Downtown Projects

[MAUFRAIS 6739]

We're not at the thing.  But we are approaching the thing...that gets us to the thing. 

What in God’s holy name are you blathering about?

[ztejas 44223]

7 hours ago, yoladu said:

i really hope 98 Red River happens.

Yeah. Houston and Dallas can suck it.

[Guest Lobo]

5 hours ago, MAUFRAIS said:

 

What in God’s holy name are you blathering about?

 

What am I talking about?  I'm talking sex boy, what the hell are you talking about? I'm talking about l'amour.  

[JesusSweatDuck 18086]

On 3/18/2022 at 4:04 AM, Lobo said:

What am I talking about?  I'm talking sex boy, what the hell are you talking about? I'm talking about l'amour.  

How was that hang over?

[Guest Lobo]

Better with "Raising Arizona" in the background.  

[Armybrat 41388]

What a 5 year difference makes... 

(Posted by Urbanizer on the Skyscraper forum.)

 

[yoladu 4190]

The Modern at Rainey broke ground this week. 56 stories (658')

 

Would make it the 5th tallest when complete.

• 6x Guadalupe 875' (in construction)
• Independent 690'
• Austonian 683'
• 321 West 675' (ground broke)
• The Modern 658'

although there are 5 others currently proposed that would be taller, if they get built.

 

 

 

 

[crash_davis 23468]

98 Red River, may be tallest building in Texas.

https://austin.towers.net/downtown-austins-first-supertall-tower-plan-arrives-at-waller-creek-site/

[Longhorn Al 440]

Downtown Austin’s Record-Breaking ‘Supertall’ Tower Gets the Green Light – TOWERS

 

[ztejas 44223]

Just nuts. Makes you think there's some veracity to what Musk said about "biggest boomtown in 50 years" or whatever. When's the last time an American city had it's skyline changed this rapidly over 10 or 15 years? 

[bolverk 30313]

So was Nate Paul able to hang onto those rusty roofed warehouses next door at Cesar Chavez & Trinity, or is that lot still tied up in court? Whatever the case, that's worth a gold mine.

[Guest Lobo]

Bayne and his group are litigating the shit out of Nate Paul/WCC right now, it's gonna take awhile longer.  They stand to get most of his commercial properties in Austin.   

But some of Nate's partners are starting to whisper that Nate can no longer pay his legal bills, or is choosing not to anyway.  So that's when the horse-trading starts I expect.  He'll have to stop contesting certain properties and try and keep whatever actually still has equity in.  The Warehouse on Chavez is all debt, so I suspect that'll be one of the first he'll have to give up.  

I love that according to LinkedIn, WCC is still hiring.  Gotta admire his attention to detail when trying to keep up appearances.  Most people would just drive around in the Bentley convertible and make sure your seen still ordering bottle service...but he also pretends like the company is still humming along and will need new analysts to re-underwrite all the assets he's gonna win back.  It's the little things...

[tokamak 6687]

As someone who last lived in Austin before Rainey Street was even a thing, can y'all explan to me how ingress/egress are handled for that little corner of downtown? Just looking at maps, it seems like a disastrous place to build a bunch of high rise buildings, purely from a traffic flow perspective.

[Mittens 8705]

2 hours ago, Lobo said:

Bayne and his group are litigating the shit out of Nate Paul/WCC right now, it's gonna take awhile longer.  They stand to get most of his commercial properties in Austin. 

I've been waiting for this to come up on Surly, because I know some of y'all have to know what's going on.  I know Justin peripherally, and from ages ago, so I was curious when I saw this dude shit tweeting the fuck out of him: https://twitter.com/EricEdison361

I've seen some theories that the account is a Nate Paul burner, but I can't tell one way or another.  I am certainly curious to know some of y'all's thoughts on the situation and all the mudsliging towards...well, everyone that guy is slinging it at.

 

[4th&Five 41984]

44 minutes ago, Mittens said:

I've been waiting for this to come up on Surly, because I know some of y'all have to know what's going on.  I know Justin peripherally, and from ages ago, so I was curious when I saw this dude shit tweeting the fuck out of him: https://twitter.com/EricEdison361

I've seen some theories that the account is a Nate Paul burner, but I can't tell one way or another.  I am certainly curious to know some of y'all's thoughts on the situation and all the mudsliging towards...well, everyone that guy is slinging it at.

 

Same.  I graduated HS with Skyles and Bayne and have heard a few things but don't follow that world enough to know any details.

[yoladu 4190]

3 hours ago, tokamak said:

As someone who last lived in Austin before Rainey Street was even a thing, can y'all explan to me how ingress/egress are handled for that little corner of downtown? Just looking at maps, it seems like a disastrous place to build a bunch of high rise buildings, purely from a traffic flow perspective.

[Fico 1806]

99 Trinity and 3rd and Colorado have already gone through a marketing process and have Buyers signed up. I believe they are just waiting on final approval from Bankruptcy court.

CARR Properties for 99 Trinity (also bought 100 Congress last year)

Related for 3rd and Colorado 

[ztejas 44223]

4 hours ago, tokamak said:

it seems like a disastrous place to build a bunch of high rise buildings, purely from a traffic flow perspective.

It is. CC is already a fucking mess during rush hour and on the weekends.

[Guest Lobo]

The only reason that 'district' isn't more of a shitshow is that most of the people who live on Rainey Street work from home or in the CBD and can thus walk/bike/scooter to work and leave their cars back in the towers.  A very, very small percentage of them commute to Domain/Round Rock/Far 360 for work.  It's actually something of a phenomenon that it isn't more congested.  Of course, as we can see from the renderings...it's about to get a whole lot more crowded but I think it'll follow a trend of fewer an fewer cars as the years go by. Doesn't stop Ann Kitchen though from having 180 linear yards of curb dedicated to cab stands in/around the Rainey District.  Because, her words, "Have you seen the existing cab lanes?  They're full of cabs because they have nowhere else to wait, so they have to idle downtown and cause more congestion there."  Yeah, Ann Cuntchen...theere's a backlog of cabs because nobody is riding them...not because they don't have anywhere to hang out.  

Anyway, tying this back to Nate Paul and Bayne.  Bayne also owns the iHOP sight and (I believe) adjacent air rights to the lot just west of that.  This is where City of Austin decides to take a stand.  Now they finally want developers to foot the bill on another point of ingress/egress for Rainey when those two tracts get developed.  Day late, dollar short considering.  Red River from the north, Driskill running West to East.  With other 'kick-outs' at River, Lambie, and East.  And that whole confounded shitshow with the parallel alley to Rainey/Cummings/San Marcos/Towers of Town Lake 'service drive'.  But yeah now, 15 years later...City of Austin is thinking "hey, we should look into this...maybe buy up some more hotels and bike lanes will probably solve this considering that's how everybody gets to Rainey Street at night."  

[ztejas 44223]

2 minutes ago, Lobo said:

The only reason that 'district' isn't more of a shitshow is that most of the people who live on Rainey Street work from home or in the CBD and can thus walk/bike/scooter to work and leave their cars back in the towers.  A very, very small percentage of them commute to Domain/Round Rock/Far 360 for work.  It's actually something of a phenomenon that it isn't more congested.  Of course, as we can see from the renderings...it's about to get a whole lot more crowded but I think it'll follow a trend of fewer an fewer cars as the years go by. Doesn't stop Ann Kitchen though from having 180 linear yards of curb dedicated to cab stands in/around the Rainey District.  Because, her words, "Have you seen the existing cab lanes?  They're full of cabs because they have nowhere else to wait, so they have to idle downtown and cause more congestion there."  Yeah, Ann Cuntchen...theere's a backlog of cabs because nobody is riding them...not because they don't have anywhere to hang out.  

Well yeah. But I don't think adding thousands more residents will just keep traffic the same. So maybe you're looking at fewer cars per capita but the capita part of that equation is still skyrocketing. Especially because Rainey is a nightlife destination (or daylife destination on weekends and holidays. Gotta get your day drink on outside).

[Guest Lobo]

Yes, so all that to say...I think there's a good chance you see the iHOP and adjacent tract to the west "give back" R.O.W. on Red River and Driskill to the city in exchange for density bonuses/tax abatement.  That should take care of the northern end of "the district."  Southern/Eastern edge is gonna continue to be a shitshow as well, but there's a modicum of raw land/infill to work there as well.  Don't worry though, it'll all end up as bike lanes and cab stands and we'll be scratching our heads on this thread still 5 years from now.  But at least the developers are engaged on it. 

[MAUFRAIS 6739]

Sad that Michael huff will never get to own that ihop.

[royiv 9773]

I've always wondered if someone would offer the city a deal it can't refuse for the Lakeside Apartments tract. That is some seriously valuable property, but I can only imagine how politically fraught it would be to relocate a group of low income seniors. That building is 50+ years old at this point and I have no idea how well it has been maintained by the city.

[Guest Lobo]

We all want seniors to enjoy their golden years, and lakeside living is a big part of that.  But eventually any city leadership that has a modicum of sanity will have to realize the money gleaned from re-developing that could build a a half-dozen senior centers around town with first-class services on-site.  But the current leadership won't, they'll raise a bond to enhance the property 3 years before demo'ing it.  And use the delta to buy four more hotels.  

I can't wait for Kirk Watson to get back into office and choke some bitches.

[bolverk 30313]

4 hours ago, Lobo said:

Yes, so all that to say...I think there's a good chance you see the iHOP and adjacent tract to the west "give back" R.O.W. on Red River and Driskill to the city in exchange for density bonuses/tax abatement.  That should take care of the northern end of "the district."  Southern/Eastern edge is gonna continue to be a shitshow as well, but there's a modicum of raw land/infill to work there as well.  Don't worry though, it'll all end up as bike lanes and cab stands and we'll be scratching our heads on this thread still 5 years from now.  But at least the developers are engaged on it. 

What about the City using its eminent domain powers (but of course compensating the landowner handsomely) to punch Rainey north through that elongated block to make a four-way intersection with Sabine at Cesar Chavez? Hell, make Red River a one-way going south of CC and Rainey a one-way going north to that proposed intersection. I think that'd ease congestion quite a bit through there.

[Wally Pryor 5407]

On 3/29/2022 at 11:18 PM, ztejas said:

Just nuts. Makes you think there's some veracity to what Musk said about "biggest boomtown in 50 years" or whatever. When's the last time an American city had it's skyline changed this rapidly over 10 or 15 years? 

It really is incredible. The view from 360 heading south, just past Los Creek Blvd, is jaw dropping.

I don't know of a better view. The flyover from Ben White heading north on 35 is good as well. I'm sure there are others.

[Guest Lobo]

The toy store loading dock/insurance parking lot at Brodie Oaks is also absolutely gorgeous.  Shame it's gonna be turned into some mass development that'll unfairly try to take advantage of those views when it should stay Old Austin---decrepit, overrun with homeless, and an overall complete eyesore of impervious cover and trash.  

 

[royiv 9773]

1 hour ago, Lobo said:

The toy store loading dock/insurance parking lot at Brodie Oaks is also absolutely gorgeous.  Shame it's gonna be turned into some mass development that'll unfairly try to take advantage of those views when it should stay Old Austin---decrepit, overrun with homeless, and an overall complete eyesore of impervious cover and trash.  

 

It's a competition between the mismanagement of the airport and this one for peak Austin NIMBY-ism and backwards development policies.

[Guest Lobo]

Yeah, this is a downtown thread...but if you have a chance this weekend, read the piece in the Chronicle today about the jet storage depot and other airport shenanigans.  

I think the Oles Group plan is a little too ambitious for Brodie Oaks.  I'm guessing they follow the usual Armbrust & Brown model of "Propose 3x the size of what you really want and the compromise with the city will actually be what really wanted at the end of the dance."  And that construction phase will be in the pain in the ass for the folks on the southern end of Barton Hills neighborhood.  But it won't really effect traffic as that whole plot is relatively self-contained except for some debris moving trucks taking right turns.  One day the traffic flow will fucking suck on Lamar, I get that.  But what I don't get is why people are so "don't Domain by Brodie Oaks"...it's literally the shittiest retail development in all of Austin and the biggest fucking waste of green space/views in North America.  The fucking highlight of the fucking thing is an Olive Garden.  For fuck's sake.  

Okay, back to downtown.  Something cool coming north of old AISD admin bldg. site.  

[DalTxHornFan 3130]

18 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Yeah, this is a downtown thread...but if you have a chance this weekend, read the piece in the Chronicle today about the jet storage depot and other airport shenanigans.  

 

Speaking of the Austin Chronicle -- this is the piece that errbody should be reading today, and especially tomorrow: 

Public Notice: Taking Our Toll

New toll booths on I-35 will benefit transit, TxDOT, and the Chronicle

https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2022-04-01/public-notice-taking-our-toll/

Edited March 31, 2022 by DalTxHornFan

[Guest Lobo]

It was pretty clever.  The second piece behind it is even funnier IMO because nothing about IH-35, even tomorrow, can make me laugh anymore.  I just shake my head like, "Fuck, this might may as well happen..." 

[Longhorn Al 440]

Block 16 redesign.  Block 16 Office Tower Moves Forward With a New Look in Downtown Austin – TOWERS

 

[ztejas 44223]

23 hours ago, bolverk said:

What about the City using its eminent domain powers (but of course compensating the landowner handsomely) to punch Rainey north through that elongated block to make a four-way intersection with Sabine at Cesar Chavez? Hell, make Red River a one-way going south of CC and Rainey a one-way going north to that proposed intersection. I think that'd ease congestion quite a bit through there.

I like this idea in principle but I think the issue is that Rainey is too close to 35. CC always gets backed up basically completely heading east from Congress to 35. Like you have to wait at a green light until the people in front of you are past the intersection. I feel like another light would just make that worse.

9 hours ago, Wally Pryor said:

It really is incredible. The view from 360 heading south, just past Los Creek Blvd, is jaw dropping.

I don't know of a better view. The flyover from Ben White heading north on 35 is good as well. I'm sure there are others.

Favorite view is the stretch coming into downtown on the upper deck of 35 going southbound. Campus is right in your face and downtown is beautifully layered behind it - and you have West Austin and all the hills off to your right. 

[Longhorn Al 440]

Let's just take East Ave across the lake via a new bridge. Connect it to Riverside.

[yoladu 4190]

16 hours ago, Longhorn Al said:

Let's just take East Ave across the lake via a new bridge. Connect it to Riverside.

wouldnt be a bad idea, but without a strong N/S road to connect to south of Town Lake, the expense probably doesn't justify it.

Unless, of course, the residents in Travis Heights would like a Travis Heights Bvld to become a 1st St type thoroughfare. uh huh

Edited April 1, 2022 by yoladu

[yoladu 4190]

16 hours ago, ztejas said:

I like this idea in principle but I think the issue is that Rainey is too close to 35. CC always gets backed up basically completely heading east from Congress to 35. Like you have to wait at a green light until the people in front of you are past the intersection. I feel like another light would just make that worse.

Favorite view is the stretch coming into downtown on the upper deck of 35 going southbound. Campus is right in your face and downtown is beautifully layered behind it - and you have West Austin and all the hills off to your right. 

i am partial to the view to the right as you cross Town Lake on Mopac (driving Northbound), but that might be because that is the one i see the most often.

[Deej 77805]

On 3/31/2022 at 4:44 PM, Lobo said:

It was pretty clever.  The second piece behind it is even funnier IMO because nothing about IH-35, even tomorrow, can make me laugh anymore.  I just shake my head like, "Fuck, this might may as well happen..." 

I'm just going to say that going northbound on 35 from downtown to my shitty Rundberg neighborhood is amazingly pleasant now that they corrected the clusterfuck that was the 183 entrance, exit. Never longer than 19 minutes unless there's a bad accident. Glad they will fuck it back up. 

[Armybrat 41388]

On 3/30/2022 at 9:30 AM, tokamak said:

As someone who last lived in Austin before Rainey Street was even a thing, can y'all explan to me how ingress/egress are handled for that little corner of downtown? Just looking at maps, it seems like a disastrous place to build a bunch of high rise buildings, purely from a traffic flow perspective.

Cousin Joanne, Summer of 1959 - one block from my parents’s house on Elmhurst.
If you squint, you might see a bit of the Rainey Street ‘hood.

 

[Armybrat 41388]

On 3/30/2022 at 9:06 AM, Lobo said:

Bayne and his group are litigating the shit out of Nate Paul/WCC right now, it's gonna take awhile longer.  They stand to get most of his commercial properties in Austin.   

But some of Nate's partners are starting to whisper that Nate can no longer pay his legal bills, or is choosing not to anyway.  So that's when the horse-trading starts I expect.  He'll have to stop contesting certain properties and try and keep whatever actually still has equity in.  The Warehouse on Chavez is all debt, so I suspect that'll be one of the first he'll have to give up.  

I love that according to LinkedIn, WCC is still hiring.  Gotta admire his attention to detail when trying to keep up appearances.  Most people would just drive around in the Bentley convertible and make sure your seen still ordering bottle service...but he also pretends like the company is still humming along and will need new analysts to re-underwrite all the assets he's gonna win back.  It's the little things...

Speaking of little things... his WCC unloaded this 50 acre tract next to my property two years ago for $2.5 million, after it had sat there several years in a real estate vacuum. Just to the north side of us on Ross Road, someone just closed on a 26 acre property for $6.25 sq/ft.

Anyway, it appears he sold too soon.

https://www.commercialsearch.com/news/rastegar-unveils-plans-for-austin-industrial-park/

Edited April 2, 2022 by Armybrat

[Longhorn Al 440]

Older news from early March, but I didn't see it posted.  4th & Brazos: A Perennial Tower Sprouts Downtown at Fourth and Brazos This Summer – TOWERS

This will be cool just about 2 blocks north of Block 16.  Two cool designs next to each other.  Both between 600-700 feet.

Edited April 7, 2022 by Longhorn Al

[DalTxHornFan 3130]

Who woulda' thunk it?

Project Connect light rail and tunnel costs projected to nearly double

The initial cost projection was $5.8 billion, but new numbers add $4.5 billion to the cost of the Blue Line, Orange Line and underground tunnel.

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/politics/project-connect/project-connect-light-rail-tunnel-costs-projected-nearly-double/269-83116eef-bbfa-4407-8ef8-76c2ffea1fb5

[LonghornSean 4103]

Longer tunnel due to CVC on South Congress

 

Edited April 8, 2022 by LonghornSean

[DalTxHornFan 3130]

49 minutes ago, LonghornSean said:

Longer tunnel due to CVC on South Congress

 

Yeah, who could have possibly seen that coming when the budget for the election was presented? 

The CVC was first enacted by the Texas legislature in 1983, modified in 2001 and 2003, and the COA tweaked it in 2007.

Incompetence or deception.  Pick one.

[Guest Lobo]

Whoah, whoah, whoah.   What’s this Capitol Corridor everybody keeps referring to?   Frankly, it sounds made up!  /councilmankramer

[Updawg 2384]

Can’t we at least just start with freight trans going around the city and take over mopac rail. It’s crazy.

Yeah I know the history

[Updawg 2384]

Trains

[Deej 77805]

An extra $5 billion to tear down Dirty's.

[Armybrat 41388]

41 minutes ago, Deej said:

An extra $5 billion to tear down Dirty's.

Well, to be fair, Superfund cleanup sites don’t come cheap.

 

[Guest Lobo]

20 hours ago, LonghornSean said:

Longer tunnel due to CVC on South Congress

 

For the record, Chito Vela is the new one behind this con.  

[Deej 77805]

39 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

Well, to be fair, Superfund cleanup sites don’t come cheap.