AUSTIN | West Campus Development Thread

[Urbannizer]

Downtown Educational Facility Gains Redevelopment Approval

City Council approved a change in the future land use map from office to mixed-use for a local nonprofit looking to redevelop their property.

The applicant was originally requesting zoning from a general office, conditional overlay and neighborhood plan to community commercial, mixed use combining district, vertical mixed use and neighborhood plan.

The council approved an alternate recommendation for mixed use that came from the Planning Commission in August.

The property, located at 1103 West 24th Street, is .69 acres (30,056 square feet) in the West University Neighborhood, west of the University of Texas campus in Downtown Austin.

The site is currently developed with offices and classrooms for Texas International Education Consortium (TEIC).

According to their website, TEIC is a private nonprofit organization that advances international partnerships, collaboration, and exchanges for 31 public universities across the state of Texas, and operates the most experienced intensive English program in the state.

According to TEIC, the building, which was built in 1962, is in decline and disrepair and is too costly to repair.

According to city documents, a major reason for the rezoning request is that finding housing for their members is costly to the program and they desire to host participants in their building.

The three-story building has no distinctive architectural features. According to documents, materials are limited to glass windows and smooth masonry blocks with I-beams between stories. There is a glass curtain wall on the north wall of the office, facing West 24th Street.

TIEC is proposing to demolish the existing building and replacing it with a new and more functional office, classroom and residential building.

TEIC would like to attract a partner to help redevelop the property with them, according to the application submitted to the commission.

[Urbannizer]

Originally Posted by slippi

Just went by 1000 W 25th St and found that the old Chelsea Condos have been demolished. Anybody know what's coming next?

https://www.houstonarchitecture.com/...8-the-chelsea/

Address
2500 San Gabriel Street
Austin, TX 78705

Owner
WGC Partners

Architect
Mark Hart Architecture

The Chelsea student housing project at University of Texas will be a 184,311-square-foot, seven-story above grade, 118-unit, 250-bed multi-residential development totaling 184,311 square feet. This project consists of three and a half (3.5) levels of below grade parking and (7) seven levels of above grade occupied space.

[slippi]

Very nice.

[AustinGoesVertical]

https://www.villario.com/amenities/

Look at the Villas on Rio!

The finishes and amenities on this tower are unbelievable. Meditation areas, a rooftop pool, spa, lobby bar, and indoor basketball court. The actual interior design is classy, very similar to the common areas you’d see in downtown luxury residences.

This development even has five two-story penthouses with marble counters, real hardwood, Bluetooth showers, spiral staircases, and other smart home features.

Rent prices for this category of project are likely becoming on par with some studio and one-bedroom rates of The Bowie, Northshore, etc.

With the quality of development improving in West Campus, it makes you wonder when the area will become mixed use segment wise. Someone mentioned it on another thread (I apologize, can’t remember who), but if construction is already elevated to this level of delivery, I could see student housing units partitioned with condos or apartments for young professionals, especially given some uncertainties created by Covid.

It’s a question of whether people would want to live in the same tower as students, but with the right separation, maybe you get 18-29 demographic rentals, and then 30-something “bachelor” studio or one-bedroom luxury condos. Lincoln Park in Chicago near DePaul is an interesting example. Lots of 30’s couples with young kids co-existing among college students and 20-something working professionals, at least on a neighborhood level. This is similar to some East Coast college towns as well.

Austin is clearly expanding beyond “college town” but maybe West Campus is getting dense enough where eventually it can have its own identity, with more retail and offices outside the main CBD that service a multitude of people. Think of Cornell/Ithaca as a model. The quality of development appears to be moving that way at least.

[Geographer]

The Chelsea student housing project at University of Texas will be a 184,311-square-foot, seven-story above grade, 118-unit, 250-bed multi-residential development totaling 184,311 square feet. This project consists of three and a half (3.5) levels of below grade parking and (7) seven levels of above grade occupied space.

All of the parking is underground! Yes!!! I hope more buildings adopt this practice.

[ahealy]

Y'all, I was recently off 21st....Jesus.... it really has all gone even further downhill. I'm not sure if it's covid related, but it literally looked like a third world country--mattresses in the road, trash everywhere and (unfortunately) lots of homeless camps.

I haven't kept up with this thread, but what do we see as the future of west campus? I know it's been a craphole for the last 15 yrs or so, but will more and more mixed-use projects help with better housing efforts and slowly get rid of the "co-op" fleabag thing? Sorry, not trying to rant or offend if anyone lives there. I realize it is affordable in a very unaffordable city.

[papertowelroll]

Originally Posted by AustinGoesVertical

https://www.villario.com/amenities/

Look at the Villas on Rio!

The finishes and amenities on this tower are unbelievable. Meditation areas, a rooftop pool, spa, lobby bar, and indoor basketball court. The actual interior design is classy, very similar to the common areas you’d see in downtown luxury residences.

This development even has five two-story penthouses with marble counters, real hardwood, Bluetooth showers, spiral staircases, and other smart home features.

Rent prices for this category of project are likely becoming on par with some studio and one-bedroom rates of The Bowie, Northshore, etc.

With the quality of development improving in West Campus, it makes you wonder when the area will become mixed use segment wise. Someone mentioned it on another thread (I apologize, can’t remember who), but if construction is already elevated to this level of delivery, I could see student housing units partitioned with condos or apartments for young professionals, especially given some uncertainties created by Covid.

It’s a question of whether people would want to live in the same tower as students, but with the right separation, maybe you get 18-29 demographic rentals, and then 30-something “bachelor” studio or one-bedroom luxury condos. Lincoln Park in Chicago near DePaul is an interesting example. Lots of 30’s couples with young kids co-existing among college students and 20-something working professionals, at least on a neighborhood level. This is similar to some East Coast college towns as well.

Austin is clearly expanding beyond “college town” but maybe West Campus is getting dense enough where eventually it can have its own identity, with more retail and offices outside the main CBD that service a multitude of people. Think of Cornell/Ithaca as a model. The quality of development appears to be moving that way at least.

Kinda surprised places in West Campus at this price point can survive. Are we sure it's not just for the kids from Highland Park?

If you are a professional in 2020, why would you pick West Campus over Seaholm or Rainey or east side, etc.. Maybr in another decade I could see it developing the way that you have described.

[Geckos_Rule]

Originally Posted by ahealy

Y'all, I was recently off 21st....Jesus.... it really has all gone even further downhill. I'm not sure if it's covid related, but it literally looked like a third world country--mattresses in the road, trash everywhere and (unfortunately) lots of homeless camps.

I haven't kept up with this thread, but what do we see as the future of west campus? I know it's been a craphole for the last 15 yrs or so, but will more and more mixed-use projects help with better housing efforts and slowly get rid of the "co-op" fleabag thing? Sorry, not trying to rant or offend if anyone lives there. I realize it is affordable in a very unaffordable city.

I've said it before, but I think at some point, a good number of young professionals will realize that west campus is a much better value than other places in the city. As it stands now, the residents there that aren't students are fairly few and far between. But for a 28 year-old working downtown, you can easily get lower prices in West Campus than you could downtown, on south Lamar, most of east Austin, hyde park, or 45th street area.

I think eventually, and over the course of the next 10 years or so, more people will just deal with the fact that it's a bit grungy and loud, and move there anyways because of the lower (relatively speaking) rents. And with that, there's certain to start being more development that isn't student-centric, or at least not designed exclusively for students (e.g., with meal plans, etc.).

[papertowelroll]

Originally Posted by Geckos_Rule

I've said it before, but I think at some point, a good number of young professionals will realize that west campus is a much better value than other places in the city. As it stands now, the residents there that aren't students are fairly few and far between. But for a 28 year-old working downtown, you can easily get lower prices in West Campus than you could downtown, on south Lamar, most of east Austin, hyde park, or 45th street area.

I think eventually, and over the course of the next 10 years or so, more people will just deal with the fact that it's a bit grungy and loud, and move there anyways because of the lower (relatively speaking) rents. And with that, there's certain to start being more development that isn't student-centric, or at least not designed exclusively for students (e.g., with meal plans, etc.).

I think what you'd see first is the 22-25 group starting to stay in West Campus. Then maybe 5 years later you'd start to see some 25-30.

When I was in school you GTFO of west campus at 22, but I'm not sure if that has changed.

[H2O]

Originally Posted by papertowelroll

I think what you'd see first is the 22-25 group starting to stay in West Campus. Then maybe 5 years later you'd start to see some 25-30.

When I was in school you GTFO of west campus at 22, but I'm not sure if that has changed.

I lived in West Campus (at the far west end of 22nd Street across from the house Tim League lives in now) when I was 39. It was relatively quiet and pleasant at that end of the street, but you did have to walk through the rest to and from the bus.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by Geckos_Rule

I've said it before, but I think at some point, a good number of young professionals will realize that west campus is a much better value than other places in the city. As it stands now, the residents there that aren't students are fairly few and far between. But for a 28 year-old working downtown, you can easily get lower prices in West Campus than you could downtown, on south Lamar, most of east Austin, hyde park, or 45th street area.

I think eventually, and over the course of the next 10 years or so, more people will just deal with the fact that it's a bit grungy and loud, and move there anyways because of the lower (relatively speaking) rents. And with that, there's certain to start being more development that isn't student-centric, or at least not designed exclusively for students (e.g., with meal plans, etc.).

Yes, I can see that happening for sure. I think development will help in this area A LOT. Again, it just looked reallllly gross...mainly with the shitty old apartment buildings. I can see our campus zone resembling something like Seattle's.

[Sigaven]

Originally Posted by ahealy

Y'all, I was recently off 21st....Jesus.... it really has all gone even further downhill. I'm not sure if it's covid related, but it literally looked like a third world country--mattresses in the road, trash everywhere and (unfortunately) lots of homeless camps.

I haven't kept up with this thread, but what do we see as the future of west campus? I know it's been a craphole for the last 15 yrs or so, but will more and more mixed-use projects help with better housing efforts and slowly get rid of the "co-op" fleabag thing? Sorry, not trying to rant or offend if anyone lives there. I realize it is affordable in a very unaffordable city.

Just drove down 21st today and around the area. I guess I'm not seeing that many terrible things about it? The co-ops look like garbage but other than that it's pretty much just like any other area in WC. What homeless camps?

[Echostatic]

2020 Nueces

[The ATX]

This could be another 300 footer. A site plan was filed today for a residential project called Nueces Tower.

https://abc.austintexas.gov/public-s...ertyrsn=268131

[Urbannizer]

Design change 2513 Seton, the project has grown in size.

https://www.lincoln-ventures.com/2513-seton_

[Geckos_Rule]

Honestly, that's not bad at all for West Campus. Unlike a few others, this doesn't look like a design that will age poorly in 10+ years.

That said, I really hope we see: (1) more brick in WC buildings, at least like this one; and (2) more and more street-level retail and commercial spaces. This looks to be somewhat limited on that front, but at least there's some sort of restaurant/etc. space in there. Hopefully over time there won't be any new buildings with ground-floor apartments (or blank walls covering parking).

[ahealy]

That name is atrocious, but the design indeed ain't that bad. It's always good to see more infill over there. Can't wait to someday see great streets all over campus...

[atxsnail]

Originally Posted by ahealy

That name is atrocious, but the design indeed ain't that bad. It's always good to see more infill over there. Can't wait to someday see great streets all over campus...

eventually all of west campus will just be some iteration of "the RUCKUS"

[the Genral]

Originally Posted by ahealy

That name is atrocious, but the design indeed ain't that bad. It's always good to see more infill over there. Can't wait to someday see great streets all over campus...

It would be challenging but doable to darken parts of the 'R' in Ruckus, so at night it would take on an interesting alternative.

[Geckos_Rule]

Originally Posted by ahealy

That name is atrocious, but the design indeed ain't that bad. It's always good to see more infill over there. Can't wait to someday see great streets all over campus...

They're probably still doing it, but with the first iteration of the "Ruckus," part of the schtick was that they would give you a free Honda Ruckus scooter to ride around on if you signed a 1-year lease there. Pretty good deal considering how crazy convenient they are to have in WC/Downtown.