A Second Downtown?
February 25, 2007 22:21 Filed in: Development Watch
This week, Endeavor Real Estate announced ambitious plans for the second phase of the Domain: the new mini-city rising off Mopac just north of 183. Between now and 2015, Endeavor plans to build 50, yes FIFTY, new buildings with heights ranging from 2-26 stories (as tall as 310 feet). When complete, The Domain will form a second Austin "downtown" with as many as 82,000 residents and 50,000 daytime workers. To put these numbers in context, Mayor Will Wynn has working hard towards a big goal: getting 25,000 people to live in the real downtown by 2015, the same timeframe.
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).
Phase 2 takes this two a new level by stretching this second downtown across more than 177 acres. The site will include a park, amphitheater, and hike and bike trails. This project has lots of enthusiastic backers. The project is popular because it helps Austin grow with minimal sprawl or traffic growth. The site is dense—there are no single family houses—and it is ideally positioned at the intersection of 1 and 183 and directly on the planned light rail corridor. While the project will require zoning variances, it's well positioned to received them.
This is big news: The Domain will change the face of Austin more than any other planned project. It will create a second downtown which will be very attractive to many people, especially those who want less expensive units and are turned off by real urban living. IT will be a very different experience -- but it will make Austin a more interesting and more dynamic city with another major urban hub.
Domain Development Summary (From the Austin American Statesman):
The Domain Phase I
Acres: 57
Retail: 700,000 square feet
Office: 75,000 square feet
Apartments: 400
Scheduled to open: March 2007
The Domain Phase II
Acres: 177
Retail: 1.2 million square feet
Office: 3.5 million to 4 million square feet
Apartments and condos: 4,000 to 6,000
Maximum height: 308 feet
Scheduled to start: Summer 2007
Estimated build-out: 15 years
City planners envision high-density, mixed-use development in the 2,243-acre Gateway/North Burnet planning area that in 25 to 30 years could eventually include as many as:
81,904 residents
41,158 apartments, condominiums and townhouses
0 single-family homes
51,536 jobs
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).
Phase 2 takes this two a new level by stretching this second downtown across more than 177 acres. The site will include a park, amphitheater, and hike and bike trails. This project has lots of enthusiastic backers. The project is popular because it helps Austin grow with minimal sprawl or traffic growth. The site is dense—there are no single family houses—and it is ideally positioned at the intersection of 1 and 183 and directly on the planned light rail corridor. While the project will require zoning variances, it's well positioned to received them.
This is big news: The Domain will change the face of Austin more than any other planned project. It will create a second downtown which will be very attractive to many people, especially those who want less expensive units and are turned off by real urban living. IT will be a very different experience -- but it will make Austin a more interesting and more dynamic city with another major urban hub.
Domain Development Summary (From the Austin American Statesman):
The Domain Phase I
Acres: 57
Retail: 700,000 square feet
Office: 75,000 square feet
Apartments: 400
Scheduled to open: March 2007
The Domain Phase II
Acres: 177
Retail: 1.2 million square feet
Office: 3.5 million to 4 million square feet
Apartments and condos: 4,000 to 6,000
Maximum height: 308 feet
Scheduled to start: Summer 2007
Estimated build-out: 15 years
City planners envision high-density, mixed-use development in the 2,243-acre Gateway/North Burnet planning area that in 25 to 30 years could eventually include as many as:
81,904 residents
41,158 apartments, condominiums and townhouses
0 single-family homes
51,536 jobs