Project's southwest corner
Tree transfer makes way for luxury condo tower
Austin Business Journal
Friday, February 9, 2007
In preparation for the summer groundbreaking on a $50 million downtown condominium project, a local development company this weekend will move a centuries-old oak tree from the construction site.
Noble Development Group is planning The Orsay, a 90-unit, midrise condo tower at 903 Neches Street. Units in the luxury development, which will go on the market in March, are expected to range from 700 square feet to 2,200 square feet. Condos will start at $200,000 and go up to $1.1 million.
On Saturday workers will begin moving a 200-year-old live oak from the site to a new home at First Baptist Church at 901 Trinity St. Noble says it's paying more than $200,000 to relocate the 80-foot-tall tree.
The development firm hired Environmental Design to move the tree and ensure its continued survival.
"The city of Austin has a tree protection ordinance in place to preserve trees based on size," says John Hollis, operations manager of Environmental Design. "Tree transplanting has become an effective and acceptable method for tree preservation." Hollis says his company has a 98 percent success rate with transplants.
Marc Rankin, an executive with Noble, says the company is committed to doing things the right way in its first major residential project in downtown Austin. "We had the great opportunity to save this tree and keep it in the neighborhood," he says.
Austin-based Clayton Levy & Little was the architecture firm behind the condo development. Pauly Presley Realty will start taking reservations next month.
The Orsay is named for the Reconstruction-era Texas General Henry Orsay who once lived on the property. Last August Noble Development donated the general's home, which still stood on the site, to Pioneer Farms at I-35 and Braker Lane.
Noble Development is also working on a 70,000-square-foot retail project in Leander at FM 2243 and Bagdad Road that's slated to break ground this spring.