Brazos Place Opens to Residents, Units Still Available
This week, however, comes good news for buyers with the opening of Brazos Place on 8th street between Brazos and Congress. Brazos Place houses 72 units in the redeveloped shell of the former Commore Perry hotel. With fewer than 12 units still available (Brazos Place Listings) ranging from a 623 SF 1/1 for a very reasonble $259,000 to a 1,399 SF 2/2 for $464,900 to a 2,745 SF 3/3 penthouse for $1.575M, Brazos Place is nearly 85% sold out and is available for immediate occupancy.
In addition, the developers have announced that they are providing incentives on some of the remaining units:
- $15,000 to $25,000 off for any contracts signed on 2-bedroom units by August 31, 2008.
- Onee year of free association dues on any one bedroom units put under contract by August 31, 2008.
Finally, the project has annonced new retail tenants. Anthony Nak and
Ana's Market are currently open. Baby Green's (salads & wraps) and
Launchpad Coworking (an internet cafe/bar) will be open by October 08.
Here are current images of the project:
New Apartment Tower to be Built in Warehouse District
The project is expected to contain 220 units and 15,000 square feet of retail on the 1/2 acre site. The project is scheduled to begin construction next year and to open to residents in late 2010 or early 2011.
Gables, a large national apartment developer with 63 communities and more than 50,000 units under management, is also working on a new 168 unit project on 5th street near Mopac which will rent for $1,300 to $1,800 per month. Gables also developed the Gables West Avenue Apartments, their first downtown project, at 3rd & West Avenue near Whole Foods.
Gables West Avenue Apartments at 3rd & West
Here is a summary from the Austin Business Journal:
A high-rise apartment tower is being planned for downtown's Warehouse District in an area teeming with new residential activity.Gables Residential plans to build a roughly 200-foot tower with about 220 units and 15,000 square feet of retail and commercial space at Fourth and Guadalupe streets. Gables bought the nearly half-acre site of former Fox & Hound Smokehouse and Tavern, east of Republic Square Park, from a group of local investors last year. The 15-year-old Gingerman Pub, also on the site, will move, general manager Kristin Jacobson says.The pub's original facade will be preserved as a historical feature of the new building, says Jennifer Wiebrand, spokeswoman for Gables Residential. The project will be able to support up to 70,000 square feet of parking.Construction is expected to begin in late 2009 and be completed in 18 to 24 months.
Hotel Van Zandt Cancels Condo Project
The developer of the 290 room Hotel Van Zandt and the 55 luxury Residences at the Hotel Van Zandt have announced that they are abandoning plans for the condo portion ofthe project. Instead of a 29-story tower with hotel and condos, the developers will proceed with a scaled-back 16-story hotel on the site near the Shore in the southeast corner of downtown.
The Residences at the Hotel Van Zandt were to feature 55 units ranging in size from 1,400 to 5,200 square feet and ranging in cost from $500,000 to $2 million. As we have mentioned before, it’s a tough time to get financing for large condo projects and many of the projects that have been conceptualized but not yet broken ground may face cancellation. For buildings that are already under construction -- the Austonian, Spring, W Hotel & Residences, Four Seasons Residences, BartonPlace -- are all expected to be completed as planned.
THE ORIGINAL PLAN FOR THE HOTEL VAN ZANDT:
THE NEW PLAN FOR THE HOTEL VAN ZANDT:
Austonian Proceeds: To be Tallest Residential Building West of Mississippi
At a press conference today, media were taken on a tour of the 10th floor of The Austonian, which, when finished, will serve as an urban garden complete with a 75-foot pool, fountains, private cabanas, two outdoor kitchens, two outdoor fireplaces, a secured dog park and wireless Internet.
At the event, the developers confirmed that construction of The Austonian, Austin’s tallest building and Texas’ tallest residential high rise building, is on schedule and will be completed at the pace of one floor per week. Under construction at 200 Congress in downtown Austin, the 56-story luxury high-rise condominium project is expected to be complete by early 2010. During construction of the tower, an estimated 500 cubic yards of concrete (about 55 truckloads) and 50 tons of structural steel will go into each level
Here are additional facts on the Austonian:
Height of Building: 683 feet; 56 stories
Gross Area Square Feet: 850,000
Total Residential Area Square Feet: 600,000
Total Number of Units: 188
Unit Size: 1,221 to 8,379 square feet
Shared Amenities: Over 40,000 square feet
Price Range: $559,000 to $8M+
Amenities: 24-hour concierge and security services, 24-hour valet service, housekeeping, dry cleaning and laundry services, Lobby-level retail, Secure climate controlled wine storage, Billiard room, 4 Guest suites, Private spa treatment rooms, Screening room with seating for 12, Conference room, Swimming pool, fitness center.
$50 Million Downtown Condo Project Cancelled
The Metropolitan was conceptualized as a $50m 8 floor condo project on 11th Street near the Capital. With units priced from $250k to $1 million, the 84 unit project was expected to be completed in 2010. Like many real estate developers, the team behind the Metropolitan was facing tough times and a tough market. In fact, the developer -- Mote Group Real Estate Partners LLC -- filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy June 30. As a result, the land for the project will be point up for sale soon.
As the credit crunch continues, there is less margin of error for poorly conceived projects. While Austin has seen some big recent successes - tthe Shore and 360, both of which sold out before completion -- other projects have struggled. As with other project cancellations -- the market worked quite well: the project was unable to get enough interested buyers to secure funding, leading to cancellation prior to ground-breaking. Outside of collapsing markets like Miami and Las Vegas, it is very uncommon for projects to be cancelled once ground has been broken. With more than a dozen planned condo projects and an uncertain market, the Metropolitan won’t be the last cancellation. That said, the success of recent projects likely means that new buildings will continue to be announced.
The Next Big Downtown Change: 5 Proposals for Green Water Treatment Site Revealed
Nestled between Whole Foods, Ladybird Lake, Seaholm, Austin Music Hall, and the 2nd Street District is the City's oldest sewage treatment plant - the Thomas C. Green Water Treatment Plant - which began purifying water from Ladybird lake in 1925. The plant covers 6 acres across 4 city blocks. In addition to using a key tract of land to process water using 1920's technology, the plant also serves to disrupt the natural grid of the city -- it stops second street at its west end and blocks Nueces and Rio Grande from reaching Cesar Chavez.
The Green site offers an incredible development opportunity. With four downtown blocks, it is a huge chunk of land. The location is perfect -- it is on the lake and adjacent to both the hot second street district and the future Seaholm multi-use development. The site is free of Capital View Corridor restrictions, although portions of the site close to the lake are limited to 45 feet in height.
The plant, which is located between Cesar Chavez and Third streets between Seaholm and San Antonio is about to be decommissioned to make way for a new development. This week, the city released basic details on five proposals for redevelopment of the site. Once complete, the new development will likely add retail, housing, and office space while filling in the missing streets on the city grid.
Here are sample renderings from each of the proposals. It's an amazing set, they provide a vision of an important new urban district near the center of downtown Austin:
Larry Speck/PIRATE DESIGN
MITHUN
CATELLUS DEVELOPMENT GRO
BOSSE AND TURNER ARCHITECTS
COTERA AND REED ARCHITECTS
No matter who wins, here are some of the changes that are likely in store for the site when construction begins in 2010 or 2011:
- About 1,000 new apartments and condominiums including many affordably-priced units. While there are many condo and apartment projects currently under construction - and a few that have been cancelled -- demand remains very strong for central, affordable units. All proposals would include more than 100 units priced to be affordable for a family earning approximately $57,000.
- Multiple high-rise towers with downtown retail and restaurant space which will expand the thriving 2nd Street District.
- Lots of office space -- an important part of the downtown mix that has been largely ignored by the current building boom.
- The various proposals include many interesting elements such as a large downtown H-E-B., a movie theater, a major bookstore, a senior assisted-living center, a waterfront park, large hotels
Here is a summary of the individual proposals from the Statesman:
The proposals made by Catellus Development, Forest City, Simmons Vedder Partners, Stratus Properties, Trammell Crow and their respective partners have some things in common. But each also has elements unique to its plan. "Each one of the five has something that is different from the others, that's distinct to that proposal," Council Member Brewster McCracken said. "It's really amazing."
Trammell Crow and partners Constructive Ventures and USAA Real Estate Co. propose the biggest and tallest buildings with the most parking. Their plan also includes the most diverse uses, with space for a 350,000-square-foot hotel and a 250-unit senior assisted living facility in addition to condos, apartments, offices and retail businesses. Five public gathering spaces could accommodate as many as 2,700 people.
Stratus Properties' proposal includes a two-story H-E-B grocery store, with H.E. Butt Grocery Co. serving as a limited partner in the project.
"We think H-E-B being a full-service grocery store is something everybody can afford, it helps every one of those retailers in the area and it makes residential more viable," said the team's attorney, Steve Drenner.
A movie theater and bookstore would also help drive more traffic to the Second Street retail district.
Stratus and partner AMLI Residential are proposing the largest number of rental units, which they say would let them offer housing in a greater range of prices, and they plan to offer medical office space not found downtown. Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund, a partnership of Canyon Capital Realty Advisors and Magic Johnson Enterprises, is also a part of this team.
Simmons Vedder proposes a waterfront art park and four bridges over Shoal Creek, including two for pedestrians only.
This team, which includes Cotera + Reed Architects and Bury + Partners Engineering Solutions, also proposes to essentially turn the buildings into power plants by installing solar panels in the skins of its towers. It plans to use water collected from the condensation of air conditioners to flush the toilets.
Catellus Development has proposed a primarily residential project with 500,000 square feet of office space and nearly 200,000 square feet of retail. But the company is also offering to collaborate with city leaders and the community to develop a final master plan for the property that could differ significantly from its initial proposal.
"We're going to present something we think is really neat, dynamic, progressive and all of that, but with that said, if we are selected we're going to say, 'Let's go out and spend time and hear from the city what they really want and hear from stakeholders what they really want,' " Catellus President Greg Weaver said.
Forest City, which is partnering with Novare Group and Andrews Urban, emphasizes public spaces with a grand plaza at Second and Nueces streets complete with a fountain and transplanted moon tower. A grand staircase inspired by the Spanish Steps in Rome would connect the plaza to the trail along Shoal Creek, which would run from the Austin Energy site north of Third Street to Lady Bird Lake.
Patagonia to Lead Congress Avenue Comeback
Today, however, Patagonia -- the upscale outdoor clothing company -- announced that it will open it's first store in Texas in a historic downtown building located between 3rd and 4th street on Congress Avenue. This is a bold move for the company and it is great news for Austin. With the opening of a new destination store, the Patagonia announcement should lead more businesses to follow with a Congress Avenue presence.
Prior to 1960, Congress avenue was the center of retail and commerce for the City of Austin. Over the last 5 decades, Congress Avenue has been in a steady state of decline as city residents increasingly looked to suburbs for shopping and commerce. Today, there are only 13 retail business on the prime central stretch between the Capital and the lake. While a handful of restaurants continue to survive, Congress avenue storefronts are more likely to be vacant or filled with offices than utilized for retail or cultural purposes. With the opening of the Austonoan, the Patagonia Store, the new Arthouse and the redevelopment the historic Yaring's department store on Congress between 5th and 6th into retail and commercial space, there is once again hope that the former glory of our most prominent thoroughfare may be restored.
Here is a summary from the Statesman:
Patagonia, the Ventura, Calif. active clothing and equipment retailer, plans to open its first Texas store at 316 Congress this fall. The 7,000-square-foot store will be the company's 25th location and will carry outdoor sports and lifestyle products tailored to Austin outdoor activities like trail running, bouldering, paddling and hiking/trekking.The store will open in the historic W.B. Smith Building. The company says it chose Austin as the location for its first foray into the Lonestar State because of the city's reputation among the healthiest and greenest communities in the country.
Austin Hike & Bike Trail to be Extended
The Hike and Bike trail is a key downtown asset and one of the biggest selling points of downtown living. Extending the trail has been challenging as much of the land is owned and occupied by various commercial and residential projects -- some built as close as 20 feet from the lake.
With today's action, the City council has hired a firm to design a 1.1 mile boardwalk over the water to extend the trail without requiring redevelopment of existing properties. The full project is expected to cost $10 - $15 million to complete.
Development around Lady Bird Lake has stirred significant controversy over the last few decades, staring with the development of the Hyatt many years ago and continuing with a number of recent condo projects proposed for the South side of the lake. In today's meeting the city also took action to review current waterfront development guidelines.
According to the Statesman:
A 15-member task force will soon begin evaluating the city's development regulations for properties along Lady Bird Lake in an effort to eliminate inconsistent and vague rules that have frustrated developers and citizens opposing their projects.Members soon to be appointed will include a representative from the Parks and Recreation Board, the Planning Commission, the Design Commission, the Downtown Commission, the Environmental Board, Save Town Lake, the Town Lake Trails Foundation and the Real Estate Council of Austin.The City Council also will select representatives from registered neighborhood organizations with boundaries abutting Lady Bird Lake and owners of property within the affected areas.The group is scheduled to submit a public report with recommended changes by early fall, and the City Council probably will hold public hearings and vote on the recommended changes in January.
New Downtown Affordable Housing Initiative
As part of the initiative, the City is building a comprehensive affordable housing program around the large-scale development of the Green Water Treatment Plant between Seaholm and the second street district. The program has two primary components. First, to ensure that at least 10% of units are affordable to households earning less than $42,000 for a 1-2 person family (80% of the area median income), the City is reducing land prices and requiring developers that developers who want to participate in the project include affordable housing units. Second, the city will dedicate 40% of property taxes generated by the project to a housing fund which will provide subsidies to make additional units affordable.
The City plans to choose a developer in June.
Here is a summary from the Statesman:
City leaders have urged developers to build more affordable housing downtown with little success. Now, Austin plans to put its money where its mouth is with the upcoming sale and redevelopment of the Green Water Treatment Plant and nearby Austin Energy property.Blunting the developers' argument that land and building costs downtown are just too high, city officials plan to give them no choice but to include low- to moderate-priced housing in the redevelopment of the nearly four city blocks and as a result almost certainly will make less on the land sale."We're not in the business of making money," Council Member Brewster McCracken said. "We're in business to achieve public values and goals."The city also plans to directly subsidize additional units for even lower-income families and dedicate 40 percent of the property taxes generated by the redevelopment project to its affordable housing fund."I just think it's an opportunity to have much of both worlds: a lot of tax base delivered, hopefully a significant measurable one-time capital gains in the land sale and then a series of other community goals," Mayor Will Wynn said.
BartonPlace Approved by City, To Begin Construction
According to the developers, the project has taken deposits on approximately 80 of their units with a combined value of $40 million. With decent pre-sales, the project has been able to secure financing for the project from IBC Bank in Austin -- clearing the biggest hurdle to a new project and setting them up to begin construction in the next 30 days. The project is being developed behind Austin Java on Barton Springs road.
The project includes one, two, and three bedroom units starting at $263,000 for 683 feet. With a prime location close to downtown and next to Barton Springs pool and park, the project will is in a great location and well priced. As we have seen with many of the downtown projects, the lower the price, the higher the demand. Projects like 360 with many units under $400K have sold very quickly.
The following story from the Austin Business Journal includes additional details:
Construction should begin within 30 days on BartonPlace, which has already generated $40 million in presales.The development team has signed a private agreement with the Zilker Neighborhood Association limiting the development of the portion of the property that fronts Barton Springs Road in order to preserve the local businesses that make up Austin's "Restaurant Row." The developers are also pledging a $500,000 cash contribution for a local nonprofit to provide affordable housing in the area, and will be aim to meet a 3-star green building standard.
New AMOA Tower Soon to be Announced
Over the years, AMOA has worked hard to build a permanent home on the downtown lot that has become one of the most choice central Austin parcels. First, they proposed a free-standing museum which was scratched after the technology bust of the late 1990's scuttled a $65 million capital campaign. In a second iteration, the museum partnered with local developer Tom Stacy in 2006 to build a museum & condo tower on the lot. The building was proposed as a 30-story condo tower to be designed by world-renowned Pelli Clarke Pelli architects. Sometime last year, likely after the summer credit crunch, that deal fell apart.
Now, in a third and hopefully final project, rumors suggest that AMOA is close to announcing a new project which would combine an 40,000 square foot museum facility with an adjacent 425,000 feet of commercial office space in a new 465,000 square foot project on the AMOA-owned site. This would be the first new downtown office project since the 33-story 525,000 square foot Frost Bank Tower was completed in 2004.
As Austin's downtown core develops, the best scenario is a natural balance of retail, residential, commercial, cultural institutions and hotels. With the condo boom of the last two years, the quantity of residential and retail space downtown has grown substantially. While the addition of downtown commercial capacity takes a bold investor, new downtown office space is a good thing for the city. When Cousins Properties announced plans for the speculative development of the Frost Bank Tower at the height of the tech bust, everyone thought they were crazy. Just a few years later, the sale of the project set a new texas record.
The best news about the AMOA tower is that it will finally create a major downtown art museum. With the adjacent Ballet and the new Austin City Limits venue on Block 21, there is new hope that this corner of downtown will also become a new cultural center for the city.
Here is the summary from today's Austin Business Journal:
Sources say AMOA is close to inking a deal with Hines Interests LP of Houston to develop the downtown block south of Republic Square Park owned by the museum.The towering project would likely feature about 400,000 square feet of office space, with about 80,000 square feet of that set aside for the museum's new digs. It's unclear whether or not the project would include a residential component as a previous incarnation did. But, if realized, it would be the first new office property in downtown Austin in four years since the opening of the Frost Bank Tower.AMOA, which has a total of 35 employees, has been housed on the ground floor of 823 Congress since 1995.
New Businesses to Open on 2nd Street
One of the reasons for the success of the 2nd Street district is the centralized leasing strategy which groups all 44 retail locations in AMLI downtown, the CSC building, the Silicon Labs Building, and in City Hal under the control of a central leasing authority currently managed by AMLl. By centrally managing leasing, the district has been able to limit chain businesses while building a diverse collection of retail stores and restaurants that bring life to the neighborhood. As the district grows in size, it show only become stronger.
With the coming completion of the AMLI on 2nd rental tower between San Antonio & Guadalupe, a number of new businesses are soon to open on 2nd Street and in the surrounding blocks that form the district.
IMAGE: New AMLI on 2nd Tower Extends the 2nd Street District
The completion of the AMLI tower will bring 11 new retail businesses while bringing new life to the 7 businesses in the Silicon Labs building across the street. So far, 7 out of the 11 new retail locations in the AMLI Tower have been leased. They include the following new business which will soon appear on 2nd street. in fact, a couple—such as St. Bernard Sports—have already opened. The new 2nd Street businesses include:
- Z Pizza - An new downtown pizza restaurant
- Málaga - A Tapas restaurant which is moving from 4th street
- Minx
- La Condesa
- Kirk Furniture - A local vintage furniture store
- St. Bernard Sports - A Sporting Goods Store on 3rd street
- Dr Shane Matt -- Appears to be a dentist office
In addition, a few additional businesses are set to open soon throughout the district:
- Taste Select Wines
- Beyond Traditions Jewelry
- Mama Fu's - A local Asian Food Chain
With these additions, 42 of 55 of the retail stores in the 2nd Street District are now occupied. As new buildings such as the expansive Block 21 complex a W Hotel & Residences completed the street, the 2nd Street District will continue to shift Austin's center of gravity in its direction.
Three Downtown Projects Likely Postponed
As a result of slow progress, we have moved three projects into the pending stage until we receive clear confirmation that they are proceeding -- or if not -- that they have been postponed or cancelled. The delayed projects are:
5th & Congress
7th & Rio Grande
Residences at the Hotel Van Zandt
Now, with separate sections for active, pending, and cancelled projects on the Austin Towers home page, it will make it much easier for condo buyers to watch the projects that are most likely to be completed! In addition, we have adjusted the dates on a number of other projects to more accurately reflect current development timelines. If you know of any other delayed or pending projects, please drop us a note.
The Most Controversial Project: Version 3.0
The Congress Avenue Marriott, V. 1.0
The original plan for the project included 1,000 rooms across 3 separate Marriott-branded hotels in one convoluted multi-facted building. The second version of the project included two hotels in one building. Version 3.0, announced today, includes just one Marriott hotel with 1,000 rooms. With the changes and increases in downtown construction costs, the project budget has supposedly climbed from $185 million to more than $250 million.
The ironic thing is that the hotel is actually a good thing for Austin. A 1,000 room hotel will allow the city to book larger conferences and events -- bringing valuable tourism dollars and jobs to Austin. Their is a shortage of rooms downtown and a crazy large 1,000 room hotel can make a big difference. The problem is all in the developer's and Marriott's execution of the project: they seem to have no respect for downtown Austin and no interest in making it better place. If they hired an architect and surrounded the building with ground-floor retail, this would be a much more palatable.
Here is a summary from the Austin Business Journal:
Plans for a downtown hotel project at Second Street and Congress Avenue have changed yet again and will now feature a single, 1,000-room Marriott convention center hotel.White Lodging Services Corp. had originally planned to build three different hotels at the northeast corner of the intersection where Las Manitas café and other businesses currently stand. The proposed hotels included a 650-room Marriott convention center hotel, 200-room Renaissance Hotel and 150-room Springhill Suites hotel.Last summer the company switched course on the project saying it would build an 800-room convention center Marriott and 200-room upscale J.W. Marriott. The move was said to be due in part to greater demand for rooms dedicated to convention-goers and the growing market for upscale lodging downtown.This week White Lodging confirmed it will now build a single 1,000-room Marriott, but a spokesperson could not comment on why the group is altering course a third time. The most recent pricetag on the project puts the cost at about $250 million, though it's unclear if the new plan would alter that in any way.
We'll post new renderings as soon as they become available.
The Austin Parking Enterprise has Arrived
As we have written before, it is clear that parking is becoming a problem: the easier it is to park downtown, the more people will come downtown to shop, eat, live, work, and entertain themselves. High parking costs are already an obstacle to businesses thinking of moving into the city center. Many companies who can afford the rent are put off by the $150-$200 / month cost of providing parking for each and every employee. As parking costs continue to rise, it becomes a tax on every Austinite who wants to enjoy downtown, and it lowers the value of business and buildings who don't see as many visitors as they might if parking were cheap and plentiful.The result hurts the city by reducing sales tax and property tax revenues.
Here is a summary from the Austin Business Journal:
The Austin City Council approved a resolution to create a city agency that will build, finance and own structured parking garages in the city.The Austin Parking Enterprise will operate the parking garage planned as part of the Seaholm Power Plant redevelopment, and any publicly owned parking garage approved in the Green Water Treatment Plant redevelopment. The parking enterprise will consider expanding the supply of publicly-available parking in areas like downtown, the area around North Burnet/Gateway in the so-called "Second Downtown" area and in other transit-oriented developments near future commuter rail stops, and South Congress Avenue.The agency is intended to provide a dedicated long-term funding stream for planning and investing in pedestrian, bicycle and transit infrastructure, trails, and parking infrastructure after covering the costs of parking operations and maintenance. The agency would also make the city eligible for federal transit reimbursements and other state and federal grants.
As we have asserted, at $19,000 a space, parking is expensive to build. While the City clearly sees the parking shortage as a opportunity to add capacity and earn money for the city, this perspective may be short-sited. By focusing more on low cost parking and less on profits, the city could likely generate more revenue through sales and property taxes as well as hie prices for city owned land sold in the future.
Is That Really the View?
For example, here are two "views" from future units in the Austonian -- a 50+ story luxury project on Congress which is currently just a hole in the ground. The first image shows the West view from the 11th floor:
The second images shows the same view from a unit on the 54th floor:
Sooooo . . . . .what is their trick? How can they capture accurate views from hundreds of units in different positions on different floors. Do they use airplanes? Helicopters? No! They, like many condo developers across the United States, depend on Austin-based "Blimp Photo Services" to get these special images.
Here is the summary from the Statesman:
In recent years, Lockhart's 16-year-old Austin-based Blimp Photo Services business has been buoyed locally and nationally by the boom in high-rise condominium construction. He has taken panoramic aerial views of planned residential and commercial buildings in major U.S. cities and Canada. . . In Austin, he has photographed the viewsheds — the technical name for the views from a particular vantage point — for most of the downtown condominium projects that are under construction or are being planned. They include the Shore, Spring, the Austonian, the W hotel/condominium project and the Four Seasons Residences, a project that is expected break ground soon next to the Four Seasons Hotel.Brett Denton, a partner with Ardent Residential, which is developing the luxury Four Seasons high-rise, said Lockhart's photography "has been invaluable in helping our buyers better visualize the views from the various unit locations on different floors of our building."
While I am not sure how one gets started in personal blimp photography, it does serve an important market niche. For anyone who is planning to lay down big bucks on a high-rise condo that has not been built, it makes all the difference in the world to get a blimps-eye perspective of your future view.
New Destination Library May be Incorporated into Seaholm Plan
The big question has revolved around location -- what is the best available spot to realize this vision? A new consensus seems to be emerging around a prime lake-front lot between Seaholm and the current site of the Green Water Treatment Plant. The location -- currently an electrical substation -- is adjacent to the beautiful art deco Seaholm power plant structure which is set for mixed use redevelopment over the next few years, The facility is currently being decommissioned in preparation for redevelopment. On the other side, the Green water treatment parcel is in the earliest stages of development -- initial plans have not even been drafted.
Graphic Source: Austin Chronicle
Here is a summary from the Chronicle:
"So many parcels, so many plans! For the new central library, the site now proposed and favored by library advocates and the city is the current site of the Seaholm substation, an Austin Energy facility that fronts on Cesar Chavez, between West Avenue and Shoal Creek. Library advocates are excited about the location, where a stand-alone destination library (envisioned as world-class architecture) would overlook Lady Bird Lake. That signature structure would be flanked to the west by the redeveloped Seaholm Power Plant site and to the east by a four-block, high-rise redevelopment on the Green Water Treatment Plant site. Shifting the library from the Green site proper, said Council Member Brewster McCracken, will accelerate the project's schedule – with a design competition now slated for 2008. "They're a huge winner on this," he said of the library, which also gains parking and site preparation in the deal."
The Beginning of a Congress Avenue Comeback
IMAGE: Congress Avenue was the heart of commerce in the 1940s
With the creation of the thriving second street district and the arrival of a new breed of downtown condo residents, Congress avenue may be on the upswing. Over the next few years, the Austonian and a sprawling multi-Marriott complex will link Congress Avenue to the Second street district and the convention center dining district.
Today, a first step towards the revitalization of Congress avenue was announced. After 9 years of closure, the historic Yaring's department store on Congress between 5th and 6th is being redeveloped into retail and commercial space -- bringing new life to a shuttered eye sore on a key downtown block.
Here is the summary from the Statesman:
The historic Yaring's department store on Congress Avenue, which has sat empty for nine years, is getting a dramatic redo.The building at 506 Congress Ave., which was constructed in the late 1880s, is best known for the store Jacob Schmidt opened in 1936. Yaring's, once a pillar of downtown commerce, closed in 1998. A forlorn "For Lease" sign has hung across its pink stucco facade for years.Now, the plan is to renovate it for retail or restaurant use on the first floor and offices on the second and third floors, said Kevin Kimbrough, vice president of Oxford Commercial, which oversees leasing of the building for owner Walter Penn.
IMAGE: Yaring's Department Store on Congress Ave to be Redeveloped
Seaholm Rezoning Under Way
With the development of retail, cultural institutions, office, hotels, and condo units, these developments are likely to shift the center of gravity for downtown Austin further to the West. In fact, the Seaholm development, with the redeveloped shell of the mammoth art deco power plant at its core, may become the new heart of downtown. The Second Street district, which now forms the Western edge of the downtown core, will be much more central once development reclaims the blocks to the West.
Here is a summary from the Statesman:
The city is taking the first steps toward redeveloping two of its high-profile downtown properties by rezoning them.The City Council will vote tonight on rezoning the Seaholm Power Plant site in preparation for a mixed-use project that will include 80 condos, a 160-room hotel, 100,000 square feet of office space and up to 60,000 square feet of retail.The city wants to rezone the property to allow building heights of up to 393 feet. The height is now capped at 120 feet.The City Council could also approve a resolution to begin the process of rezoning the site of the Green Water Treatment Plant.No plans for that site have been formed, but the city intends to release requests for proposals from developers early next year.
Introducing Austin's Municipal Parking Authority
It is clear that parking is becoming a problem: the easier it is to park downtown, the more people will come downtown to shop, eat, live, work, and entertain themselves. High parking costs are already an obstacle to businesses thinking of moving into the city center. Many companies who can afford the rent are put off by the $150-$200 / month cost of providing parking for each and every employee. As parking costs continue to rise, it becomes a tax on every Austinite who wants to enjoy downtown, and it lowers the value of business and buildings who don't see as many visitors as they might if parking were cheap and plentiful.The result hurts the city by reducing sales tax and property tax revenues.
Other cities with emerging downtowns have overcome similar obstacles by building -- or providing incentives to build -- abundant free parking. In Fort Worth, for example. the Bass family which controls much of the land in the heart of downtown, built a successful pedestrian downtown by combining rapid multi-use pedestrian-friendly development with abundant free parking (and a private downtown security force). The combination worked and downtown Fort Worth has gone from an abandoned urban core to a vibrant 24x7 downtown in a little more than a decade.
Austin has a different plan. The City has proposed a Municipal Parking Authority which would build garages throughout downtown in partnership with developers in a joint venture that would bring in millions of dollars of parking revenue to the city. At $19,000 a space, parking is expensive to build. While the City clearly sees the parking shortage as a opportunity to add capacity and earn money for the city, this perspective may be short-sited. By focusing more on low cost parking and less on profits, the city could likely generate more revenue through sales and property taxes as well as hie prices for city owned land sold in the future.
Huge Downtown Site Slated for Development
Whole Foods has transformed an area of car dealers and auto body shops. The second street district transformed a region of old warehouse and industrial buildings. Seaholm power plant has been decommissioned and is now slated for mixed use development. Congress avenue is set to be transformed with a new hotel megaplex and the Austonian tower.
Nestled between all of these projects is the City's oldest sewage treatment plant - the Thomas C. Green Water Treatment Plant - which began purifying water from Ladybird lake in 1925. The plant covers 6 acres across 4 city blocks. In addition to using a key tract of land to process water using 1920's technology, the plant also serves to disrupt the natural grid of the city -- it stops second street at its west end and blocks Nueces and Rio Grande from reaching Cesar Chavez.
The plant, which is located between Cesar Chavez and Third streets between Seaholm and San Antonio is about to be decommissioned to make way for a new development. On November 29, the city will begin the process of soliciting proposals for redevelopment of the site. Once complete, the new development will likely add retail, housing, and office space while filling in the missing streets on the city grid.
The Green site offers an incredible development opportunity. With four downtown blocks, it is a huge chunk of land. The location is perfect -- it is on the lake and adjacent to both the hot second street district and the future Seaholm multi-use development. The site is free of Capital View Corridor restrictions, although portions of the site close to the lake are limited to 45 feet in height.
Over the next year, the City will seek and review proposals from developers interested in the site. Once a developer is selected, construction is expected to begin in 2010. Full build out of the site could take as many as 10 years. The land, which is currently owned by the city, is expected to sell for as much as $65 million (half of the proceeds will then be used for site improvements including reforming the street grid throughout the site). At that price, developers will need to build some tall buildings -- condo, rental, or commercial -- in order to profitably develop the site.
After 3 Months, Monarch Converts Back to Apartments
At the time of the switch, the condo market was very strong and and the downtown rental market appeared unable to support a 305 unit high-end downtown project. As construction costs continued to escalate, the Monarch sought greener pastures in the condo market. With construction costs rising and rents determined by the market, the Monarch likely had no good options. With the building only months away from completion, they made a big bet that they could sell enough condo units quickly enough to make the bet pay off. With experience in the crazy Florida condo market where projects would sell out in days, they were optimistic that the Austin market could support quick sales.
It didn't work out the way they expected. The Monarch was likely hurt by three factors:
- It takes a long time to sell 305 condo units in Austin, even in good times. With just 150 single family sales in central Austin each month, the strongest projects sell 5-10 units per week. With limited time before completion, the Monarch didn't have enough time to sell enough units before completion. When the competition has beautiful sales centers and expensive virtual reality presentations, it can be hard for new projects to quickly catch-up.
- Projects designed for the rental market do not fare well in the condo market. Condo owners expect perfection -- buyers are always pickier than renters. Even with a discount, buyers tend to hold out for the perfect project.
- The project was a victim of bad timing. The credit markets imploded just weeks after they announced their intention to convert from rental to condo. While condo sales continue, the rate of sales was certainly much slower than they expected.
Together, these factors likely forced the developers of the Monarch into a very difficult position. With reports of strong pre-leasing at the new AMLI project on second street at rates of as much as $2.75 per square foot per month -- that's $2,750 / month for 1,000 SF -- Monarch must have concluded that the best shot of success was back in the rental market.
Here is the summary from the Austin Business Journal:
Burns says the decision to switch strategy wasn't at all a reflection of lack of demand for condo units downtown. "For us to have sold as many units as we did in the slowest selling season, I think says a lot," Burns says. "We simply didn't have the luxury of time on sales."The Monarch's units will range in size from 681 square feet to 3,530 square feet with lease rates starting at $1,650. The development will also feature more than 9,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space.Burns says taking Monarch out of the sales picture will likely make the downtown condo market rather tight in the near term. Developments that are near completion like The Shore and 360 are virtually sold out. And while a slew of new projects have been announced, and a few have broken ground, it will be late 2009 before the first of those comes to market.
While converting to rental is probably the best strategy given the market and their short time horizon, it was likely a very difficult decision. With approximately 60 units sold, they must now walk away from all of those contracts. While the rental market may be stronger by comparison, the project is likely looking for rents ranging from $1,650 to $7,000 or more per month. It will be hard to rent the high-end units as very few people are willing to pay those kind of dollars for downtown rental units.
While we've talked about overcapacity in the Austin condo market, the removal of 305 units in the Monarch from the market will have a dramatic effect. With the Monarch out of the picture, there will be very few new units hitting the market in the next year. With less competition, we should see strong sales at the remaining projects whose delivery will be staggered over the next three years -- at least they have plenty of time to sell out before their projects are completed.
Major Downtown Condo Project On Hold?
While we have not received any confirmation from the developers, we have heard from other sources that the project is in fact on hold and is unlikely to ever be completed. If true, this represents the first major cancellation of a downtown condo project. While it is easy to blame the project's demise on the credit liquidity crisis, AquaTerra has been in trouble for many months due to weak demand. Competition is intense to market units to downtown buyers --- projects that are not attractively positioned and aggressively marketed will have trouble getting noticed.
Here is what the project would have looked like:
City Approves Plan for Second Downtown
Here is the summary from the Austin Business Journal:
Austin's City Council gave final approval of phase 1 of the North Burnet/Gateway master land use plan, which will create a so-called second downtown in the area around the Domain luxury shopping center by 2035.The North Burnet/Gateway plan's vision is to ultimately create clusters of dense, mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods in the 2,300-acre area north of U.S. 183 bounded by Walnut Creek, Metric Boulevard, Braker Lane and MoPac Expressway.The final plan will allow developers to build denser than anywhere outside of downtown, as high as 15 stories or 180 feet, and up to 30 stories or 360 feet in areas closest to planned commuter rail stops.Phase 1 immediately designates a zoning overlay district in the area to allow vertical mixed uses and other urban design elements, and to preclude interim development not in concert with the plan.A draft plan of Phase 2 -- outlining ordinances implementing the plan -- is expected in six months, says Molly Scarbrough, a city senior planner. Final approval for the entire plan is expected in a year.
Second Austin Downtown at Domain by 2035
The Domain capitalizes on a an ongoing trend in large scale development: Pleaseantville-like mini-cities that blend ground-floor retail with rental, condo and commercial properties on the upper floors. The goal is to create a disneyesque main street development that becomes a destination for retail and entertainment while making the development an attractive place to live and work. Envision multiple city blocks with street-side parking (and plenty of garages).
Today, the City of Austin took a step forward by approving phase 1 of a master plan for the area which will officially strive to create a second downtown on a 2,300 acre parcel adjacent to the domain by 2035.
Here is the summary from the Austin Business Journal:
City Council preliminarily approved phase 1 of the North Burnet/Gateway master landuse plan, which will create a so-called second downtown in the area around the Domain luxury shopping center by 2035.Final approval by City Council for Phase 1 is expected on Nov. 1.The North Burnet/Gateway plan's vision is to ultimately create clusters of dense, mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods in the 2,300-acre area north of U.S. 183 bounded by Walnut Creek, Metric Boulevard, Braker Lane and MoPac Expressway.The final plan will allow developers to build denser than anywhere outside of downtown and as high as 15 stories or 180 feet, and up to 30 stories or 360 feet in areas closest to planned commuter rail stops.Phase 1 immediately designates a zoning overlay district in the area to allow vertical mixed uses and other urban design elements, and to preclude interim development not in concert with the plan.
The initial Domain site consists of 57 acres and stands on the former site of Century Oaks Park, a multi-purpose recreational facility for IBM employees and their families. The park was so named for the century-old trees contained within. The land was purchased from IBM, and demolition of the park began in 2004.
Additional land for The Domain is being reclaimed from vacant IBM manufacturing and administrative buildings, as well as driveways and parking lots that were once part of the original IBM campus.
The developers were granted tax subsidies in 2003 from the City of Austin and Travis County. Total developer compensation from taxpayer money over the life of the agreement could reach $60 million. The developer keeps 80 percent of the city's sales tax for the first five years and 50 percent for the next 15 years. Plus, 25 percent of the property tax is rebated back to the developer for the entire 20-year period. The city of Austin expects to take in about $40 million in sales and property taxes over the 20 years of the incentive agreement.
Riverside Condo Proposal Rejected by Planning Commission
CWS Capital Partners has purchased a plot of land with existing buildings that sit as close as 20 feet from the lake. Under current rules, they can redevelop these buildings, but they can not build new structures within the 200 foot easement. So, CWS asked the city for what seemed like a fair compromise: they would demolish the buildings close to the lake and extend the hike and bike trail by 1/3 of a mile in exchange for permission to build their towers 150 feet from the lake. Virtually political forces agreed that it was bad idea to allow any exception to the 200 foot rule -- the likely fear being that it would set a precedent for other developers.
Here is the summary from the Austin Business Journal:
The city's planning commission unanimously rejected California-based CWS Capital Partners' plans to build three highrise condo buildings as close as 150 feet from the shore of Lady Bird Lake.CWS had requested a variance to the Waterfront Overlay Ordinance that prohibits CWS from building within 200 feet of the lakeshore. In exchange for being granted the variance, CWS proposed to donate nearly 2 acres of waterfront parkland and extend the hike-and-bike trail by one-third of a mile along Riverside Drive.CWS can appeal the decision to the City Council, but CWS attorney Richard Suttle says the company will likely not appeal, given that four council members have already publicly expressed their opposition to the variance.If the variance request remains denied, CWS plans to build two highrises -- one 200 feet, the other 120 feet -- and redevelop dozens of apartments that sit as close as 20 feet from the lake shore to sell them as townhomes. Those apartments pre-date the 200-foot rule.
Downtown Condo Tour This Sunday
* 360 Condominiums
* Austonian
* Four Seasons Residences
* Spring Condominiums
* The 5 Fifty Five
* Sabine on 5th
* The Monarch
* 2nd Street Retail District
* Posada Del Rey
* Bridges on the Park
* Plaza Lofts
* Burk/Henricks House
The tour will start at noon at the lobby of the Carr-America building located at 300 West 6th Street (across from The Belmont). After the tour, enjoy happy hour (5 - 7 pm) prices on refreshments and food at Rio Grande Restaurant. VIP ticket holders will finish out the day with complimentary music, food, and drinks at the new Mexican-American Cultural Center from 7 - 9 pm.
Tickets are available through DANA's web site at www.downtownaustin.org/DLT.html. Prices range from $15 for DANA members to $40 for non-members who attend the VIP party.
Jumbo Mortgage Rates Spike
First, many buyers who qualified for loans a couple of weeks ago will not be able to get financing at all today. For those who can still get financing, rates have risen dramatically and are currently hovering between 7.5% and 8.0% for jumbo 30-year mortgages.
Bankrate.com reported today that:
Buyers of pricey houses are finding that money has suddenly become more expensive to borrow. Ditto for loan applicants who don't want to prove that they told the truth about their incomes.Rates on jumbo and Alt-A mortgages have zoomed upward since the last week of July, even as rates on conforming, fixed-rate mortgages slipped downward.The development is bad news for people who want to borrow more than $417,000 to buy a house or refinance a loan, or who can't or don't want to document their income. Rising jumbo rates make it more difficult to sell a house costing half a million dollars or more.
Over the last few months, hundreds of Austin buyers have put units under contract in new condo projects such as 360, the Four Seasons Residences, and the W Hotel & Residences. many of the buyers may no longer qualify for mortgages, or, may not be comfortable with the higher monthly payments now required. While every building is different, some projects do allow buyers to get 100% of their deposit back if rates climb over a certain threshold, one of the major buildings set this rate at 8%, or if buyers are unable to secure financing. With rates spiking, some buyers will be able to take advantage of these provisions.
For the majority of downtown units priced under $500K, including most of the units I buildings like 360, the current mortgage crisis is not catastrophic. While lending standards have tightened this week, most buyers with solid credit and documented income will still be able to qualify for the same traditional mortgage, just at a slightly higher rate.
For buyers who can afford the higher rates or our planning to pay cash, now might be a great time to negotiate with developers. If this crisis continues, it will be very difficult to sell many of the high-end units currently planned for downtown Austin.