Austin | Vesper (84 East) | 452 Feet | 41 Floors | T/O

[chinchaaa]

Originally Posted by Echostatic

This site faces an unpaved back alley and an interstate frontage road. There's really no point in retail.

Disagree. There’s a restaurant on the lot right now! They should have first floor retail space.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by chinchaaa

Disagree. There’s a restaurant on the lot right now! They should have first floor retail space.

There wasn't enough space to include significant retail due to the space needed for the other requirements of a tall residential building. The City agreed, and they got approval without it. The small amount of space available for non-residential uses was too small for a viable retail establishment, so it will be a very small art gallery instead. They didn't even have enough space to meet the Great Streets requirements due to the TxDOT right of way. The City also agreed with that by approving the zoning.

[drummer]

If I-35 gets lowered - either to cap or left open - would that begin at Holly St. or Cesar Chavez?

My reason for asking is that if it starts at or before Holly St., it will feel less like an access road (to a degree), especially if they cap the highway with a park down the road. At that point, it would be hugely advantageous to have retail/restaurants.


Edit: Looks like ATX and I posted about the same time. It would be hard to work something into that layout, for sure.

[Geckos_Rule]

Originally Posted by drummer

If I-35 gets lowered - either to cap or left open - would that begin at Holly St. or Cesar Chavez?

My reason for asking is that if it starts at or before Holly St., it will feel less like an access road (to a degree), especially if they cap the highway with a park down the road. At that point, it would be hugely advantageous to have retail/restaurants.


Edit: Looks like ATX and I posted about the same time. It would be hard to work something into that layout, for sure.

From the couple proposals I remember, most of them start at Holly st., although I'm sure the specific plans might vary.

Although I'd imagine the "real" tunnel entrance would be between Holly and CC, given that that's where I-35 starts to straighten out and go directly north. So I'd guess that it's much simpler to do a straight tunnel rather than a slightly curved one.

[drummer]

Originally Posted by Geckos_Rule

From the couple proposals I remember, most of them start at Holly st., although I'm sure the specific plans might vary.

Although I'd imagine the "real" tunnel entrance would be between Holly and CC, given that that's where I-35 starts to straighten out and go directly north. So I'd guess that it's much simpler to do a straight tunnel rather than a slightly curved one.

Makes sense to me. So either way the park portion would likely start after Cesar Chavez, if at all.

I really hope we're able to get that - someday. It would add a lot of character and make more natural connections across the highway between east and west. Klyde Warren Park in Dallas does a great job of bringing Uptown and Downtown together and it's really not even that big.

[The ATX]

This one looks solid. From a permit filed today:

This application is requesting use of right-of-way in maneuvering a luffing crane, stationed onsite at 84 N IH 35 Service Road SB, during the construction of multifamily residential project. While the crane foundation is entirely contained within the property lines, the weathervaning radius encroaches into the alley at its rear.

https://abc.austintexas.gov/public-s...pertyrsn=93062

[urbancore]

Originally Posted by The ATX

This one looks solid. From a permit filed today:



https://abc.austintexas.gov/public-s...pertyrsn=93062

My source confirms solidity.

[KevinFromTexas]

FAA permits for the building -

452 feet - Southwest Corner of Roof
https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external...72562744&row=0

445 feet - Southeast Corner of Parapet
https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external...2562719&row=18

443 feet - Northeast Corner of Canopy
https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external...2562700&row=17

442 feet - Northwest Corner of Canopy
https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external...2562733&row=19

[The ATX]

Zoning change request postponed at Thursday's CC meeting:


https://austintexas.gov/council_meet...es.cfm?mid=888

[JoninATX]

Immediate groundbreaking

[The ATX]

There has been no activity on the site plan in a while, and it expired in February. But after getting the zoning change approved, the progress is probably just not being made public. This is good news from April - the money appears to be lined up with the same NY company that teamed with Pearlstone to build Natiivo:


Texas Real Estate Business magazine

[urbancore]

My source says this one is good to go.

[DaveinWimberley]

Now if only we could build an attractive 20 foot screen to hide the bizarreness of the entrances to the three chain hotels up by East and Cesar Chavez, we might improve the tourists' first impression of Austin?

[Geckos_Rule]

Originally Posted by DaveinWimberley

Now if only we could build an attractive 20 foot screen to hide the bizarreness of the entrances to the three chain hotels up by East and Cesar Chavez, we might improve the tourists' first impression of Austin?

Yeah, this building isn't interesting or noteworthy, but it's honestly the first development on that side of Rainey that's any nicer that what we're seeing in West Campus.....

I mean compare the Homewood/Fairfield plans to the Autograph Collection and Moxy hotels in west campus.... how could it possibly make sense to go cheaper in this area?

[DaveinWimberley]

Originally Posted by Geckos_Rule

Yeah, this building isn't interesting or noteworthy, but it's honestly the first development on that side of Rainey that's any nicer that what we're seeing in West Campus.....

I mean compare the Homewood/Fairfield plans to the Autograph Collection and Moxy hotels in west campus.... how could it possibly make sense to go cheaper in this area?

But who in the world would pay good money to choke on the soot from IH 35? I read an article a year or so ago about some serious health problems people are getting in LA by living in apartments and condos next to the freeway. Why would one choose a home that might shorten their life expectancy? And this is not to mention the "views" from the east of IH 35, and from the north, IH35 AND (gasp) Millennium Rainey, perhaps the ugliest building in all of Texas.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by DaveinWimberley

But who in the world would pay good money to choke on the soot from IH 35? I read an article a year or so ago about some serious health problems people are getting in LA by living in apartments and condos next to the freeway. Why would one choose a home that might shorten their life expectancy? And this is not to mention the "views" from the east of IH 35, and from the north, IH35 AND (gasp) Millennium Rainey, perhaps the ugliest building in all of Texas.

Yeah, unless everyone adopts to EVs tomorrow I wouldn't live that close to 35.

[Geckos_Rule]

Originally Posted by DaveinWimberley

But who in the world would pay good money to choke on the soot from IH 35? I read an article a year or so ago about some serious health problems people are getting in LA by living in apartments and condos next to the freeway. Why would one choose a home that might shorten their life expectancy? And this is not to mention the "views" from the east of IH 35, and from the north, IH35 AND (gasp) Millennium Rainey, perhaps the ugliest building in all of Texas.

Well these are just hotels. The Fairmont and Van Zandt are each within 100' of these, so it seems as though if I-35 smog is harming the air for one of them, it'd be doing it to all levels of fanciness.....

[We vs us]

These are funny hotels, TBH -- they're using the same strategy you'd see out in the burbs, for the same level of hotel. Standalone select service boxes out by the highway exit ramp. Even though they're multiple stories high, these are decidedly NOT urban hotels . . . which, in major markets, would all be part of mixed use towers.

What's weird to me is that none of the Cambria/Fairfield/Homewood Suites ownership groups felt the need to pivot their designs into larger towers (and let's be honest: we've known even since the Homewood was built that this strip was going to go much higher than originally thought). It's weird that market incentives didn't push these into bigger buildings.

And TBH this is a question writ large for select properties around the CBD (Horizon Bank, I'm looking at you) -- why aren't these owners pivoting into larger projects?

[The ATX]

I would prefer towers on these sites as well. But these are budget hotels being built by developers who build highway exit hotels. They would need a zoning change and a residential partner to build a mixed use tower. The East Tower and River St Residences are being build by residential tower developers who have the time and money to go tall and get extra entitlements. The City and TxDot don't make it easy to go tall on East Ave. Plus budget hotel brands are not typically part of mixed use projects.

[papertowelroll]

I don't mind these hotels. I remember a few years ago the demand for hotels in downtown Austin during certain events was absolutely insane. I'd much rather have hotels like this than have every other house be an Airbnb. Rainey is a good fit for hotels, really. I don't think the transportation works to have much office space there.