The Transformation of South Lamar

[AustinYIMBY]

By the way... the parking garage at 704 is all open now. You can drive all the way to the top for the time being since the gate is not currently functional. Here are a couple pics, but for some reason I didnt include the Bowie/Spring buildings in the view of DT.
Looking North

West

East (St. Ed's)

[KevinFromTexas]

Nice views. I'll have to make it over there sometime next week. I'd like to see those views. The one looking toward Saint Edward's looks like a small town in the Hill Country.

[AustinYIMBY]

They are making good and pretty quick progress on new sidewalk in front of Hanover. Which makes me very happy since I traverse this section frequently.



One of the biggest problems I see with S Lamar, and the huge growth in the area, is the poor conditions/layout of the sidewalks on the road. One of my biggest peeves is this:

(It looks like this specific location, in front of Hanover, will be remedied by a new section of sidewalk that will be closer to the building that takes the route around this utility pole.)

But that pole is not the only one on S Lamar that is right in the middle of the sidewalk. And it is certainly not the only one around Austin. I can think of Red River St around Hancock and I think on Guadalupe north of the drag.
I see quite a few mobility impaired (wheelchairs) people on S Lamar that seem to struggle with the tight clearances around the utility poles and the overall poor quality of sidewalks. On several occasions I have seen these people forced to go onto the road to get past some sections.

The other issue is the lack of bicycle lanes along most of S Lamar. I wish the city would have put requirements on all the new developments to move the curb back a little bit and put bicycle lanes in front of the new projects. This would at least create areas for cars to pass bicycles in the present and then in the future the city could connect these areas when the next major roadwork occurs. I see this as a safety issue, as well as a traffic flow issue. There is great potential for biking along this corridor, which would help alleviate the traffic, but right now I think a lot of people are too scared to ride this section.

[LoneStarMike]

Originally Posted by kadingpa

One of the biggest problems I see with S Lamar, and the huge growth in the area, is the poor conditions/layout of the sidewalks on the road. One of my biggest peeves is this:

I'll bet that utility pole was probably put up with no sidewalk, and then the sidewalk was built later.

I live on S. Lamar, too, between Red's Porch and Brodie Oaks Shopping Center. When I moved into this complex in 1998, there was _no_ sidewalk on the west side of S. Lamar in that stretch. There was nothing but a grassy ditch. The bus stop consisted of a pole with the words "Bus Stop" and the route number (#38). That's it. No trash can, no bench, no sidewalk, nada.

There's a reason our sidewalks suck and it was the subject of an Austin Chronicle story a couple of weeks ago.

Where the Sidewalks End
Austin's patchwork sidewalk system has a history – and just maybe a better future
By Richard Whittaker, Fri., July 11, 2014

Dead ends. Orphan sidewalks, with a walkway in front of one house, but not its neighbor's. Dirt tracks by major roads. Nothing at all in many central neighborhoods, forcing walkers, commuters, runners, families with small kids and strollers, and people with disabilities out into the road, hoping that oncoming traffic sees them and steers clear.

[SNIP]

For Mark Cole, project coordinator at the city's Neigh­bor­hood Connectivity Division, it's a historical problem that all starts in the late Nineties. Actually, it started before then, but that's when the city took responsibility for the sidewalks. Prior to that, sidewalks – which typically lie in a public easement on private property – were solely the responsibility of the property owner, and there was no duty or ordinance requiring landowners to install them. Cole said, "There were years where the city didn't build sidewalks or maintain sidewalks."

Neighborhood Connectivity Project Manager John Eastman notes that, before World War II, being a pedestrian was the norm. That's why the 19th century core of Down­town has a good system, and why older planned communities like Hyde Park have a connected grid. If they didn't, then nobody would have been able to get anywhere. However, Eastman said, "Then there was a period where we were all enamored of The Jetsons and we were pretty sure we'd never need [sidewalks] anymore, so they just stopped being built. That went on for decades, and it's only been in the last 10, 15 years that they've been required."

[LoneStarMike]

Slideshow: Lamar Union moves toward completion; four retail spaces left
Jan Buchholz
Austin Business Journal
September 19, 2014

In fact, of the 86,000 square feet of retail space, only 7,625 remains to be leased — four spaces ranging in size from 973 square feet to 2,680 square feet.

[SNIP]

The verified retail line-up in addition to Alama Drafthouse and Highball now includes River City Market, Finley’s Barbershop, Resolute Fitness, Daily Juice, Optique Eyewear, Caffe Medici, Jose Luis Salon, Service Menswear, Boardlife and several restaurants — a new Latin concept by Chef David Garrido, an Italian restaurant by Emmett and Lisa Fox, the Lamar Backyard by the restaurant group that operates J. Black’s Feel Good Kitchen & Lounge on West Sixth Street, Vox Table and Shake Shack, the New York-based burger and hot dog joint.

[ohhey]

Are there any renderings of what is being built between the Retreat apartments and Red's Porch?

[mebentley]

I have noticed activity on the site of Post South Lamar Phase II. This is where Binswanger Glass and Austin Speed Shop were previously located, between the existing Post property and Lamar Square. The city is showing a bunch of permits for 3 buildings over parking like the existing project. More apartments coming soon to S. Lamar. https://www.austintexas.gov/devrevie...erRSN=11219492

[paul78701]

I just noticed yesterday that the Taco Bell between Riverside and Barton Springs is now closed. I wonder if that site is being redeveloped?

[AusTxDevelopment]

Originally Posted by ohhey

Are there any renderings of what is being built between the Retreat apartments and Red's Porch?

The project is called Eskew Place (crap name) and the address is 3600 South Lamar. There is a January post on Shaggy Bevo about it that links to the plans. Below is a link to that post, as well as the elevations:

http://www.shaggybevo.com/board/show...=1#post6267664

[lzppjb]

Hey, that's me.

[JoninATX]

Tower crane is up

[LoneStarMike]

^^Thanks for posting that. I'm kinda ashamed to admit I live at the Retreat - the apartment complex next door, and I pass by it every now & then on my way to 7-11, but I never think to bring my camera with me.

And yeah, Eskew Place is kind of a crappy name. There was something similar that was planned for that lot back around 2008 or so. Four-story building, 69 units, but I don't think it was going to have a restaurant pad. The name of the older project was "The View." (The back of that lot really does have some nice views.)

This is a photo I took back in 2008

[tie_guy]

Does anyone know when Shake Shack is suppose to open? Low key excited here.

[mebentley]

Is this the same project that was proposed for the Goodwill site near Barton Skyway and Lamar? https://www.austintexas.gov/devrevie...erRSN=11240253

[bearinaustin]

Originally Posted by tie_guy

Does anyone know when Shake Shack is suppose to open? Low key excited here.

Their twitter account seems to suggest the Fall opening has become a spring opening

SHAKE SHACK ‏@shakeshack Dec 5
@IntergalacticTX No fear. We're almost hear! We're opening next spring

[mebentley]

The documents detail a 4 story studio apartment building for low income occupants. Either 120 or 109 apartments, depending on which document you believe.

[LoneStarMike]

Originally Posted by mebentley

Is this the same project that was proposed for the Goodwill site near Barton Skyway and Lamar? https://www.austintexas.gov/devrevie...erRSN=11240253

It looks like the same project and if built, it would be managed by Foundation Communities.

http://austintexas.gov/sites/default...educedsize.pdf

Instead of the original project, which was to be where the Goodwill is, (on the west side of S. Lamar) this project is in a different location - where Kyle Chapman Motors is today (on the east side of S. Lamar.)

[mebentley]

Originally Posted by LoneStarMike

It looks like the same project and if built, it would be managed by Foundation Communities.

http://austintexas.gov/sites/default...educedsize.pdf

Instead of the original project, which was to be where the Goodwill is, (on the west side of S. Lamar) this project is in a different location - where Kyle Chapman Motors is today (on the east side of S. Lamar.)

I wonder what happened with the deal with Goodwill. They seemed pretty excited about getting a new building out of the deal. And I am interested in whether the new project will include any ground-level retail. The 1/22/14 document mentions 120 apts and no retail, but the more-recent notice from the city mentions 107 apt units in the traffic impact study, and I thought I saw some reference to street-level retail. This is right across from the Irie Bean coffee house and Chipotle, and in fact much closer to my house than the former proposed location.

[LoneStarMike]

Originally Posted by mebentley

I wonder what happened with the deal with Goodwill. They seemed pretty excited about getting a new building out of the deal.

Back in March, the Austin Business Journal reported:

Goodwill will continue to operate its store at 2800 S. Lamar Blvd. Last year the nonprofit tried to create an affordable housing development at that site in conjunction with Foundation Communities, but the deal fell apart when the necessary tax credits and funding did not materialize.

[KevinFromTexas]

I read on the South Austin Memories Facebook group someone said they heard the Golden Corral on South Lamar has been sold. The address is 3607 South Lamar. The only files I could find for it were for amending the lot.
https://www.austintexas.gov/devrevie...erRSN=11235706