downtown Austin's real estate and neighborhood blog
News broke Friday that the shelved White Lodging Services Corp. plans for a 1,000-plus hotel at 2nd Street and Congress Avenue are back on the stove.
The news seems to echo what Assistant City Manager Robert Goode told council at a recent hearing: “We are a big city, get over it.”
[Read more…] about New Mega Hotel Planned, City Waiving $3.8M In Fees
Be Yoga just opened in the Rainey Street District!
Located in the Windsor (née Legacy on the Lake), Be Yoga is a no-frills studio, about 1,000 square feet, just a stone’s throw from the lake and across from the Milago condos.
Perhaps more intriguing than it’s location is the fact that it’s a [Read more…] about Pay By Donation Yoga in Rainey Street
Second Bar + Kitchen is aptly named for it’s Congress Ave @ Second Street location. But don’t think for a second that the food isn’t first-rate (wakka wakka!).
On a whim, I ventured over to Second a couple of Sundays ago (after a morning coffee at the Austonian’s Caffe Medici) and was pleasantly surprised by the food and the atmosphere of the restaurant. I was seated on the second story, which was a small, covered balcony with simple tables and faux grass carpeting: [Read more…] about Second Bar + Kitchen in Downtown Austin
Looks like an upzoning request for a half-block of W 7th Street wedged between West 6th Street and Original Austin was semi-successful.
701 and 711 W 7th Street in downtown Austin were seeking an upzoning to CBD. 701 W 7th is zoned “GR – general retail” and 711 W 7th is zoned “GO – general office”. Both zoning definitions cap building height at 60 feet. [Read more…] about Upzoning Sought And Supported On W 7th Street
NEWS FLASH: According to a source at City Hall, the Austin Transportation Department is slated to give a big presentation June 14 that will be “a substantial briefing” on urban rail and begins to start answering Uncle Lee’s 30 crucial questions and “then some.”
The mayor has pushed a 2012 bond election funding a first leg for a new mode of mass transit in Austin.
The Statesman reported that glass panels fell from the W Hotel residences on Friday.
We were at La Condesa when she heard the crash, and snapped this pic that shows where the culprit glass panes fell from. Crazy!
For the first time since the bubble burst, the average price per square foot of a downtown Austin condo has increased four months in a row. Last month, downtown Austin closed 62 condos* with 29 more pending!
In May, we counted 41 closings of new-construction condos from the Four Seasons Residences, W Hotel, Austonian, Spring Condos, and Barton Place. The W takes the cake with 15 closings in May.
On the other hand, the number of resales comes in at 21 units closed – a strong showing – averaging a price of $334 per square foot. We also count 29 resales pending as of May 31st! So, we can expect next month’s closing count to be similarly strong.
[Read more…] about Downtown Austin Condo Sales Remain Strong In May
The 2nd Street shopping district is likely to get a jolt from patrons still paying off college loans with a new Urban Outfitters clothing store.
As evident by the colorful graffiti, the faux-thrift store (call it ironic?) retailer has plans to move into the ground floor of The W Austin Hotel, which opened in December 2010.
I shop exclusively at Kohl’s, but allegedly Urban Outfitters’ new spot is a big deal because their only other Austin location is not so far away on Guadalupe Street, up near the University of Texas main campus. Perhaps they are targeting the PBS Austin City Limits crowd from shows taped there?
Jokes aside, this is a vindication that downtown Austin is becoming a destination and not in the way of “urban pioneers” loading up on Gatorade and PB&J to venture out of suburbia, like they do in Ohio.
For a number of reasons, Urban Outfitters joins the ranks of business interests investing in downtown Austin.
Cole Broadhead, a principal at Retail Solutions, said the folks at Urban Outfitters “do their homework.”
“Those deals take a long time,” he said. “They do a ton of research.”
This weekend at Duncan Park you can catch up with and meet other downtown Austin families.
When: Sunday June 5th from 10am-noon
Where: Duncan Park (9th Street btw Lamar and West)
What: Bring a blanket or chairs, toys, and some snacks.
Some friends of DAB are spearheading this event tonight – it looks to be a cool event sponsoring a good cause!
Venue 222
222 East 6th Street
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 477-2237
