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Downtown Austin Blog, or “DAB”, is produced by Jude Galligan and a growing community of contributors. DAB focuses on life and real estate in downtown and Austin’s urban core. Jude and authors of the Downtown Austin Blog have been interviewed or featured by KVUE, KXAN, Fox News (KTBC), Austin American Statesman, Bloomberg News, Austin Chronicle, Austin Community Impact, Inman News, KUT news, Burnt Orange Report, Financial Times, Austin Business Journal, and others.

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The Bridge Connection: Adding Grid To Downtown Without Roads

Caleb Pritchard | December 17, 2015 |

Take a look at the original layout of Austin — what we now call Downtown Austin, the grand cultural and economic gemstone in the greater Violet Crown — and you will see a street grid that is so thoroughly connected that it makes Frank Sinatra look like a friendless schlub from District 6.

But the intervening century-and-a-half has not been so kind to our great municipal waffle iron. Look at it now and witness so many strange ruptures that break apart once-fully connected streets.

Some fissures can be blamed on nature. Take the strange case of San Antonio Street at W. 7th, for example, an odd diversion necessitated by a fairly steep cliff.

Other fissures are entirely man’s fault — although you’re entirely excused for believing that the hulking Austin Convention Center and its permanent (and possibly growing!) dominion over Neches, W. 2nd, and W. 3rd streets is actually an act of divine terror.

Finally, there are fissures whose blame is shared by both nature and man. While nothing short of a zip-line* could patch San Antonio Street back together and, indeed, only divine terror could address the Convention Center, there are extremely exciting developments happening to stitch back together one of the most unfortunate examples of this third category, and on Thursday we saw one of the more satisfying fruits of those efforts.

shoal creek bridge — **Shoal Creek Pedestrian Bridge** at W4th & Rio Grande

Behold! A newly-set pedestrian bridge spanning Shoal Creek at the convergence of W. 4th and Rio Grande streets. After it arrived by truck from Alabama on Wednesday afternoon, Austin Public Works crews spent all day Thursday setting into place the $675,000 glorified gangplank (which shouldn’t be confused with the nearby Butterfly Bridge that will soon reconnect W. 2nd Street across the creek).

The bridge is a key part of the Shoal Creek Greenbelt Trail Improvements Project, an ongoing $4.5 million effort to rehab a truly rad pedestrian and bike trail that runs *almost* the full of length of Downtown. Once the project is completed in October 2016, the missing parts of the trail south of W. 5th Street will be in place and you’ll be able to walk, jog, or cycle from Pease Park all the way to the Hike and Bike Trail on Lady Bird Lake without having to tangle with car traffic.

On the street level, though, the new pedestrian bridge gives pedestrians and cyclists a new option to cross the creek in area that has seen and is continuing to see some of the most exciting development in town. Opposite of W. 4th and Rio Grande, will rise Austin’s tallest skyscraper, The Independent. Adjacent to that residential tower is the 360 Condominiums, the Green Water redevelopment site, the new Downtown Central Library, and Seaholm — a dense blend of residential, commercial, and cultural destinations.

Naturally, the new pedestrian bridge won’t be shouldering the load all by itself. Helping out is the existing pedestrian bridge over Shoal Creek on W. 3rd Street as well as that aforementioned Butterfly Bridge that will carry cars, pedestrians and cyclists).

Along with the newly created Walter Seaholm Drive and the eventual reconnection of West Avenue to W. Cesar Chavez, one key section of the Downtown grid is slowly reemerging from a badly needed cosmetic update that, as this section of town always does, badly puts the rest of Austin to shame.

-Caleb

(*Zip-line supporters can find the contact information for District 9 Council Member Kathie Tovo’s office here.)

What’s the haps at the Green Water?

Jude Galligan | October 29, 2015 |

Adding new street grid, a mix of uses, and an attractive new “butterfly” bridge over Shoal Creek, downtown Austin’s Green Water Treatment Plant (GWTP) redevelopment is one of the most significant projects underway.

There are several pieces to the GWTP puzzle, and even us inveterate downtowners will benefit from a refresher. The site is visibly made more complex with concurrent redevelopment of Seaholm and the new Austin Central Library to the west, and Third+Shoal to the north.

The Green Water Treatment Plant four-block redevelopment, for many years, was a concept of “what could one day be” and for years was not.

GWTP in 2009. POV looking south. Photo by AustinTexasDailyPhoto — GWTP in 2009. POV from 360 condos pool deck, looking south. Photo by AustinTexasDailyPhoto

Built in 1925 and decommissioned in 2008, the Green Water Treatment Plant was Austin’s first water treatment facility. In 2008 the City of Austin sought developers for public-private partnership to redevelop the site, as part of broader 2nd Street District, and selected Trammel Crow because they proposed the most dense and ambitious plan for the site.

Some environmental issues stalled the redevelopment for a while, but now remarkably there are three distinct projects underway, plus one more wildcard to-be-determined.

The four blocks of GWTP redevelopment. Cesar Chavez @ San Antonio

Northshore (Block 1)

block1-trammell-crow — rendering of Northshore apartments

Construction on the first phase of redevelopment is the Northshore, a three-tiered mixed-use tower that bills itself as “the ultimate luxury living experience” with approximately 440 luxury apartments, along with 50 affordable units and more than 40,000 square feet of office and retail space. Construction is wrapping up, and the project is expected to open soon.

http://www.northshoreaustin.com

500 W. 2nd Street (Block 23)

One block up from Northshore is the the 500 W. 2nd Street office tower. Construction started December of 2014 on this 29-story, 500,000 square foot office tower that will have two ground-level restaurants. The lobby of 500 W. 2nd Street promises to be a striking experience from both the inside and out, by way of 26-foot tall frameless glass wall. Google made headlines by becoming the first tenant to sign on at the project and will occupy almost half the building by its completion in 2017.

http://500west2nd.com

Austin Proper Hotel & Residences (Block 188)

This 32-story Austin Proper hotel and condo tower (now taking reservations) is the most recent to make the news, having just been announced this summer. The project will include 243 hotel rooms, plus another 94 condo units ranging in size from 850 square feet to 6,000-square-feet penthouses. Construction is scheduled to start in November.

Home

To-Be-Determined (Block 185)

The last phase of Green Water is still up in the air, and please tip your editor if you know. Trammell Crow is being tight lipped. The master plan calls for another residential tower, hosting 295 units, and a little more retail. It’s unknown if the residential units will go up for sale, or for rent, but I’m hopeful that the market will support a condo development.

Honorable mention: Third + Shoal

It’s worth noting that the four-block development butts up to one other major development to the north, which is not part of the Green Water redevelopment: Third+Shoal (slideshare), at 208 Nueces. Construction of the 349,000-square-foot, 28-story office building is scheduled to be completed in early 2017, following the demolition of the underwhelming Austin Music Hall.

-Jude

First Look: The Bowie Apartments in Downtown Austin

AG | October 29, 2014 |

The heavy lifting at The Bowie Apartments is nearing completion, and we were able to get a sneak peak tour to look at some of the units.

Previously named 3Eleven, a reference to the street address of 311 Bowie, The Bowie Apartments are attempting to raise the bar beyond the previous luxury apartment towers, The Ashton and The Whitley.

What we saw was an exceptional building, with pricing to match: studios starting at around $1550/mo, 1 Beds around $2k/mo. Two bedrooms begin around $3300, and large three bedrooms plans begin at [gulp] $9100 per month.

upgraded doors

keyless entry

wine racks standard

The Bowie offers 34 different floor plans. Whole Foods Corporate will have offices on their 8th and 9th floors (which, we are told will have a separate entrance).The Bowie’s interior features & amenities include:

Floor to ceiling windows,
hardwood floors
solar window shades
Gas Ranges (we don’t know of a downtown competing class apartment with this offering)
Full-size, front-load Washers and Dryers
2 outdoor common area decks (w/fire pits, grilling areas, etc)
Rooftop Pool
Catering Kitchen / Clubroom / Conference Room
Concierge Service
Bicycle Storage

The Bowie Apartments will have a heated swimming pool atop their 37th floor, boasting the “the highest pool in Texas!” We can’t confirm this, but it seems plausible.

What’s really going to set this apartment high-rise apart from others is its prime location: across the street from Whole Foods. At least until Seaholm is completed, to truly have walkable lifestyle in downtown, there will be a premium for close proximity to Whole Foods.

Competition-wise, The Bowie is likely to go head-to-head with the Ashton, Whitley, the neighboring Monarch, and individual for-lease units at the Spring Condos. Price wise The Bowie will also be competing with condos for rent at the Four Seasons and W Hotel.

The ground floor of the building will host a restaurant. We are told that there are several inquiries into the space, but no contracts have been signed to occupy the space.

Move ins begin December 15. If you’re looking to get some info on how The Bowie stacks up to other downtown rentals – just contact us and we can walk you through the details.

-A

Fifth & West Residences: The Next Austin Condo Tower

Jude Galligan | October 14, 2014 |

The Statesman confirmed today what many of us have been expecting, the former offices of the Texas Press Association located at the corner of Fifth Street @ West Avenue, will be razed and construction to commence on a 39 story condominium.

Known officially as Fifth & West Residences, it is the first condo project in downtown Austin to reveal official plans to begin accepting reservations since Seaholm. Seaholm Condos is notable as it was announced almost exactly one year ago, and was fully reserved within just a few days of that announcement.

We first learned about Fifth & West earlier this year when the project came before the Downtown Commission, and we observed just how compact a footprint the building will have. So, maximizing FAR was crucial to developing the site. One of the more notable pieces the developer offered for density bonuses was subsidized Car2Go, B-Cycle, and Shoal Creek Conservancy memberships for each residence. It is to be determined if those commitments carried through the entitlement process.

Interior dog park

residence interior

building entrance

view from east

view from north

[Interior renderings by Michael Hsu Office of Architecture]

Tall and slender (think Spring Condos) because of the property’s small foot print, combined with the the impact of the Capitol View Corridor, the building’s architecture will be a unique triangular tower, with the longest plane facing southeast. The surrounding businesses, notably Austin Urban Vet, Kung-Fu Saloon, Jerry Kunz design, and Molotov, will remain untouched by the vertical development.

Below is a summary of what we know about Fifth & West Residences:

Project name = Fifth + West Residences
Address = 501 West Avenue, Austin, TX 78701
Project type = condominium
Number of residences = ~154
Target pricing = ~$740 per foot, on average
Building height = 448ft
Unit sizes = average of 1,624 sf (1, 2, 3 bedroom plans)
Developer = Riverside Resources
FAR = ~20:1
Architect = GDA Architects (Interior Michael Hsu)
Anticipated delivery = Autumn of 2017

It’s interesting to see how a large Capitol View Corridor impacts vertical development, forcing architects and developers to finesse the building envelope.

Pre-sales process will be announced soon. Until then, if you’re interested in making a reservation, contact us for more details!

-Jude