AUSTIN | The Thompson (5th & Brazos) | 355 FEET | 31 FLOORS | Complete

[hereinaustin]

Originally Posted by Tech House

I'm afraid of it. Visitors don't have a vested interest in the city. The income to the city is nice, but there's going to be such a concentration of hotels downtown that it seems to me it will help push the city farther into the "party destination" category, joining NoLa and Vegas. Also, every highrise devoted to hotels is one less highrise available for downtown residential. From what I'm seeing, it also doesn't make economic sense, because there's more than enough hotel in the pipeline to satisfy demand, whereas there's a shortage of owner-occupied units. Or am I totally mistaken?

Isn't this Residential + hotel + Retail?

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by hereinaustin

Isn't this Residential + hotel + Retail?

Yes.

[ivanwolf]

It appears to me to be about 12 floors shorter than the renders on the first page of the forum. To bad, but its ok for me, not to bland but not very exciting like Austin Proper is going to be.

[austlar1]

Austin already is seen as a "party destination". I think it is true, however, that this reputation will solidify with the addition of so many hotel rooms downtown. I would prefer to see more residents and fewer hotel rooms, but the hotels proposals just keep coming.

I wonder how many of these new hotel rooms will become SROs thirty, forty, or fifty years down the path. That is what happened in other large cities by the 1950s to many of the small to medium sized hotels built in the 1920s. I guess the fact that most of these current hotel proposals are tucked into "mixed use" developments kind of gives them some insurance against becoming SROs

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by ivanwolf

It appears to me to be about 12 floors shorter than the renders on the first page of the forum. To bad, but its ok for me, not to bland but not very exciting like Austin Proper is going to be.

Yeah, the one in the original renderings showed the 504 foot 47-story version. The new site plan shows it to be 402 feet with 36 floors.

[Jdawgboy]

Austin is fast becoming a major national and international destination. I think it will be quite awhile before we start seeing vacant hotels. DT continues to hold the state's highest hotel occupancy. I think what is proposed shouldn't oversaturate the market.

I would question anymore hotel announcements from here on out though I think, at least until we see what impact the current hotels in the pipeline will have in the overall occupancy level.

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

...I would question anymore hotel announcements from here on out though I think, at least until we see what impact the current hotels in the pipeline will have in the overall occupancy level.

I wouldn't. Another 1,000 room "convention center" hotel...well, yes. But, a couple more 100-350 room hotels, I think is fine. Austin is still considered underserved with regard to central core lodging options.

[ToTheSky]

Originally Posted by Tech House

I'm afraid of it. Visitors don't have a vested interest in the city. The income to the city is nice, but there's going to be such a concentration of hotels downtown that it seems to me it will help push the city farther into the "party destination" category, joining NoLa and Vegas. Also, every highrise devoted to hotels is one less highrise available for downtown residential. From what I'm seeing, it also doesn't make economic sense, because there's more than enough hotel in the pipeline to satisfy demand, whereas there's a shortage of owner-occupied units. Or am I totally mistaken?

I see your point. However I believe the placement of this tower makes perfect sense, without additional detriment to the city. It is right smack in the center of downtown in what is already a hotel centric district bound by the convention center on one side and the party districts of the 6th and 4th Street areas on the others. Because it will include a residential component which theoretically should be occupied by folks who ought to have a vested interest (let's hope!) in their section of downtown, I like it.
Additionally I like how the core of downtown Austin consists more of hotels and office buildings, while the majority of the residential component is being developed along the fringes such as Rainey then heading West along Cesar Chavez over to the area bound by Lamar up to around 7th St and back over towards Lavaca. There is still plenty of area available for owner occupied projects to be developed there.
Let the partiers and conventioneers temporarily occupy the core while the residential dwellers live a short distance away in areas designed with much of the amenities necessary for long term occupancy ie grocery stores, retail etc.
I really wish they hadn't lopped 10 stories off this one, but will be glad to see it go up, barring anymore reductions in height.
I do agree that with this and the proposed Aloft project, we should be at critical mass for downtown hotels. Temporarily at least, until any potential convention center expansion is completed.

[Tech House]

Originally Posted by ToTheSky

I see your point. However I believe the placement of this tower makes perfect sense, without additional detriment to the city. It is right smack in the center of downtown in what is already a hotel centric district bound by the convention center on one side and the party districts of the 6th and 4th Street areas on the others. Because it will include a residential component which theoretically should be occupied by folks who ought to have a vested interest (let's hope!) in their section of downtown, I like it.

100% agreement. My comment of concern about too much tourism development was general in nature and not aimed at this particular building. But your remarks about its location, as well as what you said about residential being located more on the fringe of downtown, make perfect sense and I hadn't really looked at it that way before. I do think there should be some discouraging of additional hotels west of Colorado or Lavaca, however.

The Proper Hotel can be anything it wants, I don't care if they want to make it a brothel, crude oil refinery, nuclear waste repository, federal penitentiary, or ISIL-Al Qaeda-Boko Haram consolidated Jihadist recruitment and training center, it's too beautiful for quibbling! But aside from that, no more hotels west of Lavaca.

[LoneStarMike]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Not bad. And is that a mural on the east facade?!

It's some kind of artwork. Here's some more information from that Design Commission document.

1. Approximately 90% of the project is built to the property line for the first 5 floors, reinforcing the streetwall. Where the building does not meet the property line, the sidewalk is wider to accommodate more pedestrian uses.

2. Along San Jacinto, 5th Street and Brazos Street, there are entries to hotel and residential lobbies and restaurants along the street. Each of these uses have their own entries from different streets, which align with the Multi-Tenant, Pedestrian-Oriented Development goal of the Austin Urban Design Guidelines.

3. Primary entries have canopies, which help to set a hierarchy along the street. Pedestrian entries along the street are recessed to reduce conflicts with pedestrians. The façade has space for a art piece, which will be integrated with the building facade and signify a primary entry to one of the building uses and accentuate the local character of the area.

4. All parking will be located below grade, with an entry off of Brazos Street in
order to reduce the impact of cars on the goal of creating pedestrian oriented
street-level activity. The different building uses will share the below grade parking.

5. The project will be built of brick, stone and glass, metal panel, materials that have a proven record of being low maintenance and durable.

6. The careful use of materials, their locations, the size of openings and massing on the project attempt to bring the character of the project to that of the human scale, especially where pedestrians actually come into contact with the building. The sizing of fenestration, the deployment of architectural elements and the use of landscaping and streetscaping on the project will also help to create a building that is at a human scale.

Further down the page, in a chart, it notes:

Parts of the exterior wall of the building will incorporate large scale murals or mosaics by (local) artists.

[GoldenBoot]

I don't know if this is info is anywhere in here...

Project:

-333 hotel rooms
-329 residential units (283 one-bedroom; 46 two-bedroom).
-4660 SF restaurant (table service)
-2470 SF restaurant ("high turnover")

*Still now word on who will be managing the "hotel." A little worrisome at this stage of the project...

I'm beginning to wonder if Magellan bought the land as an investment and is going through the entitlement process to increase the value of the land (ergo, Tom Stacy's style of development)?!? But, not sold on that theory yet.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

I don't know if this is info is anywhere in here...

Project:

-333 hotel rooms
-329 residential units (283 one-bedroom; 46 two-bedroom).
-4660 SF restaurant (table service)
-2470 SF restaurant ("high turnover")

*Still now word on who will be managing the "hotel." A little worrisome at this stage of the project...

I'm beginning to wonder if Magellan bought the land as an investment and is going through the entitlement process to increase the value of the land (ergo, Tom Stacy's style of development)?!? But, not sold on that theory yet.

Magellan builds stuff and collects rent. They don't appear to be in the real estate speculation/investment business.

The lack of an announced hotel operator does seem troubling. This project has been financed (by their Chinese partner) and seemingly ready to go as soon as they get city approvals. But the hotel part could cause a delay or re-design (shorter).

[Jdawgboy]

....

[IluvATX]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

I found this.

http://m.hospitalitynet.org/news/4068717.html

Proper brand is going to Greenwater.

[Jdawgboy]

Oh crud, lol I totally didn't even think when I posted that. For some reason I was thinking Green instead. I'll just remove It.

[IluvATX]

Who cares? I was wondering what brand it could be? Marriott Marquis, Ace, Drury, Hyatt, etc. I'm curious to find out.

[Tech House]

Originally Posted by IluvATX

I was wondering what brand it could be? Marriott Marquis, Ace, Drury, Hyatt, etc. I'm curious to find out.

It's going to be a Rodeway. They already hired a manager, someone by the name of Patel, who will be moving into an office/residential unit with his wife and 3 grown children.



<-- (I figured I should add a wink just in case anyone here isn't familiar with the ubiquitous Patel presence in the budget-hospitality industry.)

[IluvATX]

Originally Posted by Tech House

It's going to be a Rodeway. They already hired a manager, someone by the name of Patel, who will be moving into an office/residential unit with his wife and 3 grown children.



<-- (I figured I should add a wink just in case anyone here isn't familiar with the ubiquitous Patel presence in the budget-hospitality industry.)

I remember having a great high school party at a Rodeway.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by IluvATX

I remember having a great high school party at a Rodeway.

But I'm guessing that since high school your pleasant Rodeway memories have lessened to a great degree.

[lzppjb]

It'll be a Knights Inn.