Downtown Austin Blog

It’s time to bid farewell to Downtown Austin Blog. After a decade of documenting the remarkable evolution of downtown Austin, I’m redirecting my focus to TOWERS.net, where we are delivering f...

https://downtownaustinblog.org/2018/07/31/housekeeping/

I’m not talking fresh air.  I’m talking about the  municipal zoning  God given right to build to the heavens. The recent plan for 3rd & Colorado – a residential tower that I’m excited ...

https://downtownaustinblog.org/2016/11/29/time-austin-create-market-air-rights/

You’ve likely stumbled across the phrase “CodeNext” somewhere on the interwebs, figured it was another facacta Austin planning scheme, and so you just jumped back to reading Deadspin. Code...

https://downtownaustinblog.org/2016/08/18/wtf-codenext-eff-care/

Downtown Austin’s Villas on Town Lake condos home owners’ association (HOA) will agree to sell the entire property – comprised of 57 individually owned condos – to The Sutton Company,...

https://downtownaustinblog.org/2016/06/22/windfall-villas-town-lake-sold/

This is an amazing time capsule of a video. Twenty years ago this video was shot by Pete Reid and his buddy, Brian.  Pete was a visiting student from Scotland at UT. The video takes us from UT, ...

https://downtownaustinblog.org/2016/06/06/drive-austin-june-1996/

The downtown Austin “Red Line” train station is about to undergo a significant makeover, that will add room for two more trains at the station.  The capacity upgrade is expected to double t...

https://downtownaustinblog.org/2016/06/02/new-downtown-austin-train-station-making-room-pedestrian-plaza/

Nice story in The Statesman about the vibrant community that continues to grow downtown – not just in terms of nightlife, but also new economy jobs and associated residents:  Austin’s Tech S...

https://downtownaustinblog.org/2016/05/30/downtown-thriving-live-work-play-community/

Leave no stone unturned. Check out how Austin Energy wants to use a sliver of downtown land, next to Gables Park Tower, for a new chilling station. The site dimensions make the site pretty much ...

https://downtownaustinblog.org/2016/04/22/chill-out/

Friends, it took a minute, but we’re finally just months away from the start of a momentous project that promises to further ratchet up the quality of life here in Downtown Austin. After nearly...

https://downtownaustinblog.org/2016/04/13/republic-square-park-makeover/

For the past couple of years the east side of Rainey Street’s sidewalks were barricaded for the construction of the Millennium Rainey apartments. Today, those barricades came down!  Woo hoo!!...

https://downtownaustinblog.org/2016/04/06/millennium-rainey-apartments-wrap-construction/

The casual suburban view of Downtown Austin real estate is likely limited to the newsworthy towers – hotels, offices, condos.  The tall glassy stuff that has been radically reordering our skyl...

https://downtownaustinblog.org/2016/04/01/promise-micro-housing-now/

Fareground Austin Making Progress The renovation / remodel of the plaza in front of 111 Congress Avenue, being branded as Fareground Austin,  has been underway since last year, and things seem t...

https://downtownaustinblog.org/2016/03/31/downtown-austin-news-bites-april-2016/

Bowling alley coming to downtown Austin I hold the belief that the Big Lebowski made bowling cool in America again.  It is certainly a cool thing to do in Austin, with the Highball, and lest we ...

https://downtownaustinblog.org/2016/02/23/new-bowling-alley-coming-to-downtown-austin/

At the end of January, the master plan to redevelop the 14.3-acre Brackenridge Hospital campus in the northeast quadrant of downtown Austin got the go-ahead from Central Health board. The plan e...

https://downtownaustinblog.org/2016/02/09/brack-attack/

As far as Rainey bars go, I really like The Drafting Room at 88 1/2 Rainey.  Located on a plot of land right behind The Shore Condos in downtown Austin‘s Rainey Street District, and owned by i...

https://downtownaustinblog.org/2016/01/19/lestelle-and-raineys-evolution/