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Concrete Jungle

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Creating Gardens Out of Concrete
Creating Gardens Out of Concrete

To the chagrin of environmentalists and taxing authorities alike, Austin has many concrete lots. Lots that used to have a structure on it but are now vacant. Like parking lots, vacant lots that have the appearance of being abandoned are one of the more invasive forms of urban blight. In San Francisco, CMG Landscape Architects have been found a nifty way to improve the visual landscape and help remove thermal hotspots. Inspired by the vegetation that begins to grow in the cracks and along the fringes of concrete, the “Crack Garden” (they really could have picked a better name) harnesses plant growth in harsh urban environments.

There is a lot on the corner of E 5th and San Jacinto, bound by chain link fence, that is the result of a fire years ago.  The owner doesn’t even use it for parking.  The owner should consider the social benefits of allowing a group to come in and manage a project like this until he is ready to develop the lot. The City of Austin should encourage and property owners should embrace grassroots and affordable improvements to the urban landscape. I imagine we would have plenty of volunteers ready to lend a hand.

-Jude

Crack Garden via Neatorama

Congress Ave: Three New Restaurants

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[youtube = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgnP2hOHGr8]

It’s good to see some activity on Congress.   We spend our time worrying about the Warehouse district, while we have boarded up historical buildings on Congress Ave that need good owners and tenants.

The ABJ is reporting on an Italian restaurant, Quatrro Gatti, moving into 908 Congress Ave by the end of summer. Down the block El Chile is open at 918 Congress. At 319 Congress a bistro-themed eatery called Annies will soon open.

The Downtown Austin Alliance’s is “… a 24/7 Congress alive with commerce and serving as a model for the rest of downtown.” Progress has been slow, but these three restaurants are great step forward to attracting investment dollars to Congress.

Historic Downtown Austin Property SOLD!

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107 W 6th Street, 78701
107 W 6th Street, 78701

Back in December, DAB reported on this mid-century modern Texas Comptroller building for sale.  According to the Statesman, Kemp Properties has purchased the 75,000 ft building and plans to preserve the building’s character.  25,000 feet will be occupied by local advertising firm McGarrah/Jessee.  This is great news!  Officially named the “Starr Building” the property was marketed without a price.

Part of the space will become retail.  Downtown Austin doesn’t need more bars or boutiques, so hopefully they will be progressive in their decision.  Below is an image of what existed before the building we see today.  It used to be an H-E-B.  Let’s try Royal Blue Grocery!

-Jude

H-E-B at corner of 6th and Colorado
H-E-B at corner of 6th and Colorado

Carless and Hopeful: Public Transportation in Austin

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I sold my car a month ago.  I sold it for a variety of reasons,  not the least of which being that I feel pretty comfortable with public transportation. Even though I’ve had a car since I was 16 years old, I’m an Atlanta transplant, and Atlanta has a successful rail system and a pretty expansive bus system (called MARTA) that compliments the rail stops nicely – so many people who do have vehicles still use public transportation fairly regularly.  When I made the decision to go carless, I knew Austin’s public transportation system was not perfect, but I also know that the more people who use it, the more quickly and comprehensively the necessary growth will occur. Since the rail isn’t fully functional yet, I’ve been using only the Dillo and the buses (and my walkin’ shoes!).  My experience thus far can be summed up in two words: Walking and Waiting.

Walking (and the Dillo). I’m lucky. I live and work in downtown Austin, so for most of my day to day needs, such as groceries and drug store items, I’ll simply walk to the downtown Austin CVS on 6th and Congress or take the Dillo to Whole Foods on Lamar. Since I can do this once every couple of days, I don’t have to buy too much at one time and my purchases aren’t too much to carry. I’m very lucky that I a) don’t have to buy for a large family, b) live and work in downtown Austin and I have some options that are fairly convenient to me.  Lots of people outside of the urban Austin core do not have the Dillo and often do not have many (if any) neighborhood services close by. Walking is great for me, but only because I can schedule my errands to where I don’t have to be in too much of a time crunch and to where it’s acceptable if I get a little sweaty and less presentable.  For those who don’t have nearby living/working situations, and have to arrive at work in heels with the expectation of looking clean and fresh, and with the expectation of being on time….well, walking may not always be an attractive option.  That’s where our bus system should come in.

Waiting. I like the actual busses themselves. They are clean, air-conditioned, and many have wi-fi available.  The problems I’ve experienced come more from time considerations and the bus-stops.  Although I find the stop locations fairly acceptable in terms of getting to the places I need to go (at least in Central/East Austin), the unfortunate reality is that they only come around each stop about once an hour (Atlanta is on a 15-20 minute schedule. Although I realize Atlanta is a much larger city, I just have to point this out because it seems to make all the difference in the world).  And since the schedules aren’t exact with the actual bus arrivals, it’s very easy to miss your scheduled bus and be forced to wait an additional hour to ride.  And God help you if you have to transfer buses, because for every transfer, your travel time and your chances of missing your scheduled bus seem to multiply exponentionally. And while I recognize that the bus-stops need to be sleek and discreet in terms of their look and feel in order to blend in with their surroundings, I think EVERY bus stop should have at least one covered bench.  Standing in the heat of the day (or the rain or any other inclement weather) for an hour or MORE waiting for your bus is NO FUN and certainly would deter those who have other options at their disposable.

I can’t wait until the rail is up and running, because I know the public transportation options will increase dramatically, even with the comparatively limited route the rail will travel.  I don’t think rail is going to eliminate the need for a strong bus system in Austin, however, and the reality is that the only way we’re going to see improvement and progress is to increase ridership so that officials know that this really is an important issue for each and every demographic in the city. And public transit is important to everyone, at least that’s what everybody keeps saying. I hear a lot of urbanites talking the talk, but I don’t see many of them walking the walk (or riding the bus).

Buy a bus pass, ride the Dillo.

-AG

iBidCondo.com

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iBidCondo in action…

[youtube = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSLO3i2jmX4]

The first iBidCondo auction was held last night.  The result was a high bid for the right to purchase a condo originally priced at $690,000 at the Star Riverside – located on I35 and Riverside Dr and planned to be complete in 18 months – for $87,000.

Watching the video above, the process is just too anonymous for me to get comfortable with.  At the recent Brazos Place auction there were hundreds of real people in attendance. You had an existing building.  You could see the person that won each auction. The market clearing price for Brazos Place’s 19 downtown Austin condos was $282 per foot. The auction company was not affiliated with the developer.

From the iBidCondo FAQ:

“A selection of the properties listed on iBidcondo are being developed by Constellation Property Group. Constellation Property Group is an affiliate of iBidcondo.”

Constellation Property Group is the developer of Star Riverside condos. Constellation Property Group is also listed as the registrant contact for the domain iBidCondo.com. It appears CPG is more than just an affiliate.

Was this a real auction? Or, was this was a cunning loss-leader for Constellation Property Group?

I suspect there will be a couple of people that will “win” these “auctions” and have the right to close on the units for highest bid once the building is complete. In my opinion, the risk of Constellation not completing construction is real and iBidCondo only serves to further that concern. Constellation wouldn’t sell every unit like this and still expect a return on investment of construction dollars.

Hmmm…

Paul D’arcy has an interesting write up at Austin Towers and DAB will continue with updates as I learn more.

-Jude

South Austinite On Downtown

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Proving once and for all that it’s OK (really) to live in South Austin and embrace downtown Austin urbanism… Michael Barnes, the Statesman’s social columnist, relays some quick math on the downtown Austin great streets program.

“Imagine all the shade trees, smooth, wide walkways and space for sidewalk businesses, especially cafes”

Link to Statesman

Thanks to DANA’s Greg Anderson for the heads up!

Sprawling From Grace; Driven To Madness

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I discovered this documentary, Sprawlling From Grace; Driven To Madness, about the adverse effects of sprawl.  Have any Downtown Austin Blog readers seen this?  The blog has great photos of old Texas towns.

In Austin, sprawl has encroached on the Backyard, Hamilton Pool, and just about every green belt in the form of horizontal development and black-top parking lots.  Simultaneously, Austin has seen the benefits of urbanism.  The most salient display of this trend is the surge in density in downtown Austin over the past 10 years.   In an ideal world urbanism would provide attainable housing, replace automobile reliance with mass-transit, and reduce the development impact on our hill country.

Austin is finding its way and the discussion is passionate.  Our city has vocal advocates for protecting views of the Lady Bird Lake and the Capitol building.  A worthy endeavor indeed, but does this result in bolstering already expensive land values in the urban core neighborhoods and thereby inhibiting the development of more attainable housing?  How should the city prioritize its goals?

From the website:

“Wrestling with these emerging realities, state and city governments are finding that they can no longer encourage these patterns of growth by further investing in highway and utility infrastructures. They are now forced to find viable alternatives by investing in public transit in the form of BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), commuter rail, and light rail to serve their community’s transportation needs. Through this process they are gaining an historical understanding of the relationship between land use and transportation.”

Green couch. Massage and Phone included.

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$150

Hmmm….. there is a phone in this couch.  Dual massage zones.  It’s in Pflugerville.  It demands our attention.  I’ve been meaning to start a best of craigslist column.  I think it’s just begun.

“I have a great couch its dark green had built in massagers in both sides and in the middle console there is a working phone just plug it in and ready to use the massage controls are in the center with the phone and the massages are heated so it awsome great deal for 150”

If someone in downtown Austin buys this, please invite us to come sit on it.