American City Gets Face Lift With 53 New Projects

The 2011, the 

Austin City Council devised a redevelopment plan named the Downtown Austin Plan.

The plan articulates the community’s vision for the Downtown area and maps out an implementation strategy for achieving the vision of ensuring a sustainable future for the city of Austin.

The program is lead by the Economic Development Department (EDD) and involves the redevelopment of Downtown Austin with the addition of 53 emerging projects.

The Plan sprang from a five-year planning process led by the City of Austin and its consultant team, headed by McCann-Adams Studio, working with citizens and Downtown stakeholders to set the direction for Downtown for decades to come.

The EDD, who is responsible for all urban regeneration efforts for the City of Austin, has established priorities for the next decade, outlining the most important elements of the plan to ensure long-term economic, social vibrancy and sustainability for downtown Austin.

The 7 elements of the plan focus heavily on:

1. Historic Preservation;

2. Activities & Uses;

3. Density & Design;

4. The Public Realm;

5. Transportation & Parking;

6. Utilities & Infrastructure, and;

7. Leadership & Implementation.

Since it was announced, the plan has received great feedback from outside organisations and advocates of the Downtown Austin Plan, the Downtown Austin Alliance (DAA), have been assisting in the implementation of the plan.

The DAA is a partnership of individuals and businesses devoted to preserving and enhancing the value and vitality of downtown Austin. They liaise with various stakeholders and parties to advance the shared vision of downtown Austin by actively involving themselves in planning decisions that impact the area’s people and places.

Here we take a look at three out of the 53 emerging projects that the Downtown Austin Plan has initiated.

 
Emerging Project 3 Out of 53:
The Bowie
Status: Under ConstructionEstimated Completion: Third quarter 2014Type: Mixed-use; Residential, office and retail.

The Bowie

, developed by Austin-based firm, Endeavor Real Estate Group, features over 32,500 square metres of space with 358 apartments, as well as office and retail space.

The Bowie is located in the heart of downtown Austin. The luxury development also includes a rooftop swimming pool and fire pitEndeavor has their own in-house research, acquisition, development, construction, financing, leasing and management capabilities.

  
Emerging Project 24 Out of 53: 
Colorado Tower
Status: Under ConstructionEstimated Completion: December 2014Type: Commercial 

Developed by Cousins Property, with Hixon Properties Inc. and Silver Ventures, Colorado tower is a 30-story building which will feature 37,000 square metres of office space, including street level retail and restaurants.

The expected completion date of this A-grade commercial tower is late-2014.

 
Emerging Project 41 Out of 53: 
Fairmont Hotel
Status: PlannedEstimated Completion: UndeterminedType: Commercial 

Manchester Texas Financial Group is expecting to deliver this US$370 million hotel comprising 1,031 rooms over 47 stories.

It will also feature 100,000 square feet of meeting space and an aerial promenade that will provide a direct connection to the Austin Convention Center.

125 of the rooms will be luxury Fairmont Gold rooms and will include separate check-in, elevators and lounge.

The hotel will be built on land that is currently used for parking.