Imagine if the main street of Texas had wider sidewalks, dedicated bike lanes and no pull-in parking spaces. That’s one potential outcome of the city of Austin’s Congress Avenue Urban Design Initiative. Last week, the Public Works and Planning and Zoning departments debuted renderings of what they have dubbed as “alternatives” for the stretch of […]
Congress Avenue
Congress Avenue is the central-most road in downtown Austin. It runs from the Texas State Capitol to Lady Bird Lake, where it turns into South Congress Avenue. It is also a historic district first listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Posted inPlanning
Report spells out Congress Avenue’s potential transformation
The future of Congress Avenue leading up to the state Capitol could see bicycles claiming the middle of the road as cars pass on both sides. That is one configuration in the discussion for an eventual makeover of the street from Riverside Drive to 11th Street, in a bid to turn the outdated and somewhat […]
Posted inPlanning
Austin launches initiative to redesign Congress Avenue
For Austin visitors, it’s hard to beat the iconic view of the Texas Capitol from Congress Avenue. But for those who live and work along the corridor, the streetscape could use some improvements. On a Friday afternoon, about a dozen customers sit and sip coffees at the Hideout Theatre and Coffee House downtown. But in […]
Posted inPreservation
Neon wrong kind of historic for Congress Avenue
At the most recent Historic Landmark Commission meeting, commissioners faced the question of when “historic” was, exactly. One of Austin’s most celebrated new restaurants provoked the question, by proposing installation of a sign that the owners said was historic, though commissioners unanimously agreed it was not the right kind of historic. In the end, commissioners […]
Posted inAustin
Viral news proves a mixed bag for Great Outdoors
Tom Tinguely, owner of the Great Outdoors nursery on South Congress, wants everyone to know that he is working through issues with the city’s Development Services and Code departments and that the business is fully operational. That’s important, because when the Dawson Neighborhood Organization tried to call attention to problems that the Great Outdoors was […]
Posted inDevelopment
Council OKs alcohol for South Congress shop
City Council has approved a waiver that will allow a new business on South Congress to serve alcohol, despite its close proximity to the Texas School for the Deaf. Two Hands Brew LLC sought an alcoholic beverage waiver last week for its business Two Hands Coffee, which will be located at 1007 South Congress Ave. […]
Posted inPreservation, Zoning
Possible strip club makes museum wary of deck
With a proposed Congress Avenue strip club drawing fire from groups across the city, it might not be the right time for other tenants of 422 Congress Ave. to ask for changes. Though the owners of Shiner’s Saloon explained that they had nothing to do with any strip clubs, last week their Historic Landmark Commission […]
Posted inDevelopment
Congress Avenue facade flip passes first hurdle
It’s not what usually comes to mind when one thinks of flipping houses. But last week, Austin’s Historic Landmark Commission gave its tentative blessing to an undertaking that will see Congress Avenue’s Grandberry and Mitchell-Robinson Buildings flipped — brick by brick. Architect Tom Hatch of Hatch + Ulland Owen Architects came up with the restoration […]
Posted inAustin, City Council, Development, The Code, Zoning
Downtown hotel zoning shifts to code amendment
After almost a year of going through the zoning change process, including trips to four different commissions and winning initial approval from City Council, developers of the Aloft Austin & Element Hotel are now seeking an amendment to the Land Development Code and giving up on their zoning case. Conventus Corporation and the Finley Company, […]
Posted inDevelopment
Congress hotel closer to Council approval
It has been a long, slow road, but a proposed Congress Avenue hotel passed its first official City Council hurdle in October. Council members unanimously approved a rezoning that will allow for a change to the building’s street setback on first reading, with instructions to work on an agreement with the hotel’s neighbors. The case […]
Posted inDevelopment
Commission nixes neon for P. Terry’s sign
(Natalie Krebs participated in the preparation of this story.) The new downtown P. Terry’s struck out for a second time at the Historic Landmark Commission on Monday night, where it became abundantly clear that the local burger stand will not be getting a neon sign anytime soon. P. Terry’s founder, Patrick Terry, returned to the […]