Austin | Q2 Stadium (Austin FC) | Complete

[ATX2030]

Looks great!

https://www.austinfc.com/uniformforaustin

[AustinYIMBY]

Originally Posted by freerover

Tear it down and build places for people to live that preserve space for businesses on the bottom floor or bottom few floors. I think you guys are fetishizing shit for no good reason. You should have joined the NIMBY's fighting this stadium if this is how you felt.

While I am usually a proponent of more and denser housing on already developed land, I think it is important to think about the important services the current businesses in the area provide to the entire city. Most of the businesses are warehouses and construction suppliers that are crucial to contractors, small businesses, homeowners, etc.
You can say that these businesses can move to more industrial areas on the outskirts of town (which this area was, not so long ago), but that just moves those businesses further from their customers. The further away these businesses are from their customers and other businesses, the more time on the road and more traffic getting in and out of the city.
I am all for filling in some of the empty lots and excessive parking lots with VMU development, but I believe it is also important to keep these services close to the people that use them. And, most of these businesses require large, single level facilities with high ceilings, which would not fit into the mold of ground floor retail of an apartment building. Unfortunately large, sprawling facilities are still needed.

[gillynova]

I like how the jersey looks like!

[freerover]

Originally Posted by kadingpa

While I am usually a proponent of more and denser housing on already developed land, I think it is important to think about the important services the current businesses in the area provide to the entire city. Most of the businesses are warehouses and construction suppliers that are crucial to contractors, small businesses, homeowners, etc.
You can say that these businesses can move to more industrial areas on the outskirts of town (which this area was, not so long ago), but that just moves those businesses further from their customers. The further away these businesses are from their customers and other businesses, the more time on the road and more traffic getting in and out of the city.
I am all for filling in some of the empty lots and excessive parking lots with VMU development, but I believe it is also important to keep these services close to the people that use them. And, most of these businesses require large, single level facilities with high ceilings, which would not fit into the mold of ground floor retail of an apartment building. Unfortunately large, sprawling facilities are still needed.

Then let's tear down the MLS stadium and restore this land to industrial use like it was before the city bought it. Picking and choosing winners and losers instead of supporting the market dictate development is extremely subjective. I think we can live with that if we are trying to save people from being displaced from their homes but floor warehouses? Take it over to Metric.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by freerover

Tear it down and build places for people to live that preserve space for businesses on the bottom floor or bottom few floors. I think you guys are fetishizing shit for no good reason. You should have joined the NIMBY's fighting this stadium if this is how you felt.

LOL. Ok. Take some deep breaths and calm yourself. This is a forum where we can share ideas and opinions. Christ, man.

Also, having been on this forum for well over a decade it's important to have mixed "middle of the road" feelings about certain developments at times. I am not PRO DEVELOPMENT 1000% just for the sake of it. We can see with certain projects around town that it sometimes does backfire and can make things less interesting and more homogenized.

[Novacek]

Small McKalla station detail, there's a update to the council Mobility Committee today. It calls out next steps for Project Connect, including "Initiate Broadmoor Station Red Line construction, McKalla station design" in December-January .

https://www.austintexas.gov/departme...01119-mobc.htm

[Tornado]

Originally Posted by ahealy

LOL. Ok. Take some deep breaths and calm yourself. This is a forum where we can share ideas and opinions. Christ, man.

Also, having been on this forum for well over a decade it's important to have mixed "middle of the road" feelings about certain developments at times. I am not PRO DEVELOPMENT 1000% just for the sake of it. We can see with certain projects around town that it sometimes does backfire and can make things less interesting and more homogenized.

This ^^^^^

not everything needs to be torn down. Get enough "new" development at the same time and everything will look the same since a lot of architects play off what they think the "it" design is.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by Tornado

This ^^^^^

not everything needs to be torn down. Get enough "new" development at the same time and everything will look the same since a lot of architects play off what they think the "it" design is.

The irony seems to be lost on you guys about sharing this sentiment in a message board where almost every thread is devoted to something that got torn down to make something else. I'm not angry. It just seems silly.

[Tornado]

Originally Posted by Tornado

This ^^^^^

not everything needs to be torn down. Get enough "new" development at the same time and everything will look the same since a lot of architects play off what they think the "it" design is.

Originally Posted by freerover

The irony seems to be lost on you guys about sharing this sentiment in a message board where almost every thread is devoted to something that got torn down to make something else. I'm not angry. It just seems silly.

if you come visit us down in the San Antonio section, a thread was just created about restorations and renovations.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by Tornado

if you come visit us down in the San Antonio section, a thread was just created about restorations and renovations.

and it's such a great thread!!! seriously, restoring our past can be a part of development and growth--something Austin should take point on yesterday.

Originally Posted by freerover

The irony seems to be lost on you guys about sharing this sentiment in a message board where almost every thread is devoted to something that got torn down to make something else. I'm not angry. It just seems silly.

Not angry or missing the irony....and not meaning to sound bitchy earlier. I think there should always be an ebb and flow with opinions on development. Austin has grown very fast since '07 and I feel most of it has been absolutely amazing....some, a little rushed. I know we're building, but I have trouble gripping onto the things that made me fall in love with Austin.

[atxsnail]

Renovations and restorations are often cool and definitely have their place. bigger projects like the Commodore Perry Estate, Zilker Clubhouse, and Colorado River water intake might even warrant their own threads.

But let's not pretend the industrial areas of the North Burnet Gateway area have any real character worth restoring or renovating. From the anonymous 1-story office buildings along Metric/Braker to the beverage distribution centers off Burnet, virtually all of it could disappear and no one on this board would even notice.

The best we can probably hope for is that some of these warehouses that contain viable and ideally non-industrial businesses can remain sprinkled in between better and higher uses like VMU or high density residential/commercial. We don't need an HVAC distribution district in the heart of north Austin where people should be. I'm guessing the only stuff most people would miss would be the breweries anyway.

I think our nascent brewery district is likely just a temporary one unless they can all find space solutions that are a little better future-proofed (like HopSquad). Even Circle Brewing had planned on leaving before the MLS announcement. Some like Austin Beerworks are probably safe*, while market forces will take out others like Celis before real estate concerns ever will. Some with really deep pockets like Oskar Blues can buy their buildings outright, but that's not an answer for most. Regardless, they've got probably a decade+ to adapt.

The only reason I could fathom for wanting to preserve this area at all would be to historically designate some of these as shooting locations for Office Space.

Edit:
* I looked it up, Austin Beerworks owns its own building.

[ahealy]

Originally Posted by atxsnail

Renovations and restorations are often cool and definitely have their place. bigger projects like the Commodore Perry Estate, Zilker Clubhouse, and Colorado River water intake might even warrant their own threads.

But let's not pretend the industrial areas of the North Burnet Gateway area have any real character worth restoring or renovating. From the anonymous 1-story office buildings along Metric/Braker to the beverage distribution centers off Burnet, virtually all of it could disappear and no one on this board would even notice.

The best we can probably hope for is that some of these warehouses that contain viable and ideally non-industrial businesses can remain sprinkled in between better and higher uses like VMU or high density residential/commercial. We don't need an HVAC distribution district in the heart of north Austin where people should be. I'm guessing the only stuff most people would miss would be the breweries anyway.

I think our nascent brewery district is likely just a temporary one unless they can all find space solutions that are a little better future-proofed (like HopSquad). Even Circle Brewing had planned on leaving before the MLS announcement. Some like Austin Beerworks are probably safe*, while market forces will take out others like Celis before real estate concerns ever will. Some with really deep pockets like Oskar Blues can buy their buildings outright, but that's not an answer for most. Regardless, they've got probably a decade+ to adapt.

The only reason I could fathom for wanting to preserve this area at all would be to historically designate some of these as shooting locations for Office Space.

Edit:
* I looked it up, Austin Beerworks owns its own building.

I agree with some of this. Most of the surrounding warehouses near the stadium can certainly go. I think the Metric area will adapt with new development, while maintaining the brewery district. Without that, it's just like East 6th....apartments with stale retail at the base where only the inhabitants of said apartments frequent.

This is sooo off topic now! Sorry!!

[drummer]

Originally Posted by ahealy

I agree with some of this. Most of the surrounding warehouses near the stadium can certainly go. I think the Metric area will adapt with new development, while maintaining the brewery district. Without that, it's just like East 6th....apartments with stale retail at the base where only the inhabitants of said apartments frequent.

This is sooo off topic now! Sorry!!

This part is stadium-related, so I say you're good.

[eskimo33]

There has to be a way to embrace the past whilst recognizing the future. As Le Curbusier once said (please do not crucify me if the quote is imprecise), "The materials of city planning are: sky, space, trees, steel and cement; in that order and that hierarchy."
For me (and my classically trained opinion), tearing down buildings for the sake of steel and cement are not conducive to a sustainable urban fabric.
Regardless, people will always crave a connection with nature [said sky, space and trees]. We should continue this cordial discussion in the misc discussion thread.

[eskimo33]

To nudge this topic further back on topic, I have a season ticket (in the cheap seats) and we should schedule a SSP meetup (in accordance with health guidelines of course) when we can!

[Syndic]

Sorry to backtrack but I think freerover got a little confused over what we were implying. We weren't implying that we think the area needs to stay the way it is, just that we like the area for what it is right now. Those are two very different things.

I personally like to see areas evolve over time and hopefully allow for the old to be captured in the new in some way. I don't think the old and the new have to be in constant conflict. Preserve the character, not necessarily the buildings.

Anyway, the area will change but not overnight, so let's just appreciate it for what it is when we go to Austin FC games next year.

[lynmark]

We did another drone flight over the stadium early this afternoon (12/6/2020).
Below is the link that contains the folders by date of all the drone flights. Each folder contains 2 videos and and a few image snapshots.

https://1drv.ms/f/s!AmeEiheXNMgOgv6YBdKE1Y3jGkdrI6E

Cheers!

[Syndic]

It's not easy to see from the webcam but the amount of green and brown on the outside of this thing now is very high.

[ATX2030]

Oracle could be a strong candidate for stadium sponsorship since moving their global HQ to Austin.

[atxsnail]

Originally Posted by ATX2030

Oracle could be a strong candidate for stadium sponsorship since moving their global HQ to Austin.

They definitely fit the description but unless they had already been in contact prior to their move it seems like this might have happened too late. There have been reports about multiple ongoing negotiations for a long time, though I guess as long as nothing is finalized then anything can happen.

There is also the "curse" of the former Oracle Arena to think about too...