AUSTIN | Loren Hotel & Condos (211 S. Lamar) | 104 FEET | 8 FLOORS | U/C

[Spaceman]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/l...-96-foo/nZJnw/

Was the vote unanimous?

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by Spaceman

Was the vote unanimous?

Of course not. The usual two suspects voted against it. Apparently the big donation to the affordable housing fund wasn't enough to convince them. Those two apparently only give lip service to affordable housing when it's convenient for them.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by Hill Country

Of course not. The usual two suspects voted against it. Apparently the big donation to the affordable housing fund wasn't enough to convince them. Those two apparently only give lip service to affordable housing when it's convenient for them.

It's fairly maddening that Morrison and her creature Tovo who toe the ANC line on all the issues constricting supply and driving up rents have the gall to turn around and demand that taxpayers consider passing bonds to build "affordable" housing for a few lottery winners.

They can have my vote on "affordable" housing the day after they do something meaningful to increase the supply of housing in central Austin.

[LoneStarMike]

If anyone wants to watch, you can go here and then click on Item 93. It's in 2 parts and the whole thing lasted about 2 hours just for that one item.

On Part 1 at about the 6 minute mark is the developers proposal. That's probably the main part that most people would want to watch and it only lasts about 10-12 minutes.

During the presentation, they also showed the 6-story version of what they could build under the current code. It was butt-ugly.

A couple of other things I happened to catch was that the four trees on the north edge of the current Taco Cabana parking lot, while large, are not large enough to be considered as Heritage Trees and under the 6-story version of the project, they would be removed, as well as some trees on the eastern portion of the lot fronting Lee Barton Drive. Under the 9-story version, three of the four trees along Riverside would be saved, and I think all of the large trees on the Lee Barton Drive part of the project.

The other thing was that with the 6-story proposal, the developer would only have to have sidewalks on their property. Under the 9-story proposal, the developer would also be donating money to the City for the purpose of constructing a sidewalk and bike lane on the north edge of the Butler Pitch & Putt.

Right now, there is no sidewalk there and to get from Lee Barton Drive to just east of the railroad trestle, you can't even really walk on the grass because of tall bushes at the edge of the property. You either have to walk in the right hand lane of eastbound Riverside, or cross over to the north side of Riverside, walk underneath the railroad trestle, and then cross Riverside back over to the south side to access Butler park and the observation hill.

[Spaceman]

Originally Posted by Komeht

It's fairly maddening that Morrison and her creature Tovo who toe the ANC line on all the issues constricting supply and driving up rents have the gall to turn around and demand that taxpayers consider passing bonds to build "affordable" housing for a few lottery winners.

They can have my vote on "affordable" housing the day after they do something meaningful to increase the supply of housing in central Austin.

Those two have become caricatures of themselves..I hope 10-1 rids us of these fools.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by Spaceman

Those two have become caricatures of themselves..I hope 10-1 rids us of these fools.

Anyone know off the top of their head, the way the districts are currently drawn, are any of the incumbents double/tripled up in a single district?

[M1EK]

Originally Posted by Spaceman

Those two have become caricatures of themselves..I hope 10-1 rids us of these fools.

I wish that were the most likely scenario, but it's more likely we end up with 7 or 8 of them. Suburbanites are even more NIMBY than these clown are; it's just that they hardly ever have to fight these battles because the background noise (the median voter) up there is already NIMBY.

In other words, it's only a controversy in the center-city; in the fringes everybody is NIMBY on everything.

[lzppjb]

Hopefully those new folks voted in from the fringes of the city can be convinced that a dense downtown keeps those people and that development out of their suburban backyards.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by Spaceman

Those two have become caricatures of themselves..I hope 10-1 rids us of these fools.

It's a misconception that it will be easier to get rid of the likes of Morrison and Tovo. In fact, they'll consolidate their power base and we'll never be rid of them. This would be fine if the additional votes would dilute theirs, but in all likelihood the people elected from the 'burbs will be, if anything, worse.

10-1 will likely be a fiasco for Austin. At least before I could register my disapproval by voting against Morrison and Tovo - now I'll never be able to do that.

[KevinFromTexas]

^That was my guess. I don't get how three more (likely to be) suburban anti-growth nimby council members will be better. It's why I voted for no change on the matter.

[Jdawgboy]

I voted for the Hybrid 8-3 plan which is really the best option for a city like Austin. With no safeguards in the 10-1 plan we can sit back and watch city government come to a screeching halt. Say what you will about the speed of which today's city council moves, at least they do move and get things done. With an 8-3 hybrid system, there would be 2 other seats besides the mayors that would be voted city wide. In essence could counterbalance district council members which could easily get caught up in district wars and vote for things that would benefit their own district but vote against anything that doesn't even if it is something beneficial for the city as a whole.

I also think we should be able to revisit whether we want to continue with a 10-1 system in a few years or change to something better. I don't like the idea of just having this system thrown on us when a good chunk of the population didn't vote at all and even the 8-3 system had over 50% support so by far this is not a majority decision and we should have the right to change it if it doesn't work.

[The ATX]

Does anyone know when the 2nd and 3rd reading votes will be taken for this development?

[zedaref]

Originally Posted by Hill Country

Does anyone know when the 2nd and 3rd reading votes will be taken for this development?

Second was approved on the 22nd, third will be October 3rd, assuming they have whatever they needed to have done by then done.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by zedaref

Second was approved on the 22nd, third will be October 3rd, assuming they have whatever they needed to have done by then done.

Thanks for the update. It's maddening that they have to delay decisions like this. If there was no perceived or real controversy all three readings would be approved at the same time.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/l...bird-la/nbQyF/

Posted: 2:55 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013
Council OKs tall project planned near Lady Bird Lake

By Sarah Coppola
American-Statesman Staff

The Austin City Council gave final approval Thursday to a 96-foot, mixed-use project planned for a high-profile site near Lady Bird Lake.

The development will have 175 luxury apartments or condos and ground-level retail. It will be built on a one-acre site at West Riverside Drive and South Lamar Boulevard, where a Taco Cabana now sits.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/l...bird-la/nbQyF/

[KevinFromTexas]

The site plan has been released on the city's FTP site. Elevations are on page 38.

The heights are:

104 feet to the mechanical penthouse
96 feet to the main roof
85 feet to the top (9th floor).

ftp://ftp.ci.austin.tx.us/ATD_AULCC/...i%20Family.pdf

[MightyYoda]

So they have approval and a site plan. Do we know if financing is in place?

[LoneStarMike]

An update from the ABJ

Austinite MLB pitcher takes over downtown development project
Jan Buchholz
Austin Business Journal
May 14, 2014

Major League Baseball pitcher Huston Street and his mother Janie Street have purchased a high-profile and somewhat controversial development site just south of Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin.

[SNIP]

Street said Bury, the project’s engineering consultant, continues to work through the city review process. Construction probably won’t begin until early 2015, he said.

Street’s development partner is his cousin’s husband, Aundre Dukes.

Street said he’s been keeping a low profile about the acquisition.

“I wasn’t going to run around and talk about it. I was just going to do it,” Street said.

Other real estate projects may be forthcoming.

“I need to have a life after baseball and Austin is a place with a lot of opportunity,” Street said.

[Syndic]

Okay, that was definitely one of the more awesome articles I've read. It mixes two of the things I really love; Longhorn sports and downtown Austin development.

“I’ve traveled everywhere and Austin is the only city in the world that I really love,” said Street

I know that feeling, Huston.

“I wasn’t going to run around and talk about it. I was just going to do it,” Street said.

That's a baller-ass quote. Talk is cheap; action is what matters. Hell yeah.