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Massive Violet Crown Amphitheater is gonna fuck Bee Cave all up

bolverk

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bolverk

bolverk 29628

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Developer aims to create 'legacy' music venue with massive 20,000-seat amphitheater in Southwest Austin
Developer: 'By God, I'm going to solidify' Austin's Live Music Capital of the World status

Developers hope to add a crown jewel to the Austin area's already bustling live music scene: a 20,000-seat amphitheater at the center of a 71-acre entertainment and residential project near Bee Cave.

International Development Management Co. aims to open the first pieces of the Violet Crown project in 2023, with the amphitheater targeted to open by Labor Day 2023. Plans also call for two luxury apartment towers, a distillery and tasting room, a Top Golf-style driving range and a parking garage. The site is northwest of State Highway 71 and Southwest Parkway.

"Austin has been given the moniker of the [Live] Music Capital of the World. By God, I'm going to solidify that with this project," said IDM President Craig Bryan, who noted the Violet Crown development should cost between $600 million and $750 million.

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Developers hope to add a crown jewel to the Austin area's already bustling live music scene: a 20,000-seat amphitheater at the center of a 71-acre entertainment and residential project near Bee Cave.

International Development Management Co. aims to open the first pieces of the Violet Crown project in 2023, with the amphitheater targeted to open by Labor Day 2023. Plans also call for two luxury apartment towers, a distillery and tasting room, a Top Golf-style driving range and a parking garage. The site is northwest of State Highway 71 and Southwest Parkway.

"Austin has been given the moniker of the [Live] Music Capital of the World. By God, I'm going to solidify that with this project," said IDM President Craig Bryan, who noted the Violet Crown development should cost between $600 million and $750 million.

The residential portion of the proposed development would feature 475 units spread across two towers standing 29 and 20 stories tall. Bryan said the apartments would be similar to The Quincy, a new apartment tower from Endeavor Real Estate Group in downtown Austin.

Amenities planned for the luxury towers include pools, internal structured parking, restaurants, shops, a night club, pool club and dancehall, according to the project website. The development team foresees tenants being able to rent out their places to concert-goers.

The other amenities in the site plan include the 96-bay driving range, which can be converted into a downward sloping stage with room for 3,000 people. Meanwhile, the distillery and tasting room could double as a small acoustic venue for up to 400 people. There would be parking on-site for one-third of all visitors, not including those living or staying on site.

Bryan said the development team aims to start vertical construction early next year. He said the driving range is expected to open by spring 2023, with the distillery and tasting room following in summer 2023 and the apartment towers in 2024.

Spoiler

Bleyl Engineering, a civil engineering firm with an Austin office, submitted construction permits for the project to Travis County in August, public records show. As of Oct. 15 they were still listed as pending.

Bryan called the project a "life-altering, immersive experience of music and entertainment and a driving range and a tasting room and all of that rolled into one within 15 minutes of downtown."

The Violet Crown project is located in unincorporated Travis County. But Bryan said the development team will still adhere to Austin's noise ordinances and are committing to social stances and environmental regulations. He said that the site is going to be built with natural limestone, have a low-carbon footprint with the banning of single-use plastics, and place trees on the apartment towers to be more environmentally conscious. They're also reserving portions of ticket sales for an endowment fund that benefits the media, arts education, at-risk populations and environmental causes. They've also worked with consultants to ensure the sound is directed away from those who would be impacted, adding that they haven't heard much negative feedback, and that they have many investors from the local community.

"We want this to be a legacy for the city, not just for us," Bryan said.

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From Willie Nelson to Stevie Ray Vaughan to Austin City Limits, Austin has long been celebrated for its music culture. Large annual events such as the Austin City Limits Music Festival and South by Southwest attract thousands of visitors, while a walk down Sixth Street on any random night is likely to yield numerous live music performances.

Bryan was complimentary of other music venues but said he and his partners feel the city lacks a great outdoor venue. He listed inspirations for Violet Crown ranging from the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles to Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater just west of Denver, where he attended concerts growing up in Colorado.

"Some of the best memories of my entire life consisted of these small-town music festivals or concerts growing up and then going to see a show at Red Rocks," he said, adding that the Violet Crown amphitheater could be among the largest permanent outdoor venues west of the Mississippi River.

Bryan's first foray into real estate development comes after more than five years as an attorney who mostly worked with startups, helping them with issues such a business formation and mergers and acquisitions. But he said that he was always planning on escaping the grind of working in law, and that real estate development makes sense because it's essentially a startup. Work started on Violet Crown about four years ago and Bryan said the land purchase closed right before the Covid-19 pandemic. Public records show White Rocks Entertainment LLC bought the land in August 2019.

Right now, the project remains in the design phase, a process that Bryan said is about 80% complete, with Bercy Chen Studio LP handling the architectural design. He said that it's been easy to secure financing for the project and they're close to securing about 60% of the funding in the form of a partner on the apartment towers. He said they're not ready to disclose any other partners but that discussions are ongoing.

The project is located just down the road from another large music venue project. The Backyard in Bee Cave is imagined as a music-venue-centered mixed-use project. Developers say it should open in early 2024. The 35-acre site is about 5 miles away at 13801 Bee Cave Pkwy.

The two projects share a connection: Chris Milam was "one of the visionaries" behind Violet Crown, according to Bryan. He added that Milam stepped away from the project about a year ago and handed it off to him.

Milam founded and used to run International Development Management. As recently as July, Milam's name appeared on a Form D filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission indicating that White Rocks Entertainment was raising money from investors.

When presented with those documents, a spokesperson acknowledged that Milam initially founded the company, but said he "is no longer involved in active management."

Milam had tried for years to redevelop the Backyard, but that ground to a halt because of legal issues. Milam had sued the city of Bee Cave, accusing public officials of obstructing the development. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2019 after Milam had left the project.

Milam also ran into personal legal issues issues. He pleaded guilty in December to a misdemeanor indecent exposure charge with deferred adjudication.

The Backyard project has continued with other developers. A representative from the Backyard project declined to comment.

In regard to the Backyard, Bryan said his project will "be copacetic and beneficial for both of them." He pointed out that plans for Violet Crown incorporate more residential uses, while the Backyard incorporates more office and retail space. He said he envisions events, including a Hill Country music festival, where both could team up and leverage their venues of different sizes.

"What I envision is a time where we all work together on it," Bryan said.

The site: https://www.google.com/maps/@30.2778326,-97.9179275,558m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

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crash_davis

crash_davis 23091

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There's a nice music venue in Cedar Park. Or at least I think there is. I wouldn't know because there's no fucking way I'm driving to Cedar Park, especially for a concert. In that same vein, I aint driving my ass out to Oak Hill to see a concert, $700M music venue or not.

There's a new basketball venue going up on campus. I would rather go to a concert there. Will be interesting what concerts this Oak Hill/Bee Cave place gets versus the UT basketball arena.

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Anastasis

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8 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

That's going to be a lot of cars.

Traffic flow going to be interesting.  Are they going to have the adjacent land and be able to dump two lanes right into southwest parkway.  Seems like if they exited right into the controlled intersection they could dump two lane west on 71, two lanes east on 71, and two lanes right into SWP. That might work to clear 20k seats relatively efficiently and direct traffic away from the area. 

If they end up just dumping onto 71 at another access point, that place will be a real shit show. 

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Guest Lobo

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Austin is a growing city, but we don't need 4 outdoor amphitheaters with over 5,000 capacity.  Nevermind the indoor options.  

That tract of land is way better served as a single-family/multi-family blended development.  Maybe pepper in some needed retail between that Bee Cave and William cannon areas. 

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bolverk

bolverk 29628

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58 minutes ago, Longhorn94 said:

thats waaaay closer to Oak Hill than Bee Cave. weird.

Really?

Google shows 2.9 miles from intersection of 71 & SW Parkway to entrance to the Hill Country Galleria and 3.0 (generously spotted) miles to Jack Allen's Kitchen in Oak Hill, so I guess you could argue it's midway. The tie breaker goes to Bee Cave though since the site is west of the Barton Creek Habitat Preserve, which forms the physical gap and psychological barrier between Austin's sprawl and Bee Cave's.

 

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bolverk

bolverk 29628

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33 minutes ago, Not that Bob said:

That's gonna need some big assed airconditioners. People who don't live here can't imagine the heat and humidity of Austin. 

It's definitely going to need, at least, a roof since it always fucking rains in Bee Cave.

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Guest Lobo

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12 minutes ago, Hefeweizen said:

Shock that Chris Milam is involved.

I didn't see his name associated with the project.  Is he the dude that pulled a Jayson Boebert awhile back near some kids?

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Hefeweizen

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30 minutes ago, Lobo said:

I didn't see his name associated with the project.  Is he the dude that pulled a Jayson Boebert awhile back near some kids?

Much. Much. Worse.  Look him up, he's bad news.

 

And he was the partner whose name is on the bank note, so for whatever that is worth...

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Guest Lobo

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18 minutes ago, Steel Shank said:

International Development Management Co. = "Initech"

Good afternoon sirs, I trust these email notes find you doing wells.  I represent the International Development Management Company of Europes and Western Americas.  There I manufacture and sell estates real as well as developments of managing of said estates of international types.  It is imperative that I speak with you post haste regarding exciting investment opportunities yours and ours areas.  Please remit a deposit to secure your position now and we shall finalize details in a fortnight.

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JimmyJames

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“Bryan said the development team aims to start vertical construction early next year. He said the driving range is expected to open by spring 2023, with the distillery and tasting room following in summer 2023 and the apartment towers in 2024.“

 

Who knew it takes two years to build a driving range?

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Hefeweizen

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9 minutes ago, JimmyJames said:

“Bryan said the development team aims to start vertical construction early next year. He said the driving range is expected to open by spring 2023, with the distillery and tasting room following in summer 2023 and the apartment towers in 2024.“

 

Who knew it takes two years to build a driving range?

None of that shit is going to happen.  It’s platted as single family, so it needs to be replatted, a new TIA done, and it needs extensive utility extensions.  It’s all fucking bullshit dreaming .  Good for the engineers to get paid for a site plan that won’t get built.

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Anastasis

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1 hour ago, bolverk said:

Really?

Google shows 2.9 miles from intersection of 71 & SW Parkway to entrance to the Hill Country Galleria and 3.0 (generously spotted) miles to Jack Allen's Kitchen in Oak Hill, so I guess you could argue it's midway. The tie breaker goes to Bee Cave though since the site is west of the Barton Creek Habitat Preserve, which forms the physical gap and psychological barrier between Austin's sprawl and Bee Cave's.

Zones into the AISD schools in Oak Hills area. 

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Updawg

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I would think a Spanish oaks jr type neighborhood would make more sense. It’s a good location near sw parkway, the y and bee cave.

I don’t see much demand for hi rise condos in that area. And the infrastructure probably is no where close to handling that.

Although zoning to oak hill is not good for that.

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JimmyJames

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17 minutes ago, Hefeweizen said:

None of that shit is going to happen.  It’s platted as single family, so it needs to be replatted, a new TIA done, and it needs extensive utility extensions.  It’s all fucking bullshit dreaming .  Good for the engineers to get paid for a site plan that won’t get built.

Oh I know. It’s just a way for some asshole to get his name in an article so he can link it from his website or Instagram or whatever account. Looks like it’s working. 

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Hefeweizen

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13 minutes ago, Updawg said:

I would think a Spanish oaks jr type neighborhood would make more sense. It’s a good location near sw parkway, the y and bee cave.

I don’t see much demand for hi rise condos in that area. And the infrastructure probably is no where close to handling that.

Although zoning to oak hill is not good for that.

What's Updawg?

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Guest Lobo

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9 minutes ago, washparkhorn said:

So this is a Top Golf that can covert into an amphitheater?

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What's fun about a driving range?  /tomhanks

What if the golf course turned into a music festival?  

Ah so the building turns into a driving range.  

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phdhorn

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2 hours ago, bolverk said:

Really?

Google shows 2.9 miles from intersection of 71 & SW Parkway to entrance to the Hill Country Galleria and 3.0 (generously spotted) miles to Jack Allen's Kitchen in Oak Hill, so I guess you could argue it's midway. The tie breaker goes to Bee Cave though since the site is west of the Barton Creek Habitat Preserve, which forms the physical gap and psychological barrier between Austin's sprawl and Bee Cave's.

 

Actually, Bee Cave ETJ has been expanded and now the city limit is only about .9 miles from the intersection.  SWPW/71 to Thomas Springs Rd. (official western boundary of Oak Hill) is about 1.59 miles.  Not much closer, but yeah, Bee Cave is very close to this thing.

Also, this thing was advertised in a business journal, so it's not yet a done deal.  But seeing as it sits in the boondocks between Austin and Bee Cave might give them some leeway.  Still, as was written in the quoted post, part of that tract is on the Barton Creek Nature Preserve, so I'm not exactly sure how they'd do it.   They'd have to cross 71, make a quick right (the preserve boundaries are about 75 feet from 71, then go a hundred feet or so to open up to non-preserve land.  That oughta be a lot of fun.  Most of the land directly opposite the intersection is non-buildable/traversable in a vehicle.

I agree, and kind of hope, they don't build it or at least in that configuration.  Seems like a big ugly bump which isn't needed.

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bolverk

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One thing that puzzles me from the schematics that were released is the lack of parking for the 20,000 amphitheater attendees. Like others have said, it could all be bullshit, and the property owners are just trying to raise awareness of the site, using the pretty pictures to get it off their hands and showcase it as a development opportunity for someone else.

I actually know one of the principals at Bercy Chen but haven't hung out with that crowd since my life took that tailspin a few years back. Might reach out to see if this is a real project. The scale and intensity of that development seems "inappropriate" for that site but who knows?

Some jackass managed to get that ACC tower built in Oak Hill after all -- albeit during a time when Texas real estate was like the wild wild west.

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CycleTex87

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I mean I don’t know where the International Development Management Co LLC of Western Americas is going to scratch together 7.5 million Benjamins.  Going to need to sell a lot of “import” product to get there. 

Edited by CycleTex87
Decimals or something.
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Guest Lobo

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14 minutes ago, bolverk said:

 

Some jackass managed to get that ACC tower built in Oak Hill after all -- albeit during a time when Texas real estate was like the wild wild west.

Good point, that tower is just a constant fucking reminder that even when you think you know Central Texas real estate, you really don't.  We got some folks from ACC and City of austin together to talk about turning over (in-kind plus some tax kickers) to house homeless people.  Obviously the neighborhood wasn't gonna like it but Adler shit all over the thing before we could even get it out of the garage.  

I look forward to the bike lane proposal because it's a super smart idea to have hundreds of attendees bike home from Bee Cave to Round Rock at 11:00p after a show.

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Updawg

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Good point, that tower is just a constant fucking reminder that even when you think you know Central Texas real estate, you really don't.  We got some folks from ACC and City of austin together to talk about turning over (in-kind plus some tax kickers) to house homeless people.  Obviously the neighborhood wasn't gonna like it but Adler shit all over the thing before we could even get it out of the garage.  
I look forward to the bike lane proposal because it's a super smart idea to have hundreds of attendees bike home from Bee Cave to Round Rock at 11:00p after a show.

I think that thing is so far out of code it will just eventually get torn down. ACC walked away for a reason
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