Downtown: Height vs. Breadth --- Current limits and new opportunities?

[Tech House]

I'd like to get some feedback about the geopolitical limits of our current downtown and how this may limit the type of skyline we can anticipate or hope for. Also, given that there are constraints on downtown's breadth, what other urban centers may arise that could conceivably develop their own skylines? And tied in to all of this, what are the optimal aesthetics we might hope for in fully built skylines downtown and elsewhere?

We've seen a recent slashing of height on several proposed highrises. What got me started with the idea for this thread was the thought that a 12-story Shoal Creek Walk and the less-tall-than-originally-conceived 7th and Rio Grande apartments might be a good thing. My reasoning is that a city core that suddenly explodes from 1- and 2-story residential neighborhoods to 50-story towers is kind of "3rd world" and doesn't look natural. It can be dramatic, to be sure. I'll never forget my first visit to Houston in 1982, arriving on I-10 from the west. Nothing but table-top flatness in all directions and then suddenly there's this shining metropolis that comes out of nowhere.

I don't think the Houston look works for Austin, however. The old neighborhoods that constrain the outward growth of downtown are worth preserving and even if we didn't think they were, they aren't going to go away. There needs to be some buffer between extreme urban and residential, and I think this is being achieved by the present pattern of growth on the west side near Lamar, and in the transition from Downtown to the areas west of the Capitol and the university.

The Austonian obviously needs companionship up there in the clouds, and that can happen closer to the core or even toward the freeway. But i don't see how we could sustain many more such skyscrapers in such a small urban core. Is there any direction it can grow without height limits? Not that I'm aware of, although there was that delicious proposal for the property across the street from the Texas History Museum, so who knows...

Do we foresee any new highrise clusters on the (literal) horizon? The Domain seems to have an unwritten cap on height that will prevent it from looking impressive, but could other land in that area be developed as part of a second downtown? I could see dense urban development around i-35 and William Cannon, and again around I-35 and 290/Koenig, except that neither area appears to be headed in that direction. All Williamson County cities appear to be in love with extreme mindless sprawl with no hope of any kind of cohesive downtown aside from that of Georgetown, and obviously that's not a candidate for "urban core" status.

I hope someone will take an interest to comment on these topics and anything else that might pertain to them. Thanks for reading.

[austlar1]

This is just a hunch, but I have a feeling the area to the immediate north of the intersection of Airport Blvd and IH35 heading northwest into the Highland Mall area is the place where there will be significant residential and commercial high rise development over the next 20 to 40 years assuming that the population of the region continues to explode. I think the first wave will be in the form of mid-rise apartment projects that might be enhanced with a few high rises as time progresses. I think commercial development is contingent on the continued need for traditional office buildings, and it is very hard to predict what that need might be in 2025 or 2035. With all the changes in the workplace, large office buildings might not be needed. Do robots need offices?

[lzppjb]

I35 & Ben White possibly. The area is already home to some really tall flyovers. Tall buildings wouldn't look too out of place.

[Tech House]

Yeah, regarding I-35 and Ben White, that's what I originally meant when I said 35 and William Cannon. It (71/35) seems like the most logical area to urbanize, with its access to the airport and freeways and plenty of under-utilized land. Is there any kind of zoning to encourage urbanization outside of downtown? I recall some kind of designation that was made several years ago but I don't know what form that took and whether it's likely to encourage vertical growth or merely to permit it.

That triangle between Koenig, 35, and Airport, does seem like prime real estate for intense development, unless the sad little residential neighborhood has its own association that would fight for preservation of its sad little status.

[austlar1]

Originally Posted by Tech House

Yeah, regarding I-35 and Ben White, that's what I originally meant when I said 35 and William Cannon. It (71/35) seems like the most logical area to urbanize, with its access to the airport and freeways and plenty of under-utilized land. Is there any kind of zoning to encourage urbanization outside of downtown? I recall some kind of designation that was made several years ago but I don't know what form that took and whether it's likely to encourage vertical growth or merely to permit it.

That triangle between Koenig, 35, and Airport, does seem like prime real estate for intense development, unless the sad little residential neighborhood has its own association that would fight for preservation of its sad little status.

That is one sad little neighborhood that I think might be willing to roll over or sell out to developers. Even if development does not take place within that neighborhood, the adjacent parcels along Airport could see new development and that development zone could fan out as one continues up towards Koenig and beyond. The one and two story buildings, parking lots, and car dealership are all likely to give way to development some day. The success or failure of the ACC development at Highland may be the key to whether this happens. It is an incredibly well situated location for development given the proximity to the area's busiest highways. the close proximity to the new hospital corridor(Children's, St. David's, and the new UT Med Center) along or near IH35, and the convenient access both to downtown and to the high employment areas to the northwest, north, and east. The little bit of rail already present is going to have to suffice for now, but maybe one day somewhere down the road, the Highland area will serve as a nexus for an expanded rail and transit network.