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  #101  
Old Posted May 29, 2008, 8:10 PM
paulsjv paulsjv is offline
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Originally Posted by tildahat View Post
Recycling my comment from the Chron website regarding Gregor's article:

Um...there has only been one phase at Mueller so far. And it had about 19% affordable housing. They'll have to do over 25% in the future just to meet their minimum. Plus there is a HUGE gap between the affordable and market housing which in practice means middle class families are excluded from Mueller. Sure, this might be addressed in Phase 2, but I hope no one is holding their breath...
Wow didn't know this. Very interesting. I've been through a few of the affordable houses in Mueller and they are really not very nice (not surprisingly). The problem is that the next Phase all the builders are going to increase their prices by at least 10% (straight from their mouths when I asked each one of them). What's going to be interesting to see is how this gap continues to grow like you have suggested.

I'll be surprised if you can get into Mueller in phase 2 for under ~$275k, unless of course you can afford the affordable housing.

What really sucks about Mueller is that when they announced the prices from some of the cheaper houses in the neighborhood were around $160k to $180k or so. When they were actually built and real prices hit the market they shot up almost $100k. What a crock!
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  #102  
Old Posted Jun 6, 2008, 3:33 AM
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City Staff prefers Trammell Crow

Trammell Crow partnership wins staff recommendation for Green project
Group beats out four others to redevelop site; City Council will make final decision
By Katie Humphrey

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF


Friday, June 06, 2008

After sorting through five partnerships' proposals for developing the Green Water Treatment Plant site, city staff members on Thursday recommended it go with Trammell Crow, which proposed the biggest and tallest buildings with the most uses for the site.


Staff members ranked Stratus Properties second, followed by Forest City, Catellus and Simmons Vedder.

The site is five city-owned blocks roughly bounded by the Seaholm Power Plant and San Antonio, Fourth and Cesar Chavez streets.The recommendation is based largely on financial information the city has declined to release to the public and won't until after it has signed a deal with the selected developer, a process that could take more than a year after council makes a choice June 18.

The staff recommendation is not binding.

"We now have a couple weeks as a council to continue to get a bit of public feedback while, more importantly, drilling down through the staff analysis, asking questions of staff and ultimately coming up with our decision in two weeks," Mayor Will Wynn said.

Trammell Crow, with partners Constructive Ventures and USAA, proposed the biggest and tallest buildings and the most parking. Their plan also boasts the most uses, including space for a 350,000-square-foot hotel and a 250-unit senior assisted living facility, condos, apartments and office spaces. Five public gathering spaces could accommodate as many as 2,700 people.

Stratus Properties pitched the largest number of rental units, a plan to offer medical office space and a two-story H-E-B grocery store.

"Obviously we're excited that there's a chance that we could become the city's partner on this historic project," said Perry Lorenz, part of the Trammell Crow partnership.

The recommendation released Thursday also included a vague breakdown of the criteria that staff members considered in the rankings.

Trammell Crow was praised for including "significant public benefits," affordable housing and "strong revenue generation to the City with limited public financing requested."

The city released information in May that indicated public money would be used in all five proposals.

But Fred Evins, project manager for the Green redevelopment in the city's Economic Growth and Redevelopment Services office, said the city was referring only to the $18 million it pledged to reimburse the selected developer for mandatory road improvements. Some of the teams asked for additional public money, but Evins would not identify the teams or say how much they had requested.

Stratus also received positive comments from city staff, including marks for good design, creativity and local experience. The staff found more flaws in the other proposals. The ranking said: Forest City offered minimal affordable housing; Catellus' proposal would not bring as much money to the city; Simmons Vedder had limited experience on comparable projects.

Council Member Brewster McCracken said Trammell Crow distanced itself from the other firms in its affordable housing offerings and the financial package it presented.

"The staff analysis really went through all of these complex financial elements and also the values that we had put into the matrix," McCracken said. "As they worked through that, they were able to demonstrate very persuasively why they are recommending Trammel Crow."

http://www.statesman.com/news/conten...0606green.html
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  #103  
Old Posted Jun 9, 2008, 12:40 AM
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Austin Business Journal

City staff say Trammell Crow should be allowed to redevelop Green siteAustin Business Journal - by Jean Kwon ABJ Staff

In the largest redevelopment opportunity ever for downtown Austin, Austin City Manager Marc Ott and city staff have recommended that Trammell Crow Co. be allowed to redevelop the Green Water Treatment Plant and the adjoining Austin Energy Control Center site.

The City Council is expected to make its selection on June 18.

According to a memo sent by Ott to City Council members on June 5, the redevelopment proposal led by Dallas-based Trammell Crow with partners Austin-based Constructive Ventures and San Antonio-based USAA Real Estate Co. ranks the highest of five submitting developers using an evaluation matrix contained in the original request for proposals. However, the staff recommendation is not binding and the City Council is free to choose another of the four developers.

The six-acre city-owned property is located between the Second Street Retail District and the planned $117.2 million Seaholm Power Plant redevelopment, which is expected to begin construction in 2009. City leaders have heralded the Green site as the missing anchor between those two budding areas in the southwest quadrant of downtown.

The proposal by Trammell Crow, city staff concluded, offers significant attention to public open space, mobility and connectivity enhancement, affordable housing--including contribution to the city's Affordable Housing Trust Fund, access to extensive capital and strong revenue generation to the city with limited public financing requested.

Trammell Crow Co. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CB Richard Ellis Inc. (NYSE:CBG)

Of the five proposals submitted, Trammell Crow's offers the largest and tallest buildings with the most parking and diversity of uses. Their plan calls for a 350,000-square-foot hotel and a 250-unit senior assisted living facility in addition to condos, apartments, offices and retail space. Five public squares could accommodate as many as 2,700 people.

The proposal by Austin-based Stratus Properties Inc. (Nasdaq:STRS) came in second, offering, according to city staff, good design, creativity and local experience but lagging in affordable housing and public benefits.

Trammell Crow offered to make 25 percent of its rental units affordable--defined at 80 percent of the city's median family income--and offered to make a donation to the city's affordable housing fund for every condo it sells, estimating that total donations could reach $2.5 million.

Stratus offered to make 15 percent of its rental units affordable, reserving 5 percent for families making up to $82,900 and allowing the city to buy up to 5 percent of its condos at cost.

Stratus, which is developing the $295 million W Hotel and condo project on Second Street, proposed a two-story HEB grocery store with H.E. Butt Grocery Co. acting as a limited partner, medical office space not currently found downtown, and the largest number of rental units with AMLI Residential as a partner.

Cleveland, Ohio-based Forest City (NYSE:FCE); Denver, CO.-based Catellus Development Corp.; and Austin-based Simmons Vedder Partners ranked third, fourth and fifth respectively.

According to Ott, city staff met on nine separate occasions to assess the proposals.

The actual offer amounts for the sites have not been disclosed. City officials say they will release the sales price of the winning bid after the City Council chooses a developer. The appraised value of the land is $55.5 million.

The decommissioning and demolition of the Green Water Treatment Plant is expected to be finished by February 2010, with construction beginning shortly after.

Last edited by TXAlex; Jun 9, 2008 at 1:09 AM.
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  #104  
Old Posted Jun 18, 2008, 11:26 PM
chancla chancla is offline
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City Council picks Trammell Crow for Green

http://www.statesman.com/news/conten...0619green.html

City picks Trammell Crow to redevelop Green Water Treatment Plant
Officials says that development team agreed to pay the city $57.9 million for project.


By Kate Miller Morton
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The Austin City Council on Wednesday unanimously chose Trammell Crow and its partners Constructive Ventures and USAA for the single biggest development project ever to take place downtown.

The group beat four other development teams to win the right to negotiate with the city to buy and transform five isolated blocks of city-owned land bounded loosely by the Seaholm Power Plant and San Antonio, Fourth and Cesar Chavez streets into a residential, commercial and cultural hub.

But a city official familiar with the proposals said the Trammell Crow team offered to pay $57.9 million for the six acres appraised at $55.5 million. The official requested anonymity because the official is not authorized to speak about the unsigned deal.

Of the five teams, Trammell Crow proposed the biggest and tallest buildings, the most uses and the most parking for the current sites of the Green Water Treatment Plant and Austin Energy Control Center.

Two weeks ago, members of the city staff announced that they had determined that the Trammell Crow plan was the best deal for the city.

Their decision was based largely on financial information the city has refused to release, including: the proposed sales price for the land, sales and property tax projections, the financial backing of the developers, and the amount of public money needed to achieve the developers' plans. City officials say the information won't be released until the city has signed a deal with the selected developer, a process that could take more than a year.
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  #105  
Old Posted Jun 19, 2008, 12:28 AM
pato79 pato79 is offline
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How much control of the project will the city council have now that a developer has been choosen?
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  #106  
Old Posted Jun 19, 2008, 10:13 PM
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At least one of the buildings is said to be 725 feet. That would be 42 feet taller than The Austonian. Another proposed project though would be 95 to 105 feet taller than this building. Either way, Austin is jumping into the big leagues finally.

From the Austin American-Statesman
http://www.statesman.com/news/conten...0619green.html

City Council picks Trammell Crow for redevelopment of Green
Developers beat 4 other teams for largest downtown project ever.

By Kate Miller Morton

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Thursday, June 19, 2008

The Austin City Council on Wednesday unanimously chose Trammell Crow and its partners, Constructive Ventures and USAA Real Estate Co., for the single biggest downtown development project ever.

The group beat four other teams to win the exclusive right to negotiate with the city to buy and transform five isolated blocks of land bounded loosely by the Seaholm Power Plant and San Antonio, Fourth and Cesar Chavez streets into a residential, commercial and cultural hub. The land is now occupied by the Green Water Treatment Plant and the Austin Energy Control Center.

The sale of the six acres, along with the hotel, property and sales taxes from the project, is expected to generate $71 million for the city over 10 years after construction begins in 2010.

The city expects to spend $16.4 million to clean up the Green Water Treatment site. Austin Energy estimates it will spend $17 million to replace its control center.

Of the five teams, Trammell Crow proposed the biggest and tallest buildings, the most uses and the most parking.

The selection of Trammell Crow over teams led by Catellus Development, Forest City, Simmons Vedder Partners and Stratus Properties was expected after members of the city staff recommended the Trammell Crow proposal two weeks ago.

Their decision was based largely on financial information the city has refused to release including: the proposed sale price for the land, sales and property tax projections, the financial backing of the developers, and the amount of public money needed to achieve the developers' plans. City officials say the information won't be released until the city has signed a deal with the developer, a process that could take more than a year.

But a city official familiar with the proposals said the Trammell Crow team offered to pay $57.9 million for the six acres appraised at $55.5 million. The official, who is not authorized to speak about the unsigned deal, requested anonymity.

During a presentation to council members, Rodney Gonzales with the city's Economic Growth and Redevelopment Services Office listed some of the proposal's other attributes that led to the recommendation, including affordable housing and public gathering spaces.

Trammell Crow proposed the highest number of low-to-moderately priced housing units, with 320 rental units held at below market price with no cost to the city. Eighty of those units will be reserved for households making no more than 80 percent of the area's median family income, now $56,900 for a family of four; 240 of those units would be within reach of families making 120 percent of the median family income, now $82,900 for a family of four.

Stratus Properties had offered to make 121 units affordable to families making at or below 80 percent of the area's median family income.

Trammell Crow also will donate $2.7 million to the city's affordable housing fund.

Gonzales also cited Trammell Crow's plan to build five public gathering places that could accommodate 2,700 people, including a 10,000-square-foot covered plaza on Second Street at Shoal Creek.

Now that the development team has been selected, the city and the developer will begin the arduous process of negotiating and signing a detailed agreement that lays the ground rules for such complicated issues as timing, financing, profits and risk.

Perry Lorenz of Constructive Ventures said the proposal sets the bar for things such as how much will be built, affordability and green building.

"We believe what we've shown the city are realistic plans for a realistic project that will accepted by the marketplace," Lorenz said.

But the plans are far from set in stone.

It is a long time until 2010, and the market for retail, residential and office space has already slowed.

"We intend to listen closely to the public," Lorenz said of the planning process. "We're not going to swim up stream."

kmorton@statesman.com; 445-3641

The Trammell Crow proposal

The team's plan includes buildings as high as 725 feet that would house:

265 apartments 500 condos

235 senior assisted living units

588,000 square feet of office space

160,000 square feet of retail

A 375-room hotel
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  #107  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2008, 12:19 AM
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588,000 square feet of office space
YES! Bring on the office space! Never understood this idea of everyone moving to downtown but working in Round Rock.
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  #108  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2008, 1:01 PM
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Well, there's only a thousand or three more people living downtown than there were 5 years ago - everybody else still has to drive in to work.

I keep pointing out that there's no more office space now downtown than there was ten years ago for a very good reason: there's no more commuting capacity into downtown (no, buses don't count if people won't ride them because they're stuck in traffic). The impact of thousands of new residents will take a long time to be felt - eventually you'd see an increase in possible office capacity incorporating those residents too, but that'd take a lot longer than just doing rail transit correctly.

As for living downtown and working in Round Rock, it's still far better than living in Leander and working in Round Rock. The reverse commute even by SOV still has some underused capacity, and transit support for reverse commutes is extremely good (plus, you're going in the lighter traffic direction, so the delay penalty for the bus is far less).
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  #109  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2008, 1:43 PM
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there's no more commuting capacity into downtown
Exactly the reason why our company didn't move downtown recently when our lease was up for renewal. A lot of people, including the principals, wanted to find office space downtown, but the need to find parking spaces for almost all of our 100+ employees was too expensive (when added to pricier office space).

OTOH, if there better transportation options (light rail) that could get more people into downtown without a car, then the need and expense of many of those parking spaces goes away.

Until that happens, I don't see many big office towers getting built.

Light rail == good for business
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  #110  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2008, 3:48 PM
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Actually your situation is rather unique - parking price per head is going down, not up, since the newer office buildings provide more spaces per square foot than did the older ones (some of the older ones are now not being used as offices, such as Sabine or the Brown Building). So the impact of parking prices, while still non-trivial, is actually less each year - the bigger issue is the fact that you can't get any more cars into downtown on the streets.
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  #111  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2008, 4:00 PM
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Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas View Post
At least one of the buildings is said to be 725 feet. That would be 42 feet taller than The Austonian. Another proposed project though would be 95 to 105 feet taller than this building. Either way, Austin is jumping into the big leagues finally.
You know how funny your comments are coming out under your current icon?

Poor Laura. She's touched.
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  #112  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2008, 8:29 PM
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You know how funny your comments are coming out under your current icon?

Poor Laura. She's touched.
Touched by the crazy stick?
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  #113  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2008, 9:07 PM
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Touched by the crazy stick?
More or less. Here's a great term that should come back into fashion-- it generally means "slightly insane", as in "touched by insanity or mania".

I don't say anyone is unbalanced, I just say they're touched.
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  #114  
Old Posted Jun 23, 2008, 7:46 PM
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I don't know about the rest of ya'll but I feel it was a good choice. Let's just hope the market holds up and we see all of these large buildings. our skyline will look fantastic once everything we've seen proposed/approved so far is completed.
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  #115  
Old Posted Jun 28, 2008, 7:59 PM
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Okay so now we know who is going to work on the project. now what? Is there a set timeline? Do we know anymore information on what steps are they taking to start rebuilding the site? 2010 to start construction, so I guess they will be in the planning stages for awhile.
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  #116  
Old Posted Jun 29, 2008, 12:49 AM
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Alright, these are some very roughly done models (it's been a while!) but I think they'll give us a little idea of how these buildings will affect the skyline.

Now, I know the latest Statesman article said the tallest tower would be 725 ft, but it doesn't look that way from the proposal pdf file. They have some orthographic projection illustrations along with a simple block indicating the 360 building. I tried to match the heights as best I could, based on that illustration, and the resulting tallest tower ended up being about 620'. OTOH, I know the proposal is preliminary and no doubt will end up changing a good deal.

I also got my textures from those illustrations, which are not quite as nice as the one rendering we're familiar with.

And while I used the wiggly textures for the main tower, I didn't make tower model itself wiggly, as that would take lots of time.


From the pedestrian bridge:




From the Milago:




From the Chase Bank tower:




From the hill in the new park:




From the Hyatt:

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  #117  
Old Posted Jun 29, 2008, 6:14 AM
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Great job. Goldenboot had mentioned the two tallest would be 600 and 675 feet, though that was before the news of a 725 footer came out.

I have to say, I'm not crazy about the designs of these buildings. I'm hoping these are just preliminary.
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  #118  
Old Posted Jul 31, 2008, 10:51 PM
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  #119  
Old Posted Jul 31, 2008, 11:34 PM
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Very interesting.
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  #120  
Old Posted Aug 6, 2008, 6:56 PM
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http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=155412

Wow... check out the West Side Market in Cleveland at the link above. Scroll down toward the end to see pics.

Would be great to see something like this or Seattle's famous market with a combo of local growers and retailers at Seaholm.
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