Over at SkyscraperPage, an outstanding new thread is forming to share old postcards of Austin. Check it out!
-Jude
Austin Historic Postcards
Search Results for: car share
Car2go spotted in downtown Austin
Yesterday, leaving the office on W 5th, I noticed a car2go branded smart car out front of Austin City Lofts. Maybe Mayor Will Wynn was getting a test drive? Earlier this year the Statesman reported the car share initiative would work like this:
“The city will set aside urban-core parking spaces for 200 of Daimler’s “Smart” cars. Rather than paying for the spaces, Daimler will let city employees use the cars for a number of hours that’s equal to the monetary value of the spaces. (That amount hasn’t been determined yet; it will be negotiated over the next few weeks, city officials said.)…The program will start in October and run for six months. Daimler will pay for fuel, maintenance and insurance during that time, said the city’s transportation director, Robert Spillar.”
I’d like to point out that Austin’s first viable car share program, Austin Car Share, was developed assisted by city council candidate elect (!) Chris Riley.
-Jude
[Thanks to Mark for the clarification: Chris Riley was an active board member of Austin Car Share]
Photos From Downtown Austin Bike Tour
This past Saturday morning about 30 people met at Royal Blue Grocery for a casual ride of downtown Austin. We were able to showcase a a selection of residential condos that would give attendees a broad picture of what types of properties exist – Milago in the Rainey Street District sits on the hike and bike trail, Brazos Lofts is the best example of a genuine loft space, 904 West highlights the tree-canopy rich northwest district of downtown Austin.
Despite the incredible humidity, everyone had a great time, and the pace was just right. Nobody got left behind, nor got too far ahead. Thanks to the Elliot and his crew at Austin On Two Wheels for organizing the ride. Thanks to Bryan Cady, Roland Galang, Anna Anami, and Noa Levy for providing the real estate to preview. Thanks to Greg Anderson for being on photo duty. Last, but not least, thanks to the local sponsors of the ride…
Royal Blue Grocery
Austin Java
Froots
Austin Car Share
[flickr-gallery mode=”photoset” photoset=”72157624233249000″]
Does Austin Need A Market For Air Rights?
I’m not talking fresh air. I’m talking about the municipal zoning God given right to build to the heavens.
The recent plan for 3rd & Colorado – a residential tower that I’m excited to see more of, if not disappointed that it isn’t taller – reminded me of a policy discussion that lost steam a few years back focused on preservation of the Warehouse District. Back in 2009 influencers with a preservationist slant vocalized concern that the charm of the Warehouse District would eventually lead to its demise unless measures were taken to limit height and density in the district.
Back then, one of the recommended approaches to preservation was facilitating the Transference of Development Rights (TDR), aka. “air rights.” That seemed like a smart way to handle preservation of low-rise historic-ish buildings sitting on highly desired CBD building sites. Creating a market for air rights in Austin would, in theory, enable property owners to capture the value of their dirt, without having to build on the site, thus able to preserve historic buildings.
The topic was dropped in 2011 when the Downtown Austin Plan (DAP) was formally adopted featuring a “density bonus” program. Recently, I’ve been participating in the DAA’s CodeNEXT task force, and we’re discussing policies that would encourage building tall on small CBD sites, notably sites that are mid-block. With CodeNext happening, this seems like a good time to rekindle the discussion.
Why would a builder want to buy air rights?
- additional density
- protect views
Why would a property owner want to sell air rights?
- property is too small, oddly shaped, or mid-block thus more difficult to develop
- capture value without having to redevelop
Why would a city want to permit air rights to be transferred?
- additional density
- encourage more development on smaller lots
- historic preservation
That last question is the one I can’t reconcile completely. The City of Austin uses the Density Bonus program to subsidize affordable housing.
Would an air rights market, in its simplest form, circumvent those fees-in-lieu [of building affordable housing] from being collected? [Read more…] about Does Austin Need A Market For Air Rights?
Where Is All The Micro Housing?
The casual suburban view of Downtown Austin real estate is likely limited to the newsworthy towers – hotels, offices, condos. The tall glassy stuff that has been radically reordering our skyline with a seasonal regularity. But there’s far more to downtown than just towers.
78701 is arguably Austin’s only truly self-sustaining urban ZIP code, and has a rainbow of housing options to please a variety of tastes. Yes, there are shiny condo towers, but take a closer look, especially in the northwest quadrant of downtown (aka. Original Austin), and you’ll find a rich mix of mid-rises, duplexes, garage apartments, townhomes, victorian homes, a Governor’s Mansion, and more.
One conspicuous absence, however, is that increasingly popular urban diadem known as the micro-unit development. [Read more…] about Where Is All The Micro Housing?