Downtown Projects

[Biff Tannen 45661]

11 hours ago, Mittens said:

Someone mentioned this in the Austin has gone to shit thread.

https://www.statesman.com/story/business/2023/12/11/thirty-properties-on-austins-east-sixth-street-will-be-redeveloped/71812918007/

paywall

[DalTxHornFan 3097]

12 hours ago, Mittens said:

Someone mentioned this in the Austin has gone to shit thread.

https://www.statesman.com/story/business/2023/12/11/thirty-properties-on-austins-east-sixth-street-will-be-redeveloped/71812918007/

This piece implies that Stream Realty may be throttling back its plans for Dirty Sixth.

https://austin.towers.net/the-death-and-life-of-sixth-street/?pro=jude@towers.net

[Mittens 8255]

11 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

paywall

 

Spoiler

Dozens of properties on 'Dirty' Sixth Street in Austin set for a major makeover

Plans to restore more than 30 properties on Austin's East Sixth Street will begin in January.

A major makeover of a portion of Austin's renowned, and sometimes troubled, East Sixth Street is underway.

Real estate firm Stream Realty Partners said work to restore more than 30 properties it has purchased along the entertainment district — which runs roughly from Congress Avenue on the west to Interstate 35 on the east — will begin in January.

The vision for the historic street includes local shops, live music and restaurants, Stream said. In addition to finding new tenants, the goal is to bring back a weekend farmers market, an outdoor concert series, local art and other community events. The hope is to create a place where Austinites can spend the whole day, not just a night out, Stream said.

“Sixth Street is central to Austin and essential to preserving the city's vitality, and we want to bring this beloved street back to what it once was,” said Paul Bodenman, senior vice president at Stream.

“We have received such positive support from the community and future tenants and are excited to see Sixth Street become a bustling neighborhood again. By restoring Sixth, we honor the history and significance of this iconic Austin neighborhood," Bodenman said.

Stream bought the East Sixth Street properties from various owners, with purchased properties at 408, 505, 508, 520, 600, 612, 713, 719 and 732 E. Sixth St. In addition, Stream already owned 509, 511 and 513 E. Sixth St., according to Travis County records. It also purchased 600 Sabine St., as well as 607, 611, 615 and 617 Red River St.

 

East Sixth Street's backstory (and the rise of 'Dirty Sixth')

Sixth Street was formerly named Pecan Street as Austin originally named east-west streets after trees and north-south streets after Texas rivers.

The area was developed as a leading Austin trade and commercial district in the late 1800s, with prominent remaining properties including the Driskill hotel, which was built in 1886. The downtown area around Fourth and Sixth streets has been a major entertainment district since the 1970s.

The Sixth Street Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Recently, the bar-lined street was labeled "Dirty Sixth" by locals, and it has experienced a number of high-profile crimes over the years. In 2021, a mass shooting killed one person and wounded 13.

At the time of the shooting, Bob Woody, who operates 20 bars on the street, told the Statesman: "For 35 years I've been on Sixth Street, and I've never heard of anything like this for all the time I've been here. Now this is the story people all around the world are hearing."

What's next for Sixth Street

Moving forward, demolition or major renovations to the buildings in the district would require approval from Austin's Historic Landmark Commission. The properties are also limited by a Capitol view corridor, which determines how tall a new building can be constructed.

Austin firm Clayton Korte is the architect for the redesign. Founded in 1983, the firm has overseen iconic Austin projects such as turning a 120-year-old Victorian home at the Green Pastures estate in South Austin into Mattie’s restaurant and event space, and transforming the 1920s-era Tudor Cottage building in Pease Park — Austin’s oldest park — into a central community space. The firm also collaborated on the Commodore Perry Estate resort hotel at East 41st and Red River streets.

“While the surrounding neighborhoods in Austin are thriving, Sixth Street has yet to return to its full potential where it was once a booming daytime hub. By creating a consistent identity for the community, we hope to revitalize the spirit of the neighborhood and create a space that is welcoming to everyone,” said Paul Clayton, principal at Clayton Korte.

“To work in a historic district and protect its heritage, while also transitioning the neighborhood from its current bar-only focus to a more all-day, public-centric area — that is a direct result of the investment Stream is making," Clayton said.

Stream Realty Partners is a Dallas-based development and commercial real estate firm that owns more than 660,000 square feet of commercial real estate in Austin, according to local brokers.

Weird. No paywall for me and I don't sub to the Statesman.

[Armybrat 40820]

They’re gonna burn down Dirty 6th Street?

[Mittens 8255]

Nearly 100-year-old Barton Springs Road Bridge to be replaced with wider crossing

Austin plans to almost double the width of the bridge deck from 59 feet to 109 feet. The new design would have wider sidewalks on both sides, two bicycle lanes, four car lanes and a median that would match the one on Barton Springs Drive east of Azie Morton Road.

 

 

https://www.kut.org/transportation/2023-12-26/nearly-100-year-old-barton-springs-road-bridge-to-be-replaced-with-wider-crossing

[DalTxHornFan 3097]

16 minutes ago, Mittens said:

Nearly 100-year-old Barton Springs Road Bridge to be replaced with wider crossing

Austin plans to almost double the width of the bridge deck from 59 feet to 109 feet. The new design would have wider sidewalks on both sides, two bicycle lanes, four car lanes and a median that would match the one on Barton Springs Drive east of Azie Morton Road.

 

 

https://www.kut.org/transportation/2023-12-26/nearly-100-year-old-barton-springs-road-bridge-to-be-replaced-with-wider-crossing

It's almost always the right decision to support whatever Bill Bunch opposes when it involves things downstream of the Springs that he's allegedly saving.

[blacklab 11926]

why make it 4 lanes of traffic when the road goes to 2 lanes just east of there?

[DalTxHornFan 3097]

42 minutes ago, blacklab said:

why make it 4 lanes of traffic when the road goes to 2 lanes just east of there?

Maybe it is a tacit admission that the "road diet" that they have imposed on Barton Springs is an abject failure and will eventually be undone?

[YGIFS 19449]

3 hours ago, blacklab said:

why make it 4 lanes of traffic when the road goes to 2 lanes just east of there?

This.  So a wider bridge with more vehicular traffic (don't get me wrong, that's one crossing that actually validates bike and pedestrian volume), that still compresses eastbound between Morton and Lamar is now a great idea?  It's already a shitshow,  This just makes it worse with a more burdensome environmental impact.  It wasn't great before, but this is a bigger chokepoint with a worse effect on the Springs.  I don't get it.  Oh wait, maybe there'll be less street lighting to we can see the stars.  That thing we do as people leave hopped up on Purple Margaritas.  

[MAUFRAIS 6615]

If it’ll make it easier for me to get to armadillo sports to tune up my rollerblades, I vote yes.

[Mittens 8255]

23 minutes ago, MAUFRAIS said:

armadillo sports

Asian chick that owned the place was hot af, iirc.

[YGIFS 19449]

Where was that place?

[MAUFRAIS 6615]

Maggie Moo’s

[MrBig 5370]

6 hours ago, blacklab said:

why make it 4 lanes of traffic when the road goes to 2 lanes just east of there?

Because the urban planning in Austin consists of adding more lanes and ending the road in a zipper merge—which nobody knows how to do correctly.

[Deej 76751]

On 12/29/2023 at 11:33 PM, MrBig said:

Because the urban planning in Austin consists of adding more lanes and ending the road in a zipper merge—which nobody knows how to do correctly.

You mean speeding up to the front of the line and forcing your vehicle in at the last possible second isn't the proper method? 

[MrBig 5370]

1 minute ago, Deej said:

You mean speeding up to the front of the line and forcing your vehicle in at the last possible second isn't the proper method? 

Yes, it is exactly the method that should be done. People getting over way too early is the wrong way. 
 

 

[Deej 76751]

People getting over way too late ain't right either. Entrance ramps during rush hour and everyone tries to force their way in from the lane to the right of the entrance lane at the last possible second. Everyone not first in line should just let every motherfucker in ahead of them? 

Edited January 2 by Deej

[Armybrat 40820]

18 minutes ago, Deej said:

People getting over way too late ain't right either. Entrance ramps during rush hour and everyone tries to force their way in from the lane to the right of the entrance lane at the last possible second. Everyone not first in line should just let every motherfucker in ahead of them? 

Yeah, screw those line jumpers. 
Those assholes know what they are doing.

[Mittens 8255]

58 minutes ago, Deej said:

People getting over way too late ain't right either. Entrance ramps during rush hour and everyone tries to force their way in from the lane to the right of the entrance lane at the last possible second. Everyone not first in line should just let every motherfucker in ahead of them? 

You're talking about something completely different than a zipper merge.  2 lanes into 1 is not the same as line cutters.

[Mittens 8255]

 

[MAUFRAIS 6615]

Reddit poster says campus Scientology is opening back up.

[YGIFS 19449]

Yep, and just a hair under a half-decade.  I'm guessing the GC got downgraded to Level 3 Xenon.  

[YGIFS 19449]

And what’s going on between Sears and HEB at Hancock?

[Biff Tannen 45661]

On 1/11/2024 at 1:01 PM, YGIFS said:

And what’s going on between Sears and HEB at Hancock?

Lots of digging

[MAUFRAIS 6615]

Reddit poster says campus Scientology is opening back up.

Nothing is happening here so far. Stupid Reddit poster probably just saw the trash bags blew off the sign and made an assumption.

That and the 35th street Burger King, as well as the Randall’s and Austin’s pizza over there, piss me off. I hate looking at the stupid empty buildings. The homeless guy that got mother’s should burn em down or something.

[YGIFS 19449]

i think the Randall's there is under initial permitting for demolition at least.  It will eventually be enveloped by the medical complex.  But it's gonna take a damn long while.  That Burger King was functioning as kind of a food trailer site but they wouldn't back down on their pricing so now it's just a graffiti canvas.  The Scientology building was progressing on the interior anyway but they'll get this massive infusion of construction loan funding for a month or two from "central/hq/whatever the fuck they call their diocese equivalents" and then it dries up again and they just barely keep the permits in date with a last minute post-dated third-party check.  

Another weird one, I may have asked about it upthread, but the office building above Ego's at the SW corner of South Congress & Riverside.  What the fuh?  They took the time to board the whole thing up with a massive array of plywood and then paint it hunter green.  And nothing is going on inside.  There's some utility permits pulled, I guess so it doesn't explode or something.  But what in the world is the play there?  

[DalTxHornFan 3097]

2 hours ago, YGIFS said:

i think the Randall's there is under initial permitting for demolition at least.  It will eventually be enveloped by the medical complex.  But it's gonna take a damn long while.  That Burger King was functioning as kind of a food trailer site but they wouldn't back down on their pricing so now it's just a graffiti canvas.  The Scientology building was progressing on the interior anyway but they'll get this massive infusion of construction loan funding for a month or two from "central/hq/whatever the fuck they call their diocese equivalents" and then it dries up again and they just barely keep the permits in date with a last minute post-dated third-party check.  

Another weird one, I may have asked about it upthread, but the office building above Ego's at the SW corner of South Congress & Riverside.  What the fuh?  They took the time to board the whole thing up with a massive array of plywood and then paint it hunter green.  And nothing is going on inside.  There's some utility permits pulled, I guess so it doesn't explode or something.  But what in the world is the play there?  

https://austin.towers.net/redevelopment-heads-for-six-acre-site-on-south-congress-avenue/?pro=jude@towers.net

[YGIFS 19449]

Wow, a PUD that close to downtown.  Did not see that coming in all honesty.  My sober off the record intel is not as good as my previous platform.  
 

still the shade of green is a nice Throwback to the 90s when it was popular and i could talk to Ego’s

[TKthunder2 4985]

On 1/18/2024 at 10:22 AM, YGIFS said:

i think the Randall's there is under initial permitting for demolition at least.  It will eventually be enveloped by the medical complex.  But it's gonna take a damn long while.  

That’s a logical assumption, but that neighborhood fought like caged pit bulls against the hospital expansion on the existing lot. I don’t think they’ll just allow more to medical buildings to pop up there very willingly. A little birdie told me that the Shoal Creek psych hospital isn’t long for this world either so that whole area that includes Randall’s and Burger King could be very attractive for a developer.

[Chet Steadman 940]

Burger King will be Postinos

[MAUFRAIS 6615]

Never heard of it. Looks kind of suburby.

[Gucci_Suit 2642]

10 hours ago, Chet Steadman said:

Burger King will be Postinos

I was hoping it would be developed into a Burger King. I have to drive a long way for a Whopper or sausage croissant. 

[YGIFS 19449]

Bold move considering two wine bars within a 2 block radius have gone outta business in the last few years.  

[MAUFRAIS 6615]

But just glad it’s going to be something for however long it survives.

Was really hoping for a holiday house though. Or a Gumby’s.

[Deej 76751]

2 hours ago, YGIFS said:

Bold move considering two wine bars within a 2 block radius have gone outta business in the last few years.  

Flo's is still open on 35th on the West Side of Mopac. 

 

[MAUFRAIS 6615]

bring back bo peep

[Armybrat 40820]

10 hours ago, MAUFRAIS said:

But just glad it’s going to be something for however long it survives.

Was really hoping for a holiday house though. Or a Gumby’s.

#5 Flameburger FTW!

[Deej 76751]

The old Burger King needs to be turned into a mattress store, a Title Max, or a vape shop.

[Mittens 8255]

 

[Armybrat 40820]

https://www.kxan.com/traffic/traffic-projects/i-35-expansion-project/austin-organizations-file-lawsuit-federal-complaint-over-downtown-i-35-expansion/
 

 

[yoladu 4090]

On 1/25/2024 at 5:34 PM, Deej said:

The old Burger King needs to be turned into a mattress store, a Title Max, or a vape shop.

I vote for a small branch bank.... definitely not enough of those in that area. 😋

[Biff Tannen 45661]

On 1/18/2024 at 10:22 AM, YGIFS said:

i think the Randall's there is under initial permitting for demolition at least.  It will eventually be enveloped by the medical complex.  But it's gonna take a damn long while.  That Burger King was functioning as kind of a food trailer site but they wouldn't back down on their pricing so now it's just a graffiti canvas.  The Scientology building was progressing on the interior anyway but they'll get this massive infusion of construction loan funding for a month or two from "central/hq/whatever the fuck they call their diocese equivalents" and then it dries up again and they just barely keep the permits in date with a last minute post-dated third-party check.  

Another weird one, I may have asked about it upthread, but the office building above Ego's at the SW corner of South Congress & Riverside.  What the fuh?  They took the time to board the whole thing up with a massive array of plywood and then paint it hunter green.  And nothing is going on inside.  There's some utility permits pulled, I guess so it doesn't explode or something.  But what in the world is the play there?  

I thought Randalls was becoming condos, no?

[MAUFRAIS 6615]

Roger Korman finally broke ground at the old University Schwinn spot. Been tired of that fuckin’ eyesore too.

[MAUFRAIS 6615]

Obviously I meant Russell Korman but I’d had several beers at the game. Now I want to watch Death Race 2000.

[yoladu 4090]

On 1/29/2024 at 11:14 PM, MAUFRAIS said:

Roger Korman finally broke ground at the old University Schwinn spot. Been tired of that fuckin’ eyesore too.

That intersection is my jam.

scares me to think of how much of my lifetime has been dedicated to waiting for that light to turn green.

[Deej 76751]

On 1/29/2024 at 11:14 PM, MAUFRAIS said:

Roger Korman finally broke ground at the old University Schwinn spot. Been tired of that fuckin’ eyesore too.

You mean the old Glastron boat showroom?

[MAUFRAIS 6615]

That’s before my time but great to know. I always assumed they were over by where Hula Hut is. Oldest memories I have over there was a boat place burning down and catching a ferry to something I think was called the West Bank Fish Camp … and guess I falsely put Glastron there because I feel like that fire and them moving away were at about the same time.

But I was a dumb kid back then.

[bluto 4912]

On 1/27/2024 at 4:40 PM, Mittens said:

 

Does this really matter until the shelter is moved? 

[Ghost of LL 15531]

21 hours ago, bluto said:

Does this really matter until the shelter is moved? 

Yeah--I don't know.  The shelter is obviously a magnet for them.  But at the same time, most homeless people don't want to be around an area that is full of normal people.  And that's going to be particularly true if those landlords hire private security to protect their investment.

[Deej 76751]

So more tourists out for dinner being shot by kids from other areas?