Star Riverside has announced plans to proceed with construction of the first two planned buildings with completion expected in the first quarter of 2010. The project may be the last major condo development to break ground during the current building boom. With tight credit markets and slack demand, most drawing board projects have been indefinitely delayed or cancelled.



Star Riverside is an Australian-driven development on the south shore of Ladybird Lake near I-35. The $150M project will feature to 64 units in the first phase. According to the developers, the first two buildings will feature large units (2,000SF+) which will be priced from $600K to $1M+. A second phase would offer smaller units starting at as little as 4375K. These offerings do not match, however, with current MLS listings which include 6 units with prices ranging from $345K for a 670 square foot 1/1 to, $517K for a 935SF 2/2, $792K for a 1,280SF 3/2 and $1.34M for a 2,315SF 3/2.

The developers, Constellation Property Group, report that they have lined-up financing for the first two buildings but not for future phases. They hope to raise additional money to complete the remaining buildings by late 2011.

Here is a summary from the Statesman:

The first phase, Star Riverside, will have 64 units in two six-story buildings overlooking Lady Bird Lake. It is expected to be finished in the first quarter of next year.

Prices for the units, all of which will have about 2,200 square feet, will range from the high $600,000s to about $975,000, said Eugene Marchese, president of Constellation Property Group.

The second phase, Revolution Riverside, will have about 140 units in two buildings of nine and 11 stories. Construction is expected to start in mid-2010 and be completed in late 2011, Marchese said.

Those units will be priced from $375,000 to about $650,000 and will have about 1,200 square feet.

Marchese said he has scrapped plans for Star Luxe, an ultra-luxury part of the project that was to have had units of 4,000 square feet or more, priced at $1 million and up.

Nationally and in Austin, "I think we will see the luxury end of the market struggling for at least the next three to five years," Marchese said, adding that the high-end sector is troubled across all industries, from condos to retailing in general.

"I think there's just been a paradigm shift across the world," he said.

Economic outlook: Marchese said he has financing in place for the first phase of his project but not for the second phase. He said he thinks the capital markets, which have largely been locked up, will loosen next year.

Although some real estate experts say the economy hasn't hit bottom, Marchese said: "I think we're seeing the bottom, and we're going to bounce along here for the next six months. And then within 12 months, we'll start to see a definite turn in the overall economy, and the capital markets will follow suit."

Tags: Project Update

I walked by BartonPlace on Barton Springs Road today and was shocked at the rate of progress on construction: the 6-story multi-building development has already topped out. In fact, the steel is being put in place to form the project's distinctive curved roofline (the top units actually have 15' curved ceilings -- some are still available). In addition, we received a full construction update from the developers:

- Roof Installation on Buildings 5 and 6 is ongoing.
- Level 6 of Buildings 3 and 4 will be poured next week.
- The entire garage structure is complete.
- Masonry and Window installation on Buildings 5 and 6 has begun.
- MEP and Sprinkler rough-in continues in Buildings 3, 4, 5 and 6.
- Interior Framing in Buildings 3 and 4 has begun.  

In other news, the developers announced that buyers at BartonPlace will receive complimentary Social memberships at Onion Creek Club in southeast Austin. Onion Creek Club has a 27-hole Jimmy Demaret designed golf course as well as other fitness and recreational activities. They also announced and upcoming construction tour at 3:30pm on Sunday, May 3rd (following the taping of Real Estate 101 for 1370AM at Uncle Billy's next door) and a 4PM wrap party at the BartonPlace presentation center. RSVP here.

Tags: Project Update

Tonight, Spring hosted hundreds for a special party on the 41st floor of the newly formed tower. After a shaky ride in a 20-person exterior construction elevator, visitors were treated to some of the highest views in Austin from a vantage point that has never before existed.

The views were amazing. Most notable was the ability to watch the city and the traffic and the water and the Long center and Whole foods and all of the downtown action from a quiet perch in the sky. As we have reported, Spring is now 55% sold with units remaining priced from $300K to roughly $1 million. In addition, there is a full-floor 42nd floor penthouse which will be available for $5.5 million.

We saw Kevin Burns from urbanspace at the event who provided good advice on picking a view: go for a corner with both water and city in sight. The water is always beautiful, and the city lights provide visual interest when the hills and the rest of the city disappear after dark.

Here are some images from the top of the tower:





More Images Here: Read More...

Tags: Project Update

In spite of the difficult economy, the major downtown Austin condo projects continue to move toward completion. Lots of news updates this week:

- Tomorrow, Spring will celebrate its topping off. The 42-story building on 3rd and Bowie just east of Lamar has reached the top and is on track for completion in July. The 246 unit tower will be the first project delivered in 2009. According to the developers, an impressive 55% of units have already been pre-sold. With units starting around $300k, Spring is the most affordable downtown skyscraper currently under construction.

- 360, which was completed last year, has now officially sold 99% of its 430 units, making the project effectively sold out.

- The Four Seasons released a very detailed update of current sales and downtown market conditions including the news that they have now pre-sold nearly 50% of units:

"As we enter 2009, Four Seasons Residences Austin is nearly 50% sold. Understandably, the last quarter of 2008 was slow, but sales activity in 2009 has picked up considerably. In the last week we signed a new contract for a 2,700 square foot residence and have a number of additional contracts in process. We continue to see an influx of interest from people who love Austin and are exploring the opportunity to live at Four Seasons. . .

Article Continues Here: Read More...

Tags: Project Update, news, four seasons, 360

According to the developers, plans for Block 21 -- the large second street development featuring the W Hotel & Residences -- have been revised to include 35,000 feet of office space. Assuming that the size of the project remains the same, office space will account for about 3.5% of the planned one million square foot multi-use project. This is the first new office space to be added downtown in a few years

The project update also included the following new facts:

- The W Hotel & Condo plans remain unchanged.

- So far, 44% of condo units are accounted for -- a number virtually unchanged from the 45% under contract as of 12/1/09. According to the developers, sales have practically stopped since the beginning of the economic crisis in November. With delivery 2 years out, the developers believe they have plenty of time to sell the remaining units.

- The project is proceeding on schedule: the first floor should be poured within the next few weeks

- The size of the Austin City Limits theater may be increased from 2,200 to 2,500 square feet

The $295 million project, to be located directly behind City Hall, will be an important retail and entertainment anchor to the blossoming 2nd Street district.

Block 21 Rendering


Article Continues Here: Read More...

Tags: w hotel & residences, news, Project Update

Over the last year, there has been an amazing flow of rumors about the major downtown Austin condo projects. Most of these rumors have been false. In particular, both the Austonian and W have been plagued with gossip that the projects were facing cancellation. Even in the last month, when construction patterns changed during the normal building process, rumors again started that the project would not be completed.

We've carefully researched these rumors -- including meeting with one of the Austonian developers --and are very comfortable that they are not true. The source of the rumors, for the most part, have been innocent assumptions by people who have been made hyper sensitive by the current crisis. With the housing market struggling, observers take any change as a sign of impending disaster.

The problem has become so acute that the Austonian today announced plans to move an office trailer and remove a crane -- both part of normal operations. The announcement was made to avoid another round of false rumors.

Here is a summary from the Austin Business Journal:

Developers of The Austonian are again warding off rumors of changes to the luxury condo’s plans as the construction team prepares to remove its trailers and a crane.

Article Continues Here: Read More...

Tags: news, Project Update

Zilker Park Residences, the high end condo and boutique hotel project on the edge of Zilker park has released a series of renderings which illustrate the design and site plan for the project. Zilker Park Residences will be a 40-unit high end development with condos ranging in size from a large 1,515 square foot one bedroom to the largest 3,241 square foot unit (although multiple units have already been combined to form condos as large as 6,700 square feet).

The project as designed will include three separate 5-story condo buildings and a fourth building dedicated to the boutique Hotel Zilker , restaurant, and bar. The project, which was reportedly 40% sold as of September, is slated to begin construction in March.

The new renderings include the first images of the planned Hotel Zilker, the 65 room boutique hotel that shares the site with the ZIlker Park Residences. The small boutique hotel, which is slated to open in Fall of 2010, may be the only hotel ever developed on the border of Zilker park. For events like Austin City Limits, it will be a very desirable place to stay. According to the developers, Hotel Zilker will provide condo owners with multiple amenities.The project will include a neighborhood restaurant, bar, and hotel itself will serve as extra guest bedrooms just steps away from the residences.

Here are the new renderings:

ZIlker Park Residences Project Rendering


Interior Rendering


Zilker Park Residences Site Plan


Hotel ZIlker

Tags: Project Update

Less than a year ago, the Austin Museum of Art announced 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 adjacent to Republic Square Park in the center of downtown Austin.

Yesterday, the developers option on the project expired. While the project was supposed to commence construction in early 2009, Hines Interests, LP has been unable to secure the funding required to develop the new building. As a result, AMOA’s latest plan for a significant downtown home are no longer viable.

The project, which was to be designed by the world renown architecture firm, Pelli Clark Pelli, would have been the first major downtown office building since the Frost tower was constructed in 2004. While the cancellation is not surprising in this very difficult commercial financing climate, it does represent a major setback for AMOA which has abandoned multiple plans for a new downtown building over the last decade. Yet, with a prime downtown block under their control, AMOA should be able to find a future partner to revise the project. Even with a development partner, however, it will be difficult for AMOA to rally its patrons to support another capital project after so many failed attempts.



Here is a summary from the Austin Business Journal:

The economic downturn has claimed a major downtown Austin project as victim, the proposed Museum Tower office building and the Austin Museum of Art’s proposed new home.

Hines Interests LP will not renew its option on the land owned by the Austin Museum of Art when that option expires this afternoon, the last day of 2008. That land had been slated for a 30-story, 425,000-square-foot office building dubbed the Museum Tower and a new home for AMOA.

AMOA had planned to sell a portion of the block it owns just south of Republic Square Park to Hines for the tower. As part of the deal, the Houston-based real estate company was also going to build a new 3-story, 40,000-square-foot home for the museum.

In response to questions from the Austin Business Journal , Hines released a statement from Travis Overall, Hines vice president, saying: “Due to the uncertain economy, we made the difficult decision not to renew the option in 2009. However, Hines is still interested in developing an office building in Austin when the market recovers, and we hope it will be in conjunction with AMOA and its museum. The project will not restart until the market improves. Our hope would be to get a new deal together in 2009 or 2010, and then move full steam ahead. We see great potential in the long-term viability of the city of Austin.”

The Museum Tower would have been the first new, large-scale office project in downtown since construction was completed on the Frost Bank Tower in 2004.

For the museum, the project also represented a chance to achieve its longstanding dream for a new downtown home. The new museum space was planned to double AMOA’s exhibit and education space from the 16,000 square feet it currently inhabits at the 823 Congress office building.

“Hines has been an excellent partner, and AMOA looks forward to building a new home for AMOA-Downtown when economic conditions become more favorable,” AMOA officials said.

This is the latest blow for AMOA, which has been trying since the late 1990s to develop a new facility downtown. In August 2006, AMOA said it was planning to partner with local developer Tom Stacy on the creation of condo tower and new museum on the site south of Republic Square. But the deal never materialized. The museum ultimately had to taper its wishes -- and even cut staff -- when the economy went south after the dot-com bubble burst.

Tags: news, Project Update

For those who feel that the heart of downtown Austin is the aging Green water treatment plant, today is a sad day. After 83 years, the Green plant has been decommissioned as a first step to redevelopment of the prime site just north of Ladybird lake.

With the removal of the plant, the City begins ones of its most important and ambitious urban redevelopment projects. Over the next few years, the City and developer Trammell Crow will remove the plant and replace it with large scale multi-use development that restores the natural street grid. In fact, Trammell Crow was selected because they proposed the most dense and ambitious plan for the site

When the project is complete, as many as five high-rise buildings - some as tall as 40-stories -- will be added to the Austin skyline. In addition, a new retail district will connect the 2nd street district to the Seaholm development, creating a vibrant new downtown region which will draw many more residents, workers, and visitor downtown for shopping, dining, and entertainment.

Renderings of Proposed Green Water Treatment Plant Redevelopment


The Trammell Crow proposal for the Green site includes the following components: Read More...

Tags: news, Project Update

Each week, 55 truckloads of concrete and 50 tons of structural steel are added to the structure of the Austonian, growing what will be the tallest building in Austin by one more floor. This week, the Austonian hit the half-way point -- the 28th floor was poured ad the project continues on its march to completion in 2010.

Since it has been a little while, here are the key 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.

The Austonian under Construction (D’Arcy)


Here is the summary from the Statesman: Read More...

Tags: Project Update, news, austonian

One of the most exciting downtown projects is the redevelopment of the decommissioned Seaholm Power plant. The $117.2 million project, a partnership between the city and Southwest Strategies, will result in a 22-story hotel, 60 condo units, and 180,000 square feet of retail and commercial space.

This week, the project inched a step closer to beginning construction in 2009 with City approval of a financing scheme to generate revenue for the site preparation and infrastructure enhancements that the site requires. Essentially, the city issued bonds which will be repaid through the incremental property tax revenue generated by the development.

Once complete, the 150,000-square-foot decommissioned power plant will be the centerpiece of the 7.8-acre property across Cesar Chavez Street from Lady Bird Lake. With offices, retail, and at least 3 acres of open space, Seaholm will shift the center of downtown activity to the west. While downtown life used to center around 6th street between Congress and red river, the warehouse district, 2nd street district, and Whole Foods have shifted the balance. With Seaholm, the downtown action will increasingly be centered between Congress, Lamar, 5th, and Town Lake.

The most exciting part of the project is the redevelopment of the Seaholm facility itself. When complete, the art deco structure will include nearly 100,000 square feet of retail and restaurants. Construction will begin 2009, with the final project scheduled for completion in 2011.



Here is a summary from the Austin Business Journal:

The city of Austin approved the creation of a tax increment financing reinvestment zone to pay for public improvements for the Seaholm redevelopment project.

The TIF will be within the area bounded on the west by the planned Seaholm Drive, on the south by Cesar Chavez Street, on the east by West Avenue and on the north by Third Street. . .

. . . Under state law, a tax increment reinvestment zone contributes property taxes from the increase in real property value within the district toward the project’s public improvements. The public infrastructure and power plant rehabilitation will be primarily funded by issuing debt that will be repaid from the tax increment revenue. The TIF has a 30-year duration.

Tags: news, Project Update

You don’t see many commercials for new condo projects on Austin’s major television stations. While this is unlikely to change, BartonPlace recently produced a profile video on the project that is currently posted on youtube. While the video could use more fancy renderings and images of the units, it’s always interesting to hear real people talk about why they chose the project.

Here is the BartonPlace video:

Tags: Project Update