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[Part two] City of Austin v. Harry Whittington: the saga of a parking garage

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by jude galligan

Who has legal claim to the Convention Cener parking garage? The City of Austin or Harry Whittington?
Who has legal claim to the Convention Center parking garage? The City of Austin or Harry Whittington?

Part one begins here.

In 2003 Harry Whittington begins to win.  But, the City is proving to be just as stubborn with their appeals – just as Whittington had been between 2000-2003.

Whittington has postured himself along the following legal issues
1)    originally, the condemnation was incorrectly  processed
2)    on the second condemnation attempt, the City did not properly condemn the alley
3)    the City hasn’t demonstrated the condemnation was done out of necessity for a public purpose
4)    the City already has parking on 2nd & Trinity and the new parking lot and (later) chiller system are intended to benefit private sector, beginning with the new Hilton hotel, and specifically future developers

Chronology of events from 2003 to 2007 begins after the jump.

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City of Austin v. Harry Whittington: the saga of a parking garage

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17k square feet of retail held hostage by the court

17,000 square feet of empty retail space rests at the base of the Convention Center’s parking garage. This retail space has the potential to add vibrancy and day time services to the Entertainment District.  This is the only retail space within a few hundred feet of the 555, the Sabine on 5th, the Hilton, the Hilton Garden Inn, and the Convention Center.   So, why hasn’t this space been filled?

After the jump:  Part 1 of the chronology of City of Austin v. Harry Whittington
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Downtown Austin is getting [Walton's] Fancy

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by jude galligan

While West 6th would become restaurant row, the building located at 609 w 6th, 78701 has been siting idle for the past few years.  Recently, activity has been buzzing.

wine and beer only
wine and beer only

We’ve seen a construction crew slowly converting this old building into something new.  I’ve heard that the building is owned by Sandra Bullock.  This would make sense considering her successful Bess restaurant is just down the street.  Traviscad lists the property is owned by “PIETANZO VITO TRUSTEE OF THE B” and has it appraised at $624,082.  What’s more interesting to me is what will be opening.

It appears that Downtown Austin is getting a new Walton’s Fancy & Staple.  According to their website…

“Walton’s downtown will include a traditional delicatessen & bakery (for folks on the go), & sidewalk café seating. Our Grand Opening is scheduled for late 2008. We look forward to fulfilling your fanciest floral, gift-giving & event design wishes!”


Waltons Fancy & Staple
Walton's Fancy & Staple

According to Google this is the former home of Crime & Space books, KSA Communications, and Texas Terminator pest control.

609 w 6th
609 w 6th

by Jude Galligan

Historic Downtown Austin property for sale

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by jude galligan

downtown austin 107 w 6th 78701
107 W 6th St Austin, TX 78701

To the chagrin of everyone who lives, works, and drives through Downtown Austin, the former office of the Texas Comptroller has owned, occupied, vacated, and allowed to rot, this remarkable piece of real estate.  I can’t imagine how many thousands of people have attempted to peer through the windows that were covered from the inside with thick construction paper.  From the outside, the building always had a cool mid-century modern design.  Located at the corner of 6th and Colorado, and not burdened with a Capitol View Corridor, I expect this building to get the attention of some big developers.  The listing gives it an address of 107 w 6th, 78701.  Traviscad has no address for it other than “W 6th”.

H E B at corner of 6th and Colorado

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Downtown Austin Condos: Build or bust? Fact or editorial disguised as fact?

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by jude galligan

does the statesman use dirty headline tactics?
"At last?"

The Austin American Statesman is one of two local papers (the other being the Chronicle) that reach Austin’s masses. These newspapers set the agenda and guide the discussion on topics of their choosing. The words printed on the pages of the Statesman, Austin’s most widely read newspaper, have the power to affect the home values and lives of thousands of Austinites. With that power comes responsibility.

Wednesday morning I picked up a Statesman at Jos Coffee and in big bold black letters “Condos caught by crisis at last”, “Breakneck rate on sales of units, construction slows as credit and capital dry up”.

Curiously, neither of those dramatic headlines exist in the online version of the article. In the print edition, immediately to the left, in much smaller font, was the news – the government is injecting $800MM to expand the credit markets.

Shonda Novak is a staff writer at the Statesman and wrote the above article. Shonda has been reporting on Austin real estate for years. If Shonda writes that the sky is falling on Austin real estate, then 100k+ Austin readers look at their spouse and say “Hon, did you see that article in today’s paper about Downtown condos? I’m telling you, Babe, those developers will never sell all those condos! Just wait and they’ll be selling them at twenty cents on the dollar!”

I read and re-read the article. Seeing the print edition headline, I expected catastrophe. Instead, I found nothing at all particularly newsworthy.

Is it possible that the Statesman’s headline was overly sensational?

Taking a similar approach to how I dissected this article, after the jump, I’ve cut/pasted a handful of quotes from the article, and then I explain if that quote is, generally speaking, true, false, or if the quotes are generalizations or simply editorial in nature.

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Downtown Austin By The Numbers: How many hotel rooms?

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by jude galligan

Driskill Hotel Lobby
Driskill Hotel Lobby

If you’ve ever had family visit on a weekend when there was a UT home game, then you’ve likely seen downtown Austin hotel rates jump to over $400 per night.  Central Austin is notorious for having insufficient hotel space.  I’ve taken a non-scientific, yet hopefully rigorous approach – I called every hotel in downtown Austin and simply asked “How many hotel rooms do you have?”

The answer is after the jump!

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Downtown Austin's Entertainment District: Observations part 3 of 3

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Downtown Austin Entertainment District Still Has Room For Improvement – Part 1 of 3
Night time observations on the Entertainment District: Part 2 of 3

The effort to revitalize the Entertainment District is about recognizing problems and offering solutions.  It is about a higher and better use of Austin’s historic landmarks.  It’s about preventing decay.  It’s about offering an array of services to the people who use the Entertainment District everyday.  Adding more day time services is not a slippery slope to J Crews and Baby Gaps!  This is about making the Entertainment District safe for everyone.  This is about visitors leaving Austin with a more positive experience.

Flickr slideshow of day time photos

one of Austins historic landmarked buildings with a plywood sign (???)
one of Austin's landmarked buildings adorned with a plywood sign (???)

Day time tour
Saturday, November 22nd (11am-1pm)

  1. Where is everybody?
  2. Narrow sidewalks, empty parking
  3. “No, I don’t have a cigarette you can bum”
  4. “No, I’m not giving you change”
  5. A sandwich on the sidewalk
  6. Broken glass
  7. An empty Austin Visitors Bureau with a broken neon sign
  8. Landmarked buildings that look abused and neglected
  9. “Couldn’t they at least paint those doors?”
  10. Landmark plaques next to broken windows
  11. An ATM that someone had tried to rob
  12. Jail-style bars on doors and windows
  13. Awnings torn, tattered, and covered in dirt
  14. Too much chain link fence
  15. ATMs are everywhere
  16. A pay phone booth without a pay phone
  17. Waller Creek is shamefully littered
  18. There is 17,000 square feet of unused retail space at 5th & Sabine.

Towards the end of Saturday’s day time tour, Marshall Jones (President of DANA) and I were standing on the northeast corner of 6th and Brazos sharing observations.  We see a guy across the street.  He’s wearing a Hawaiian shirt, picking up litter on the street, and putting it in the trash.  Turns out this was John Erwin, owner of B.D. Rileys Pub.  John had no idea that Marshall and I were watching him do this.  We caught up with him and chatted for a few minutes.  What I like about John, and people like John, is that he is proactive and doing right by our community.  Kudos, John!