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ATX Skyline Over The Years

March 30, 2023 by Jordan Holmes

Austin’s Skyline Over The Years

Austin, Texas is rapidly growing and changing, and nowhere is this more evident than in the city’s skyline. In recent years, several new high-rise buildings have been constructed, transforming the skyline and bringing a new level of sophistication to the city.

The most notable buildings amongst the skyline include The Frost Tower, The Austonian, The Independent, and one of the most recent additions gaining fame, The Google tower. As the city of Austin continues to grow and expand, its skyline is also evolving at a rapid pace. Here are some of the upcoming developments under construction that will be coming soon to Downtown Austin.

Sixth and Guadalupe: A mixed-use development located at 400 W. 6th St. The 66-story building broke ground in the fourth quarter of 2019 and is expected to be delivered in 2023.

415 Colorado Street: This property boasts an impressive 457,684 square feet of space, including 110,000 square feet of office space. The expected completion date is set for the 4th quarter of 2024.

Waterline: A mixed-use development located at 98 Red River St. in Austin, Texas. The impressive 2,300,000 square foot building includes 703,000 square feet of office space along with residential and hotel components. The 74-story tower will offer 240 hotel rooms and is expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Modern: The Modern is an upcoming residential development located in the historic Rainey district at 610 Davis St. The 56-story building will offer 300 residences and is expected to be delivered in late 2024. The development is being led by Urbanspace, with Page serving as the architect.

As Austin continues to grow and change, it is clear that its skyline will continue to evolve. These new developments and buildings bring new energy to the city and help to solidify Austin’s status as a major player on the national and global stage. While the skyline may look different than it did just a few years ago, one thing remains constant: Austin’s unique blend of charm, culture, and innovation will continue to make it a beloved destination for years to come.

Spring In Austin

February 28, 2023 by Jordan Holmes

SPRING IN AUSTIN

Spring is just around the corner in Austin, Texas, and the city is gearing up for some exciting events that will kick off the season in style. With its perfect mix of outdoor activities, music, and sporting events, Austin offers plenty of opportunities to enjoy the beautiful weather and create unforgettable memories.

One of the biggest events that will take place in March is South by Southwest (SXSW), an annual festival that brings together the worlds of music, film, and interactive media. Every year thousands of people gather in the heart of Austin Texas to celebrate the convergence of the tech, film, and music industries with SXSW. The event features an eclectic range of conferences, film festival screenings, musical festival showcases, unique networking opportunities, world-class exhibitions, and much more. This year, SXSW will be a hybrid event, with both in-person and virtual programming, allowing audiences from all over the world to participate. From March 11-20, visitors can enjoy an incredible lineup of musicians, filmmakers, and innovators as they explore the latest trends and ideas in their fields. Whether you’re a music lover, a tech enthusiast, or a film buff, there’s something for everyone at SXSW.

Another exciting event that’s coming up is what is possibly the last Dell Match Play golf tournament in Austin. This prestigious tournament attracts the best golfers in the world to compete in a match play format. Fans can watch the action up close at the beautiful Austin Country Club, located on the shores of Lake Austin. The tournament runs from March 24-28 and promises to be an unforgettable experience for golf fans and sports enthusiasts alike.

Urbanspace will be hosting our annual “Urbansips” party to celebrate all of the festivities with our clients, friends, and colleagues before the craze of Austin’s busy season sets in.

Of course, no visit to Austin would be complete without experiencing the city’s renowned food and music scenes. With a wide variety of restaurants, food trucks, and bars, visitors can savor the flavors of Austin’s diverse culinary landscape. And with live music venues like the Continental Club and the Broken Spoke, visitors can catch some of the best live performances in the country.

As the city emerges from winter, springtime in Austin is the perfect time to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. Visitors can hike the trails of the Barton Creek Greenbelt, take a dip in Barton Springs Pool, or rent a paddle board and explore Lady Bird Lake. With its mild temperatures and beautiful scenery, Austin is the ideal destination for anyone looking to enjoy the great outdoors.

Waterloo Greenway Phase II

February 8, 2023January 31, 2023 by Jordan Holmes

Waterloo Greenway Phase II: Coming Soon

On January 18, 2023, the Waller Creek Local Government Corporation approved a contract for the construction of the second phase of Waterloo Greenway, The Confluence. The Confluence, formerly known as the Creek Delta, will be located at the south end of the 1.5-mile park system, Waterloo Greenway. The approved design calls for nearly 1,550 trees, 200,000 mature plants, and 10 acres of seed mixes to improve downtown air quality, improve creek health, and reduce the urban heat island effect, while also mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Phase II will be at the epicenter of Austin culture, i.e Rainey Street.

Anticipating the surge of residents to come to the Historic District, construction of the Confluence will take place in the Spring of 2023 with an estimated duration of two to three years before its completion. After its completion, the 1.5-mile park system will connect Waterloo Greenway from 15th Street to Lady Bird Lake. The project’s design is focused on sustainability and resiliency.

CEO of Waterloo Greenway, Jesus Aguirre, whose main goal is to “preserve our green spaces in one of the busiest and most rapidly growing areas of downtown Austin”. This exciting next phase is centered around nature and the connection of our urban community to the various historical and cultural destinations Austin has to offer.

The project will be brought to life by Jay Reese Contractors. They have a conspicuous portfolio of several Austin projects, including the Pfluger Bridge, Boardwalk Trail at Lady Bird Lake, and 2nd Street Bridge.

Austin Ranks as “Best-Performing” City Once Again

May 24, 2021 by Emily Johnson

Austin Ranks as

“Best-Performing” City Once Again

Photo taken from Aquila Commercial.

For the third year in a row, Austin took the No. 3 spot on the Milken Institute’s Best-Performing Cities report.

Milken’s index ranks cities on a variety of metrics, including jobs, wages, salaries and technology output. It’s designed to help the public and private sectors evaluate and compare cities throughout the nation. It is particularly handy for Realtors, job recruiters and site selectors.

Placed in the “tier 1” category that includes 13 large and 13 small cities, Austin ranked number 3 right after (1) Provo, Utah and (2) Palm Bay, Florida, demonstrating its improvement in many indicators including “one year job and wage growth” and “five year job and wage growth”. No other Texas cities were in the top 10.

Among the many advantages of living in the Lone Star State, Austin offers a low tax rate and plenty of space for expansion and development. Austin boasts a relatively low cost of living despite a thriving tech sector and has marketed itself as friendly and open to business relocations. Dell, Apple Inc., IBM, and Samsung Austin Semiconductor are all major employers, and BAE Systems recently announced a new Austin campus, which plans to bring an additional 800 jobs to the city. The state capital is also home to the University of Texas at Austin, which is a major research university with strong ties to industry. Oracle, the world’s second-largest software maker, also recently announced plans to move its headquarters to Austin from Redwood City, highlighting the city’s magnetic tech pull.

Despite a tumultuous 2020 globally, the large public sector has helped stabilize the economy. The federal, state, and city governments each employ over 6,000 people, contributing to a 16th place rank in short-term job growth. Housing affordability, however, will continue to be an issue beyond the pandemic, especially with the growth in housing costs in recent years.

CALIFORNIA LOSES STEAM

Municipalities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area — known lately for sending thousands of new residents to Texas — took a beating in the Milken report.

San Francisco, which took the top spot in last year’s breakdown of U.S. cities, fell 23 places. San Jose, which was No. 5 last year, came in at 22. And Oakland dropped 48 spots, going from 17 to 65.

But the biggest declines in the country came from some of the Bay Area’s outlying cities. Salinas suffered the largest drop of any U.S. metro area, falling 90 places from 41 to 131. The Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area went from 52 to 124, a 72-point drop.

“A notable common characteristic of the cities that dropped the most is their proximity to larger ‘superstar cities,'” according to the report from the Milken Institute, which is based in Southern California. “Most of these metros also have low levels of high-tech industry concentration and extremely high housing costs. In Oakland’s case, these pressures have displaced many residents and decreased socioeconomic diversity.”

“The pandemic has had an outsized impact on cities where the economic effects of the current recession are exacerbated by high-housing costs,” said Kevin Klowden executive director of the Milken Institute Center for Regional Economics and California Center.

The Milken rankings measures economic vitality in 200 large metropolitan areas and 201 small metropolitan areas using job creation, wage growth and innovation industry metrics. The 2021 version of emphasized jobs, wages and high tech growth, housing affordability and household broadband access.

To download the full report from the Milken Institute, click here.

The Tech Scene: Austin-area Tech Employers

April 1, 2021 by Emily Johnson

The Austin Tech Scene: Austin-area Tech Employers

Austin, Texas, has become one of the hottest relocation hotspots for tech talent during the pandemic. Ranked by the number of Austin employees, check out the top 10 tech employers with offices in the Austin Area.

The tech companies included provide some sort of proprietary technology that changes the way business is done. They include hardware and software makers, internet-based services, e-commerce companies, semiconductor corporations, manufacturers, biotech firms and artificial intelligence businesses, to mention just a few.

Information for the list is gathered from ABJ surveys, news coverage and company websites.

1. DELL TECHNOLOGIES

Address: One Dell Way, Round Rock, 78682
Brief Description: Dell Technologies helps organizations and individuals build their digital future and transform how they work, live and play with an innovative technology and services portfolio for the data era.
Sector: Hardware, software, IT, services
Number of Austin Employees: 13,000
Products & Services: IT products and services
Year Est. in Austin Area: 1984

2. APPLE INC.

Address: 12545 Riata Vista Cir., Austin, 78727
Brief Description: Apple Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL) is an information technology company headquartered in Cupertino, Calif. that provides consumer electronics, software and services.
Sector: Hardware, software, services
Number of Austin Employees: 7,000
Products & Services: Mobile communication, computers, music players, related software/services, peripherals, third-party digital content and apps
Year Est. in Austin Area: 2004

3. IBM CORP.

Address: 11500 Burnet Rd., Austin, 78758
Brief Description: IBM Corp. focuses on the intersection of business insight and technological innovation through five business segments: cognitive solutions, global business services, tech services and cloud platforms, systems and global financing.
Sector: Hardware, software and IT
Number of Austin Employees: 6,000
Products & Services: IT infrastructure, services, consulting, hardware/software, microelectronics, research
Year Est. in Austin Area: 1967

4. ACCENTURE PLC

Address: 323 Congress Ave., Austin, 78701
Brief Description: Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security across more than 40 industries.
Sector: Technology consulting
Number of Austin Employees: 4,500
Products & Services: Professional services with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security; Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations services
Year Est. in Austin Area: 1976

5. AMAZON.COM LLC

Address: 11501 Alterra Pkwy., Austin, 78758
Brief Description: Amazon.com LLC is an online retailer based in Seattle with distribution center in San Marcos and an office at the Domain.
Sector: E-commerce
Number of Austin Employees: 4,000
Products & Services: Online retailer with distribution center in San Marcos and an office at the Domain
Year Est. in Austin Area: 2015

5. NXP SEMICONDUCTORS

Address: 6501 W. William Cannon Dr., Austin, 78735
Brief Description: NXP is a semiconductor designer and manufacturer of smart chips for automotive, mobile, and the industrial IoT.
Sector: Semiconductor
Number of Austin Employees: 4,000
Products & Services: Semiconductor design and manufacturer of embedded processors, such as microcontrollers and digital networking processors
Year Est. in Austin Area: 1974

7. SAMSUNG AUSTIN SEMICONDUCTOR LLC

Address: 12100 Samsung Blvd., Austin, 78754
Brief Description: Samsung Austin Semiconductor, a US-based subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., is one of the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facilities in the world with more than 3,000 employees and 2.45 million square feet of floor space.
Sector: Semiconductor
Number of Austin Employees: 3,000
Products & Services: Broad semiconductor processors including mobile, graphic, consumer, networking/high performance computing, Internet of Things, RF and automotive
Year Est. in Austin Area: 1996

8. AT&T INC.

Address: 816 Congress Ave., Austin, 78701
Brief Description: AT&T is a modern media company headquartered in Dallas whose mission is to inspire human progress through the power of communication and entertainment.
Sector: Communications
Number of Austin Employees: 2,800
Products & Services: Advanced IP-based business services, wireless high-speed Internet access and voice service
Year Est. in Austin Area: 1881

8. INDEED

Address: 6433 Champion Grandview Way, Austin, 78750
Brief Description: More people find jobs on Indeed than anywhere else. Indeed is the #1 job site in the world (comScore, March 2018) and allows job seekers to search millions of jobs in more than 60 countries and 28 languages. For more information, visit indeed.com.
Sector: Internet, software
Number of Austin Employees: 2,800
Products & Services: Job search engine, job postings, job advertising, resume subscriptions, employer branding products, company pages, skills tests
Year Est. in Austin Area: 2004

10. APPLIED MATERIALS INC.

Address: 9700 E. Hwy. 290, Austin, 78724
Brief Description: Applied Materials is the leader in materials engineering solutions used to produce virtually every new chip and advanced display in the world.
Sector: Tech manufacturing
Number of Austin Employees: 2,510
Products & Services: Materials engineering for the semiconductor, advanced display and adjacent industries
Year Est. in Austin Area: 1992

Cypress & Shoal Creek Public Space Strategy

January 7, 2021 by Emily Johnson

Cypress & Shoal Creek Public Space Strategy

Shoal Creek conservancy is excited to announce their draft public space strategy that envisions the potential future of the district on their Cypress & Shoal Public Space Strategy community engagement headquarters. Input on transforming Cypress & Shoal Creek is highly valued by the conservancy, who will be accepting input from the public until January 31st. Below you can view the public outreach summary from 2020, as well as detailed information on each of the five project areas, including: a summary of existing conditions and public input, imagery to illustrate proposed design concepts, and the Draft Public Space Strategy for the area. Please visit the Cypress & Shoal Creek Public Strategy Page to leave your feedback.

PUBLIC OUTREACH SUMMARY: SPRING 2020

MARGARET MOSER PLAZA

congested plaza and street
confusing bike connection
not enough space for all uses
too many cars
no scooter parking

CONVERGENCE PLAZA

creek trail is poorly lit and feels unsafe
trash not cleaned regularly
blind crossings and hairpin turns are challenging for cyclists
could use more places to sit

MARKET PLAZA

confusing vehicular intersection
dangerous crosswalk
redundant drive streets
not enough bike parking
poor landscaping and maintenance
not enough shade

BOWIE STREET UNDERPASS

create safe connections for bikes and pedestrians
wider sidewalks
put vacant land to good use
deal with train noise

SHOAL CREEK TRAIL

widen the trail
create a safer trail
clean up trash and unsafe behavior
create passive seating areas

EXISTING BIKE & TRAIL ROUTES

CYPRESS & SHOAL CREEK: PROJECT AREAS

1. MARGARET MOSER PLAZA & 3RD STREET BRIDGES

Area of 3rd Street between the 360 Condos and Third + Shoal buildings, continuing over Shoal Creek via two renovated bridges.

MARGARET MOSER PLAZA & 3RD STREET BRIDGES: TODAY

PUBLIC FEEDBACK SUMMARY

congested plaza and street
confusing bike connection
not enough space for all uses
too many cars
no scooter parking

OPPORTUNITIES

streamline traffic for safety and convenience
create easier bike connections
restore historic railroad bridge for pedestrians
provide views of Lady Bird Lake
improve water quality of street stormwater runoff

CONSTRAINTS

city utilities spanning Shoal Creek
decaying railroad bridge
narrow commuter bridge
busy plaza
flood plain of shoal creek

MARGARET MOSER PLAZA & 3RD STREET BRIDGES: CONCEPTS

separated pedestrian and bike lanes across new bike/ped bridge
people-dominated plaza plaza specs where cars yield to pedestrian traffic
wider pedestrian bridge for bikes, scooters, pedestrians and pets
green streets with shade trees for health and comfort
clear directional signs
gateway element for district identity
restoration of the historic rail line
park space on old trestle bridge

MARGARET MOSER PLAZA & 3RD STREET BRIDGES: IN THE FUTURE

PLAZA GOALS

manage bikes, cars and people
improve safe crossings for all
narrow drive lanes and slow cars
improve and widen sidewalks
streamline the bike connection
incorporate sustainable design techniques

BRIDGE GOALS

new, wider commuter bridge
restore trestle bridge for public use and creek crossing
no impact to creek flood plain
provide a new, safe trail under bridges

KEY PLAN

2. CONVERGENCE PLAZA

Area between The Independent and the Austin Energy substation, at the convergence of 3rd Street and the Shoal Creek Trail.