Developers seeking zoning change for potential downtown mixed-use tower
By Shonda Novak
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 11:35 p.m. Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Published: 9:34 p.m. Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Developers are seeking a zoning change for a potential office project or an apartment tower that could rise up to 400 feet near the southeast corner of West Fifth and Bowie streets in downtown Austin.
It also is near the 42-story Spring condominiums and 29-story Monarch apartment highrise.
The Austin City Council is scheduled to vote today on the zoning request by developer Perry Lorenz, with Bowie Street Partners Ltd., which owns the property. Lorenz also is one of the developers of the Spring project at Third and Bowie.
The project would include an easement across the site that would allow the city Parks and Recreation Department to close a gap in the hike-and-bike trail along Shoal Creek south of Fifth Street.
By Shonda Novak | Wednesday, June 22, 2011, 03:54 PM
UPDATE: Jamil Alam, a principal with Endeavor Real Estate Group, confirmed the Austin-based firm intends to buy the land, and while the company hasn’t determined exactly what it may build there, preliminary plans are for either an office tower, or an apartment high-rise with some office space.
The site, near the southeast corner of Fifth and Bowie, encompasses three small buildings at 309, 311 and 315 Bowie, including an equipment rental business and Francois Photography.
There was no word on when any project might start.
Council approves zoning change for proposed downtown highrise
By American-Statesman staff | Friday, June 24, 2011, 07:26 AM
The Austin City Council, meeting late Thursday night, approved a zoning change that will allow Endeavor Real Estate Group to build a highrise tower on West Bowie between Third and Fifth Streets, on downtown’s eastern edge.
The council voted 6-1, with Laura Morrison voting no, to approve the zoning. The new zoning allows Endeavor to build as high as 400 feet in an area where standard zoning caps heights at 120 feet.
The only speaker in opposition was Heather Way, an affordable housing advocate, who said the city should have considered the project under a density-bonus ordinance that would have required Endeavor to contribute to an affordable housing fund in exchange for the new zoning.
She said the city was putting the cart before the horse.
So pretty much that it was a development and would increase the property taxes from $100k to $1.5 mil was reason enough. If it were a vote to turn that little equipment shop into a historic site and allow it to not pay taxes then I'm sure she would have been thrilled to vote for it.
I don't think the average person has any idea how much money these skyscraper properties generate for the local tax base and what benefit they offer to the community. People were raising the issue with F1 of not using that money to pay for it since we don't have enough for school spending. The funny thing is most of these projects end up generating money that pays for schools. Oh, if only humans relied on logic instead of emotions like the Vulcans do.
For a greener Austin, 57-foot pecan tree faces the chop
Developer says tree must go for high-rise.
By Asher Price
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Published: 7:28 p.m. Friday, July 29, 2011
In a case that tests Austin's commitment to its environmental goal of a dense urban core, a city board is faced with giving its blessing to the cutting down of a 57-foot-tall pecan tree on prime downtown real estate to make way for the construction of a 400-foot office or residential tower .
The proposed building, near the southeast corner of West Fifth and Bowie streets, is the sort of project that environmentalists typically favor as they try to foster a sustainable downtown: a tall building within walking distance of businesses and apartments. Officials with Cerco Development , which wants to build the project, say the building will meet green building standards.
But standing in the way is the pecan tree, which has a 32-inch-diameter trunk too thick for an adult to circle with both arms. A city arborist rated the tree's condition as "good" — not as good as very good or excellent, but better than fair, poor, critical or dead.
I love Pecan trees. They are some of my favorites. I have some here at my house and planted quite a few out at my farm. But none of them are even close to 32 inches. That is a real shame.
Why can't they move it? It says because of utilities. I have to find that kind of hard to believe. There must be some way to move the tree. Have the developers pay to have the lines lowered for a week while they move the tree.
Shouldn't the lines around the property be buried anyway after the building is finished? I'm not real familiar with that lot, but I do know the tree sits smack dab in the middle of it. So there's at least no way they could build around it. I highly doubt it anyway.
In addition, Endeavor Real Estate Group said Thursday that it plans to build 350 apartments in a previously announced tower planned for West Fifth and Bowie streets. Jamil Alam, a principal with Austin-based Endeavor, said the building will have about 34 stories and will include 45,000 square feet of office space.
Alam declined to release additional details about Endeavor's project.
Usually planning comission decisions are no more than recommendations to the city council. But the heritage tree ordinance seems to require the planning comission support before a project can move forward.
Saving that single tree in lieu of downtown densification sure seems anti-environmental. Maybe the developer can offer to plant a bunch of trees on Austin parkland or elsewhere in the city and appeal the decision. That certaintly seems like a win for everyone.
Usually planning comission decisions are no more than recommendations to the city council. But the heritage tree ordinance seems to require the planning comission support before a project can move forward.
Saving that single tree in lieu of downtown densification sure seems anti-environmental. Maybe the developer can offer to plant a bunch of trees on Austin parkland or elsewhere in the city and appeal the decision. That certaintly seems like a win for everyone.
Too bad they seem unable to build around the tree and incorporate it into the building itself. That would be awesome to see.
Great... now those future residents can build in a neighbood that had to cut down 30 pecan trees over our watershed. More short sighted, small thinking by our government.
That's right. Never mind all Oaks, Pecans, etc., and cotton fields that will vanish because the stupid anti-growth folks are worried about one tree in the middle of downtown.
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