10 Things To Do in Austin This May

10 Things To Do in Austin This May

May is a beautiful month to visit Austin, with sunny days and bearable Texas temperatures, it is the perfect time to explore all the city has to offer before the summer rush! Whether you’re a foodie, music lover, or outdoor enthusiast, there’s something for everyone in Austin this May. Here are some of the most exciting events and activities happening in Austin this month:

Pecan Street Festival (May 6-7): This free, family-friendly festival takes over historic Sixth Street for two days of live music, food vendors, and local artists selling their wares.

Hot Luck Festival (May 19-22): This food and music festival brings together some of the top chefs from around the country for four days of culinary delights and live music performances.

Austin Reggae Festival (May 27-29): This annual festival features three days of live reggae music, food vendors, and local craft beer.

Hiking and Biking Trails: With mild temperatures and beautiful scenery, May is a great time to explore Austin’s many hiking and biking trails. Some popular trails include the Barton Creek Greenbelt, Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail, and the Walnut Creek Trail.

Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater: This legendary music venue hosts a variety of concerts and events throughout May, featuring both local and national artists.

Austin FC Soccer Matches: May is the start of the MLS season, and Austin’s own soccer team, Austin FC, will be playing several home matches at Q2 Stadium. Catch a game and join the excitement of the city’s newest sports team.

Congress Avenue Bat Colony: Every evening from May to September, the Congress Avenue Bridge is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America. Watch as over 1.5 million bats emerge from under the bridge at sunset.

Austin Food and Wine Festival (May 27-29): This three-day festival celebrates Austin’s vibrant culinary scene with tastings, cooking demonstrations, and wine and cocktail seminars.

Art Galleries: Austin is home to a thriving art scene, with many galleries showcasing works from local artists. Some popular galleries to check out include the Blanton Museum of Art, The Contemporary Austin, and the Mexic-Arte Museum.

Texas State Capitol Tours: Take a guided tour of the Texas State Capitol building, a historic landmark and the largest state capitol building in the country. Learn about Texas history and the state’s legislative process.

These are just a few of the many exciting things to do in Austin in May 2023. With so much to see and do, there’s never been a better time to visit this vibrant city.

ATX Skyline Over The Years

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.

The Modern Austin Residences | Development

Kevin Burns Reveals New Details About Rainey Street Skyscraper, Including Name and Project Team

The tower formerly known as 9092 Rainey, which has been in the works for several years, officially has a new name and new project specifications.

 

The Modern Austin Residences will have 56 stories featuring 346 market-rate residences and 21 affordable housing units. Austin’s Urbanspace Real Estate + Interiors is developing the project.

The affordable housing units will be available to people earning 80% of median family income, which is $98,900 in the Austin metro. The market rate units will start in the $400,000 range for a one-bedroom unit. Three-bedroom units will go for $1.6 million and above.

These updates, provided by Urbanspace CEO Kevin Burns, come just a few months after Austin City Council approved a density bonus for the project, allowing the building to go higher than typically allowed. At the time, the tower was planned to be 51 stories high and to contain 400 total units.

Burns said some of the extra stories were added to improve the look of the crown of the building by hiding water cooling towers and other mechanical features. He said they ended up reducing the number of market rate residences but maintaining the same number of affordable ones.

Many have wondered about the fate of Container Bar, the popular bar made of shipping containers that sits on the project site. Burns said the bar will close just before crews break ground on The Modern, which is set for late March 2022.

However, Bridget Dunlap — who owns Container Bar as well as Clive Bar and Lustre Pearl — has signed on to run an entertainment space in the basement of the building.

“Container Bar had a good run, but I’m excited for what’s next,” Dunlap said in a statement. “This next concept will fill a niche that Austin is missing in the music/hospitality scene, and I’m glad to have the opportunity to stay in our spot.”

Nelsen Partners will be the design architect for the tower, Flintco will be the general contractor and Page will be the architect of record. Urbanspace will handle sales and interior design for the tower.

Sales are expected to begin at the start of next year. Burns said it will likely take two and a half years to complete construction. He projects they’ll finish in the second half of 2024.

Original plans for the tower included hotel space and permanent residences, but Covid-19 forced the developer to rethink the plan.

“The fact of the matter is what my company knows inside and out, backwards and forwards is high-rise condominiums,” Burns said. “So it allowed us to really focus on what we do best.”

Urbanspace has been tapped to sell the condos for other high-profile Austin towers, including The Independent, which has an onsite coffee and cocktail bar on the ground floor, similar to what is planned for The Modern. But The Modern Austin Residences represents Burns’ first foray into high-rise development.

Calls for denser housing within the city limits have grown louder amid the city of Austin’s persistent housing shortage. In June, the Austin Board of Realtors reported that the city had only 0.7 months of housing inventory on the market. That means if no new houses were listed, the city would be completely out of available housing in less than a month.

“We couldn’t beat the timing as far as the current market demands for products in Central Austin,” Burns said.

Rainey Street, in particular, has transformed considerably in recent the years. In the mid-2000s, the neighborhood received Central Business District zoning, making it easier to build big in what was once a residential area. The street is now known in large part for its bars, which largely occupy former single-family homes.

“Rainey street is evolving for families from all different walks of life, for those that want to ditch the car and be able to walk to everything,” Burns said. “I’m excited to see not just my project but the other projects that are going up in the area that are really going to create an incredible experience, not just for those that live there, but for the entire city.”

Article from: Austin Business Journal