AUSTIN | Westin Austin Downtown | 214 FT | 19 FLOORS | Complete

[KevinFromTexas]

Given that the size of the lot for this hotel is roughly the same size of the one for Hyatt Place and that they are both 300 room hotels, I would expect this will be around 15 to 17 floors.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/conte..._business_blog

White Lodging plans 300-room hotel in downtown Austin

By Shonda Novak | Tuesday, September 11, 2012, 01:51 PM

Less than a month after officially breaking ground on a 1,012-room convention hotel in downtown Austin, White Lodging Services Corp. is seeking a zoning change from the city to build a 300-room upscale hotel a few blocks away.

White Lodging, which is based in Indiana, plans to build the hotel on vacant land at the northeast corner of East Fifth Street and San Jacinto Boulevard. The land, comprising one-fourth of a block, has been owned for about 45 years by Austin lawyer Harry Whittington and other family members, Whittington said.

The hotel brand is expected to be announced soon, White Lodging officials said. The zoning change would allow a project of roughly 230,000 square feet, larger than what’s currently allowed.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/ne....html?page=all

Another hotel in the works for downtown Austin
Austin Business Journal by Jan Buchholz, Staff Writer
Date: Tuesday, September 11, 2012, 2:13pm CDT - Last Modified: Tuesday, September 11, 2012, 4:39pm CDT

Jan Buchholz
Staff Writer- Austin Business Journal

Yet another hotel is in the pipeline for downtown Austin. Documents have been filed with the city of Austin seeking rezoning of a lot at the northeast corner of East Fifth Street and San Jacinto Boulevard.

Current vacancy rates are averaging 78 percent through June 30.

“Typically new hotels are added to a market when the market reaches the upper 60s, so the market can certainly absorb more rooms,” McCaslin said.

Clark Patterson, case manager for the city of Austin’s Planning and Development Review Department, said he hadn’t received the file yet. According to documents obtained by the Austin Business Journal, the joint venture is seeking to enlarge the maximum floor-to-area ratio from 8-to-1 to 13-to-1. In other words, the partnership wants to increase square footage from about 141,312 square feet to 229,632 square feet.

“It would be comparable to the Hyatt Place,” Stephenson said.

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/ne....html?page=all

OH PLEASE don't let it be as ugly and bland and generic as the Hyatt Place. I would rather have the vacant lot.

[wwmiv]

It's supposed to be an upscale hotel. It won't be as bland as that at most likely. It won't be stunning, but really, this section of town is mostly going to be infill anyway.

[JoninATX]

E. 5th street really needs this hotel. It's an eye sore looking at the vacant lots.

[royiv]

Originally Posted by wwmiv

It's supposed to be an upscale hotel. It won't be as bland as that at most likely. It won't be stunning, but really, this section of town is mostly going to be infill anyway.

"Upscale" doesn't equal "luxury". My guess is that this will be an "upscale" limited service hotel very similar to the Hyatt Place. I'm thinking Aloft since there isn't one in downtown and Starwood has a pretty weak presence in Austin. All of the other "upscale" limited service brands are pretty well represented downtown.

[hookem]

Originally Posted by royiv

"Upscale" doesn't equal "luxury". My guess is that this will be an "upscale" limited service hotel very similar to the Hyatt Place. I'm thinking Aloft since there isn't one in downtown and Starwood has a pretty weak presence in Austin. All of the other "upscale" limited service brands are pretty well represented downtown.

Yep. After all, White Lodging is still in the business of mass construction of hotels. I wouldn't hold my breath for anything nice. But more hotels are definitely needed, and 15-17 stories is good infill.

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by hookem

Yep. After all, White Lodging is still in the business of mass construction of hotels. I wouldn't hold my breath for anything nice. But more hotels are definitely needed, and 15-17 stories is good infill.

Yup.... even most of thier Marriots are bland. We are lucky with our JW.

[BevoLJ]

Many people were really upset with the original hotel they had planned where the JW went. It is a very prim spot and something bland there would have been horrible for the city and all of us. I don't know if people being upset about it had anything to do with the newer much better design, or if the upgrade to JW was what caused them to make it much nicer? But I hope our citizens won't just accept another bland Hyatt type design again.

[East7thStreet]

For a development in between the 5th and 6th Street entertainment corridor there should be mandatory street level retail around the entire building. It's just too important that this entertainment/tourist area have an attractive human scaled street environment.

[KevinFromTexas]

I wonder if it being closer to 6th Street will force them to do a better job on it. The noise issue will likely mean they'll have to do more sound proofing.

[Jdawgboy]

Agreed, I can't imagine them not having ground retail or unsound proofed. I would raise hell even as it will back directly up the the south row of 6th. You would think they are smart enough to know to make sure the get that hotel sound proof.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by East7thStreet

For a development in between the 5th and 6th Street entertainment corridor there should be mandatory street level retail around the entire building. It's just too important that this entertainment/tourist area have an attractive human scaled street environment.

Is the 5th-6th street corridor designated Austin's official entertainment district?

[BevoLJ]

Not officially I don't think so. At least as far as I know. Red River is. But East Sixth and the Warehouse Districts are officially Historic Districts (6th is a National Historic District), but I don't know if either have any official entertainment designation like Red River. Unofficially it is for sure. lol Also of note, on 6th there is a 45 foot height limit due to its historic designation, but I don't know if that extends to the side of the block facing 5th where this hotel is planned. I don't think so.

In the Downtown Austin Plan the idea for Sixth was to get away from entertainment and more to day time retail. It suggest trying to recruit retail to replace bars and venues and such and to reduce the crowds at nights on 6th and not close 6th at night to auto traffic when the pedestrian traffic becomes so great they have no choice. Which is absurd. There is no way to be able to have the crowds on 6th on a normal night and have cars. A better option would be to try to find another route for cars. 6th and 5th are the main east west streets (they are one way) for cars in downtown during the day time, and that it has to close most nights means to me they should probably find somewhere else for the cars to go. Not get rid of the people enjoying the street.

By far the top concern for 6th in the Current Downtown Austin Plan seems to be to allow cars on the street at night. Entertainment for the area seem a very low priority for them. Unfortunately for them Austin tens to work in a much more organic manor that their plans really have made no effect. The crowds have never been bigger, and all the clubs and bars that were close in the big FBI/ATF/DEA/alphabet soup Yassine drug trafficking and money laundering sting are all being reopened as again, bars and clubs, not retail as I'm sure they would have hoped.

[Jdawgboy]

I cant see them lessening the nightlife on East 6th. In fact I think that would be a bad idea for the city. That doesn't mean they cannot have some diversity on the street I think they can without really lessening the music venues and clubs/bars. I also think 6th needs to close on weekends, no point in trying to take that element away and it would not be good for events like SXSW. They need to fix up the streetscaping wirh much brighter lighting.

[LoneStarMike]

Originally Posted by BevoLJ

A better option would be to try to find another route for cars. 6th and 5th are the main east west streets (they are one way) for cars in downtown during the day time, and that it has to close most nights means to me they should probably find somewhere else for the cars to go.

True, but there are only four E-W streets between the Capitol and Lady Bird Lake that go all the way from Lamar to I-35 without a break: Cesar Chavez, 5th, 6th & 10th.

According to google maps, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 11th all have a gap somewhere between Lamar & I-35.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by LoneStarMike

True, but there are only four E-W streets between the Capitol and Lady Bird Lake that go all the way from Lamar to I-35 without a break: Cesar Chavez, 5th, 6th & 10th.

According to google maps, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 11th all have a gap somewhere between Lamar & I-35.

I didn't realize that 9th St. was closed where it went under the Post Office. I haven't been in that area in long time. I guess it was probably a 9/11 response since it's a Federal building.

[KevinFromTexas]

Yeah, great planning on their part. Designing a federal building so that it straddles a street. When new courthouse opens, are there any plans to close the Thornberry Building? I know it has offices other than the courthouse. I wish they had planned to move all that space to the new federal courthouse and then redevelop those blocks.

[The ATX]

I always thought it was odd that the Post Office sprawled over the roadway rather than going higher. Maybe a Capitol View Corridor was in play.

[LoneStarMike]

There was no Capitol View Corridor in play back then. The Thornberry Building was built in 1965. The Capitol View Corridor was enacted in 1983.