AUSTIN | Hotel Indigo/Holiday Inn Express | 136 FEET | 13 FLOORS | Complete

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/pr...fice-site.html

Apr 26, 2013, 5:00am CDT

Another downtown post office site in line for a big makeover

Journeyman wants $30M hotel; aiming for the middle

Robert Grattan
Staff Writer-
Austin Business Journal

The $30 million project would put an eight-story building with 180 to 200 rooms at a location — across the street from Stubb’s Bar-B-Q and a few blocks from the city’s convention center — that’s central to many of the festivals that draw thousands of people to Austin.

[KevinFromTexas]

They're seeking a Capitol View Corridor height determination for the site. The address is 805 Neches Street.
https://www.austintexas.gov/devrevie...erRSN=10902080

[Myomi]

Man I am really starting to like digging through the cities FTP site. Wish it was better organized, but I guess it's not meant for easy public browsing.

Looks like this project as of right now is a Holiday Inn Express. I know it's "Smart" to stay at a Holiday Inn Express, but I am not sure how well this brand fits across from Stubb's and in the heart of Red River. In any case, it will be a great location for hotel rooms. Please refer to the below link for the just uploaded site plan.

ftp://ftp.ci.austin.tx.us/ATD_AULCC/...%20Express.pdf

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by Myomi

Man I am really starting to like digging through the cities FTP site. Wish it was better organized, but I guess it's not meant for easy public browsing.

Looks like this project as of right now is a Holiday Inn Express. I know it's "Smart" to stay at a Holiday Inn Express, but I am not sure how well this brand fits across from Stubb's and in the heart of Red River. In any case, it will be a great location for hotel rooms. Please refer to the below link for the just uploaded site plan.

ftp://ftp.ci.austin.tx.us/ATD_AULCC/...%20Express.pdf

WORST UPDATE EVER. Holiday Inn "Express" on Red River?!?!?! Is this fucking disneyland?

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by ahealy

WORST UPDATE EVER. Holiday Inn "Express" on Red River?!?!?! Is this fucking disneyland?

UGH.... I'd rather keep the crapy garage for a while longer.

[austlar1]

It's infill that will diversify the area and make it healthier over time. It will be run as a pretty tight ship by HIE folks, and they are going to need to run a tight ship at that location. HIE provides a well priced product. Their in town locations in other cities (Manhattan, Chicago, etc.) are usually welcome additions to the neighborhoods they serve. The new buildings tend to be pretty undistinguished, but they usually relate to the street at ground level. Hopefully that will be the case in this location. Hopefully the city will hold the developer's feet to the fire to insure the right kind of building. Look for other smaller hotel projects to materialize over time in this area as the creek side area becomes more of a tourist attraction.

[alwaysmiling]

This is awesome because whenever I think about Stubbs, club deville, Mohawk, etc with all their hipness and all the other live music joints on red river the first hotel brand that comes to mind is holiday inn express....... I can just see the advertisement now of a casual fan hopping on stage and shredding some SRV, then when the crowd goes silent he says he stayed across the street. Perfectly lame. Thy should put it next to the la Quinta or better yet the domain. Definitely not what I had in mind when this project was first announced.

[migol24]

Its always strange when big companies try to cash in on things that are considered "hip" or for the more "culturally inclined," if you will, a la McDonald's and cappucinos.

Anyone remember the mural on 8th St, or 9th St, I think it was, when some artist from UT painted McDonald fries and it said, "keep fries weird"? I don't understand why people in Austin don't have backlashes over chains opening up in, of all things, a unique neighborhood like Red River, in the same way people protested over that mural. A Holiday Inn Express is sort of on the same vein. When the cool things about Austin start to get more "touristy" eyebrows should be raised. I hope this doesn't continue.

Next thing you don't want to hear is some big corporation trying to cash in on Austin and its breakfast tacos.

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by austlar1

Hopefully the city will hold the developer's feet to the fire to insure the right kind of building. .

I would hope so as well....However, what I am learning is that if there are no variances asked for, there is no barganing needed!
So... hopefully they will need something from the city and barganing can be had!

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by migol24

Its always strange when big companies try to cash in on things that are considered "hip" or for the more "culturally inclined," if you will, a la McDonald's and cappucinos.

Anyone remember the mural on 8th St, or 9th St, I think it was, when some artist from UT painted McDonald fries and it said, "keep fries weird"? I don't understand why people in Austin don't have backlashes over chains opening up in, of all things, a unique neighborhood like Red River, in the same way people protested over that mural. A Holiday Inn Express is sort of on the same vein. When the cool things about Austin start to get more "touristy" eyebrows should be raised. I hope this doesn't continue.

Next thing you don't want to hear is some big corporation trying to cash in on Austin and its breakfast tacos.

You are so right.
We went into the new Hampton Inn on Lavaca just to see how they had used that shell.
If I heard the staff say "we just trying to keep it Weird" one more time, I was gonna puke! It's some corporate programming they are trying to do.
I will say I was caught in between thinking.....that;s cool, they are trying....and... Stop! Please! (Cause , let me tell you....that manager they shipped in for that job was about as far from "Weird" as you could get! LOL! )

[migol24]

Originally Posted by MichaelB

You are so right.
We went into the new Hampton Inn on Lavaca just to see how they had used that shell.
If I heard the staff say "we just trying to keep it Weird" one more time, I was gonna puke! It's some corporate programming they are trying to do.
I will say I was caught in between thinking.....that;s cool, they are trying....and... Stop! Please! (Cause , let me tell you....that manager they shipped in for that job was about as far from "Weird" as you could get! LOL! )

Its like trying to fit in a brand that isn't a brand at all. At least that is what I get out of Austin. It feeds local artists and creativity to develop their own unique style, but if people don't keep their heads up that style will fade. The "keep austin weird" motto will backfire. It's like Hollywood. One movie is successful for its originality so they continue to recreate sequel after sequel. Eventually that shit ain't real anymore. I'm not saying that Austin is headed in that direction, but you can see little glimpses of this happening. For all the media attention Austin gets, people have to be aware that any of it doesn't backfire.

I simply think that Austin should continue to support local economy, especially now more than ever. A few chains here or there will not spoil the fun. All in moderation, I guess.

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by migol24

Its like trying to fit in a brand that isn't a brand at all. At least that is what I get out of Austin. It feeds local artists and creativity to develop their own unique style, but if people don't keep their heads up that style will fade. The "keep austin weird" motto will backfire. It's like Hollywood. One movie is successful for its originality so they continue to recreate sequel after sequel. Eventually that shit ain't real anymore. I'm not saying that Austin is headed in that direction, but you can see little glimpses of this happening. For all the media attention Austin gets, people have to be aware that any of it doesn't backfire.

I simply think that Austin should continue to support local economy, especially now more than ever. A few chains here or there will not spoil the fun. All in moderation, I guess.

[austlar1]

I don't have a problem with a budget brand at that location. I am sure that it will do good business with visitors who go to hear music or hang out in that part of downtown. My concern is (I just took an online tour of HIE center city properties ) that except for properties in Manhattan and Chicago, HIE's downtown or center city properties in other cities tend to be generic and auto-centric. The buildings may face the street, but most of the street level is given over to accommodating cars with garage entrances and motor courts fronting the street. They don't give much back to the street. None of them have bars or restaurants on site that might benefit from exposure to the street. At this point the idea of retail in that area is a non-starter. I expect to see a 6 to 8 story box with a lobby area, motor court, and garage entrance/exits taking up most of the block. I sure hope I am wrong. The city should insist that the auto entrance and garage entrances are at the rear of the property. I wonder whether that is a possibility?

[LoneStarMike]

The parcel in question is rectangular, with Neches & Red River being the shorter sides and E. 9th and (an alley?) being the longer sides, so maybe the rooms would be facing E. 9th or the alley? The motor court entrance is on the (shorter) Neches side, and I don't know what the shorter side facing Red River will look like. But at least the lot doesn't run the full length of Red River in that block.

I found the documents from the Planning Commission

http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=187606

It says the applicant is proposing a mixed-use hotel with retail/commercial on the ground floor and the hotel rooms on top, so with the retail/commercial it seems like there will at least be some interaction with the street.

As far as it being a budget hotel, the document notes that it's in the Waller Creek District and one of the goals in that district is to "encourage new development that promotes the area as a diverse, liveable, and affordable mixed-use district with a distinctly local feel."

Well, they got the affordable part down, and hopefully they'll do something that will give it the distinctly local feel. It may not be ideally what some of us would have liked to see, but it might not end up being as bad as what some of us are thinking.

And at least it will generate more tax revenue and look a helluva lot better than the existing parking garage, and the bed taxes it generates will help fund the Convention Center.

[austlar1]

Originally Posted by LoneStarMike

The parcel in question is rectangular, with Neches & Red River being the shorter sides and E. 9th and (an alley?) being the longer sides, so maybe the rooms would be facing E. 9th or the alley? The motor court entrance is on the (shorter) Neches side, and I don't know what the shorter side facing Red River will look like. But at least the lot doesn't run the full length of Red River in that block.

I found the documents from the Planning Commission

http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=187606

It says the applicant is proposing a mixed-use hotel with retail/commercial on the ground floor and the hotel rooms on top, so with the retail/commercial it seems like there will at least be some interaction with the street.

As far as it being a budget hotel, the document notes that it's in the Waller Creek District and one of the goals in that district is to "encourage new development that promotes the area as a diverse, liveable, and affordable mixed-use district with a distinctly local feel."

Well, they got the affordable part down, and hopefully they'll do something that will give it the distinctly local feel. It may not be ideally what some of us would have liked to see, but it might not end up being as bad as what some of us are thinking.

And at least it will generate more tax revenue and look a helluva lot better than the existing parking garage, and the bed taxes it generates will help fund the Convention Center.

Good find, LoneStarMike.

[BevoLJ]

So I'm trying to figure out the height of this to see if it should be on my Projects thread, and am I seeing it right on page 11 where it says it will be 87 feet? Usually 8 stories reaches the 100' cut off I use.

[KevinFromTexas]

The article got it wrong, it's actually at 8th & Neches.

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/ne...-proposed.html

Sep 6, 2013, 5:52pm CDT
Yet another hotel proposed in Austin

Robert Grattan
Staff Writer-
Austin Business Journal

Another Austin hotel is being proposed, this time at 805 Neches St., east of Interstate Highway 35.

Land owner 9th Red River LLC is seeking to rezone two lots to allow a hotel to be built.

The 0.81 acres that will be rezoned are listed as two 17,674-square-foot lots, one of which is vacant and the other is listed as a garage. The owner has proposed building a hotel on both lots, according to city documents. Other details on the project are not yet available.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

The article got it wrong, it's actually at 8th & Neches.

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/ne...-proposed.html

The parking garage across from Stubbs is on 9th, so the article seems correct. The hotel appears to be proposed for the 9th St side of the block between Red River and Neches.

[KevinFromTexas]

Yes, but the first line says it's east of I-35. And I meant north side of that block.

[JoninATX]

I wish there was a rendering for this project.