AUSTIN | Estancia Hill Country Updates

KevinFromTexas · #1 Posted **Jun 4, 2010, 5:02 AM**

Wow. If this happens, it would be huge for the southern half of the metro. It would be South Austin's version of The Domain.

http://www.statesman.com/business/pr...Trk=RTR_504016

Quote:

Project could bring apartments, offices and more to southern Travis County
Demand for large-scale development along I-35 corridor is there, investment fund that bought land says, but financing may be slower.

By Shonda Novak
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Updated: 10:34 p.m. Thursday, June 3, 2010
Published: 10:26 p.m. Thursday, June 3, 2010

A Dallas-based land investment fund is proposing an ambitious mixed-use project on 599 acres in southern Travis County. Estancia Hill Country could become the largest new planned development proposed for the South Interstate 35 corridor.

Over the next 10 to 15 years, the Stratford Co. envisions nearly 10 million square feet of development at Estancia, including a 1.9-million-square-foot corporate office campus; another 1.5 million square feet of general office space; a hospital; a hotel; nearly 1,600 apartments and townhomes; and almost 277,000 square feet of shops and restaurants.

Steve Sanders, a consultant for Stratford, said 130 acres would be set aside for parks, open space and trails.

...

PDF file of the proposal.

http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/statesman/...10_develop.pdf

THE STRATFORD COMPANY . O'BRIEN . 505 DESIGN . LANDDESIGN

TexasPlaya · #2 Posted **Jun 4, 2010, 5:28 AM**

This area was booming when I lived in this part of Texas and it seems it may boom again. Living in San Marcos, any drive up to Austin during daylight was met with traffic. Honestly, after spending most of my life in Houston, I can conclude I-35 is the most frustrating freeway I've ever been on.

The ATX · #3 Posted **Jun 4, 2010, 10:50 AM**

This area is also relatively close to the proposed Formula 1 track via SH45. I wonder if that had anything to do with the timing of this announcement.

miaht82 · #4 Posted **Jun 4, 2010, 3:00 PM**

I hope all the buildings don't end up looking the same; it'll never feel like a real neighborhood if people feel they are in the Truman Show.

DruidCity · #5 Posted **Jun 4, 2010, 3:27 PM**

The developer also has a couple of big chunks of land in Kyle and San Marcos.
Hopefully, the plans for those properties will look similarly impressive.

llamaorama · #6 Posted **Jun 4, 2010, 6:08 PM**

Interesting, this will probably spur more development along 45 and 130 too when you think about it

Samwill89 · #7 Posted **Jun 12, 2010, 7:21 AM**

Sprawl away Austin...

JAM · #8 Posted **Jun 12, 2010, 3:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hill Country

This area is also relatively close to the proposed Formula 1 track via SH45. I wonder if that had anything to do with the timing of this announcement.

I would doubt it, big things like that usually turn off suburbanites.

JAM · #9 Posted **Jun 12, 2010, 3:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by llamaorama

Interesting, this will probably spur more development along 45 and 130 too when you think about it

Houston BW8, rinse and repeat.....

JAM · #10 Posted **Jun 12, 2010, 3:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasPlaya

This area was booming when I lived in this part of Texas and it seems it may boom again. Living in San Marcos, any drive up to Austin during daylight was met with traffic. Honestly, after spending most of my life in Houston, I can conclude I-35 is the most frustrating freeway I've ever been on.

I don't think it is as bad as Houston I-45 in the early 90's. YET.

DougRockstead · #11 Posted **Jun 15, 2010, 6:25 PM**

I am trying to figure out where this is...
Based on seeing Old San Antonio Road and IH-35, I would think that it was just south of Southpark Meadows.. however when looking at it, it would overlap on some exisitng neighborhoods... Can anybody clarify where it is exactly?

KevinFromTexas · #12 Posted **Jun 16, 2010, 6:39 AM**

It looks like it's just south of Onion Creek. You can see the creek on the right side of those site plans twisting its way upward.

arbeiter · #13 Posted **Jun 17, 2010, 9:42 PM**

I wonder how likely it is that a bus line will even reach this area?

It reminds me of the new "town center" in Cypress, northwest of Houston.

llamaorama · #14 Posted **Jun 18, 2010, 12:31 AM**

I thought I was the only one who noticed that driving on 290. Not that it isn't a bad idea to built multi-family and neighborhood retail up there, with the amount of growth and employment up that way there is going to be a need for all kinds of residential and commercial spaces. Also I have a feeling that between the grand parkway and the nature of new job centers like the hospital farther out, 290 growth could spawn a bridge to Prairie View and homes would be sold to faculty and employees as well.

Though TOD at a HOV bus terminal, how Houston, lol.

San Marcos still feels like an independent town, at least to me as a student living in the old central part of the community. Once you get on 35 though it does feel like you have stepped into one big metroplex now, at least that's how I can imagine it feels for others who commute and live where they can find affordable single-family homes and good schools. Take a drive on Hunter road along the railroad tracks, and it still feels very rural though.

KevinFromTexas · #15 Posted **Jun 18, 2010, 12:49 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by arbeiter

I wonder how likely it is that a bus line will even reach this area?

Do buses run south of Slaughter? I've never noticed them south of that street. My brother lives just north of Slaughter on Manchaca, and I can't recall seeing buses any farther south.

DruidCity · #16 Posted **Jun 18, 2010, 4:15 AM**

Quote:

San Marcos still feels like an independent town, at least to me as a student living in the old central part of the community. Once you get on 35 though it does feel like you have stepped into one big metroplex now, at least that's how I can imagine it feels for others who commute and live where they can find affordable single-family homes and good schools. Take a drive on Hunter road along the railroad tracks, and it still feels very rural though.

My brother's place north of San Marcos feels so rural that he has trouble getting decent cell phone service, and the nearest restaurant of any sort is at least 5 miles away.

arbeiter · #17 Posted **Jun 18, 2010, 6:09 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Do buses run south of Slaughter? I've never noticed them south of that street. My brother lives just north of Slaughter on Manchaca, and I can't recall seeing buses any farther south.

I think the 1 bus goes slightly south of Slaughter and U-turns at Southpark Meadows. The 3 and 10 buses both turn back on Slaughter (the 3 goes down Manchaca and the 10 goes down South 1st, then turns down Slaughter and usually becomes a 3.)

DougRockstead · #18 Posted **Jun 21, 2010, 6:33 PM**

Still haven't had anyone give me a coherent reply on this. It looks to me like the development has a northern border of 1626? is that not right? can anyone define the streets that border the development?

wwmiv · #19 Posted **Jun 22, 2010, 3:17 AM**

35, Old San Antonio Road, Puryear Road, Onion Creek Dr., and two actual creeks.

DougRockstead · #20 Posted **Jul 27, 2010, 1:05 PM**

I've noticed that last couple of weeks while heading south on I-35 that this development might be what they are working on just west of 35 and south of 1626 (just south of the Southpark Meadows shopping center) they are doing all kinds of work there (infrastructure of some kind) sewage etc... and it is stretching for a quite a bit. Does anyone know if this is indeed the case?