[LoneStarMike]

An update on this project from this week's Naked City in the Austin Chronicle:

In other city-planning news, the Planning Commission declined to support zoning for a point tower on West Seventh Street Tuesday night. The 32-story tower, planned by CLB Partners on land owned by Mike McGinnis at Seventh and Rio Grande, was broadly supported by Downtown boosters but nixed by a couple of neighboring business owners and the Austin Woman's Club, which is located on San Antonio Street. The 400-foot-tall point-tower concept allowed CLB to put in two stories of underground parking and preserve 616 Ranch, which sits on the property. At the final vote, Planning Commission agreed to a less intense zoning that would allow a height of 120 feet. One analysis of the vote was that the staff recommendation and the commissioners clearly split over where high-density towers should begin and end Downtown. Should tall towers be allowed north of Sixth Street, especially in an area of historic homes? Or is Seventh, in this case, acceptable? Council will have the final say, probably at the end of January.

I liked this project. Maybe the Council will approve it in spite of the Planning Commission.