AUSTIN | Misc. Discussions - No Politics

[Green Country]

Originally Posted by ahealy

Ok I swear I'm not trynna troll here, but hear me out. I went to Dallas this weekend for a wedding and stayed at the Virgin in the design district. In short, Austin really needs to model itself from Dallas AND CATCH UP.

The architecture is of course old money / oil / tech boom money, but good god it's so much better than here. Even the nearby (new) residential towers didn't have parking podiums, but instead, separate garages that can someday be torn down/converted if necessary. New construction was also INTERESTING and not value engineered to remove the smallest details or use the cheapest materials. I so wish our skyline were similar and I'm nervously holding my breath for Waterline to be the main stunner of TX....but we'll see about that one. The lighting on their towers actually looked classy and glitzy, compared to our mostly lazy approach.

Speaking of detail, every sign or neighborhood has some flair or identity to itself. I think we're onto a good start with SOCO, 2nd street, 6th / RR, but we need to flesh out a more cohesive USE for our different hoods. I'd personally love to see a design district here or something similar for trade businesses.

Lastly, this one comes with time, but it was so amazing to see taller buildings outside of downtown. We attended a wedding in University Park on the top floor of some office tower and I felt so envious and wish we had something like that in Uptown/Domain.

You happened to have stayed next to a couple of new apartment buildings with stand-alone parking, but to be fair, Dallas has plenty of residential towers with parking podiums. In Victory Park: The Victor,

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by Green Country

You happened to have stayed next to a couple of new apartment buildings with stand-alone parking, but to be fair, Dallas has plenty of residential towers with parking podiums. In Victory Park: The Victor,

Kinda what I figured, although it hurts that their main course towers are sans parking podiums :/

Those Urby towers are ATTRACTIVE. I wish we had something very similar here.

[H2O]

Stand alone parking structures are an indication of lower property values. While they might theoretically be easier to redevelop than a podium (if that ever actually happens) they are significantly worse for walkability and urbanism in the meantime.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by H2O

they are significantly worse for walkability and urbanism in the meantime.

How so exactly?? To me, an attached garage that's nearly 50% of a tower seems like a pretty permanent leech/eyesore. For most towers, it's nearly impossible to convert that space into anything non-car oriented and the cost would likely be way more than just razing a stand alone structure.

[drummer]

Saw this pop up on LinkedIn today. It's a virtual event - and a bit pricey for my tastes - but thought some folks on here may be interested. I don't personally know anything about Richard Florida, so don't consider this an endorsement or anything else from me.

The Future of Cities 2024
The Future of Cities series examines national trends affecting U.S. cities. Tune in as we sit down with futurist, urbanist and author Richard Florida to better understand the challenges and opportunities reshaping America.

WHEN
Monday, March 25, 2024
2:00pm –3:30pm

https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjourn...ource=linkedin

[GoldenBoot]

I absolutely LOVE this idea!

https://austin.towers.net/build-the-zilker-beer-garden/

[Riverranchdrone]

I second that. As long as it is not over priced. At the Fair and Rodeo 1 beer was $10. That is crazy high. I can get 6 beers for that price.

[MikeInNB]

Originally Posted by Riverranchdrone

I second that. As long as it is not over priced. At the Fair and Rodeo 1 beer was $10. That is crazy high. I can get 6 beers for that price.

Well you're not going to get a $2 beer there, but I get your point. And 10PM is most definitely nightlife. It needs to close at dark no matter the season, if you are serious about family friendly, IMO.

[Green Country]

Wall Street Journal: “Once America’s Hottest Housing Market, Austin is Running in Reverse”
https://www.wsj.com/economy/housing/...verse-94226027

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by Green Country

Wall Street Journal: “Once America’s Hottest Housing Market, Austin is Running in Reverse”
https://www.wsj.com/economy/housing/...verse-94226027

Austin is an easy target. Great for click-bait articles.

The market is correcting itself. We all know that.

People from California, New York, Michigan, Illinois, etc. were coming to Austin - paying more than asking price for homes - which caused an unsustainable, overvaluation of homes - and now that the influx of people leaving lock-down states has subsided (for the most part), the market is correcting itself to more accurate, sustainable pricing. There still a ways to go.

It also does not help that interest rates and the overall cost of living are much higher - not just in Austin.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by Green Country

Wall Street Journal: “Once America’s Hottest Housing Market, Austin is Running in Reverse”
https://www.wsj.com/economy/housing/...verse-94226027

That article is written from a CRE point of view. I am very happy that home prices and rents are coming down. That is much better for the City than increased living costs that drive people away to the suburbs.

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by The ATX

That article is written from a CRE point of view. I am very happy that home prices and rents are coming down. That is much better for the City than increased living costs that drive people away to the suburbs.

If only they could come down another 200k for a median home.

[Lobotomizer]

I'd love to see decent 1 bedroom apartments in decent areas get back down in the $800/month range as well. Even right now run down 1 bedrooms in crappy areas are $1200 a month. That's a travesty, so I say just keep on building baby!