center hotels’ when it agreed to a contract that called for issuing more than $250 million in bonds to build the downtown Austin Hilton, according to public records filed with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, or MSRP. The city reaffirmed that pledge when it refinanced the bonds in 2006.”

The second hotel developers are quick to point out they are not asking for subsidies, like the Marriott project planned on 2nd Street and Congress Avenue is.

But they can’t, according to the contract.

Interestingly, the Statesman reported on June 23 that the second hotel, planned by Austin developers Perry Lorenz and Robert Knight, could be a Hilton.

But according to the same contract I sourced above, the Hilton can’t build another hotel unless they cut through some red tape.

Just goes to show, I guess, a contract with the city is only as good as the litigators you want to enforce it.

And Then There Were Two

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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

grand hotel on waller creek

Downtown Austin Link Roundup

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The news didn’t stop to take a breath this week, at least as it relates to downtown Austin.  Lots of announcements, lots of speculation.  These are the stories we’re following.

1) 219 West is moving from Warehouse district to West 6th Street, into the old Union Park space.  (link)

2) In “how will they fit it in there?” news: a proposed tower between Shoal Creek and Spring Condos, behind Tiniest Bar In Texas. (link)  UPDATE: Zoning change approved (link)

3) The White Lodging Hotel on Congress Ave isn’t the only proposed hotel.  In fact, there’s another player looking at the lot next to the Palm School, and they are not seeking any fee waivers.  (link)

4) Austin City Council delays vote on the White Lodging (“Mega Hotel”) fee waivers. (link)

5) Permanent supportive housing should not be placed near other social services (link)

6) Gables Republic Park says they won’t build soon, or at least until Travis County gets a clear vision on its new downtown courthouse site.  (link)

Mega Hotel Subsidy Draws Fire From Austin Council

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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.

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Photos From ROT Rally 2011

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For one weekend in June, thousands upon thousands of men and woman from around America loudly announce they are not normal and converge upon Austin for the ROT (Republic of Texas) Rally.

The roar of their machines remind us that this is a different breed of people.  Thank you ROT Rally for coming back to Austin year after year and helping keep Austin weird and loud, if only for one extended weekend.

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