Texas
Related: About this forumAustin Downtown Building Boom? You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
See the new Downtown Austin skyline that sprouted over the last decade or so? Take a good look at it, maybe snap a pic for posterity. Because over the next few years it's going to change even further.
Construction projects now breaking ground, starting to rise, topping out, currently on the books or planned to be built will further transform not just the skyline but the streetscape and the nature and culture of Downtown. And more is likely to follow.
"It may be the biggest building boom yet," says Michael Knox, the City of Austin's downtown manager in its economic growth and redevelopment services office. "We've seen booms before but this seems big if not bigger."
"It definitely seems that way," observes Will Schnier of the civil engineering firm Big Red Dog, who keeps a close watch on redevelopment projects. "My perception is that we're under-built. With the amount of people and businesses that are moving to Austin, we don't have the capacity to handle that right now. The problem could have addressed the need between 2008 and 2012, but nobody in the capital markets was loaning out any money. So now we're catching up to everything in terms of demand."
The article provides a look at the various projects in every sector of downtown. Read more at http://www.austinpost.org/boom-town/downtown-begins-whole-new-building-boom .
Benton D Struckcheon
(2,347 posts)Love the place, my brother used to live there and visiting him was always a pleasure. But he was always talking about the Edwards Aquifer. I mean, if you mine water, sooner or later you're going to run out, no?
TexasTowelie
(112,370 posts)Austin gets their water from the Colorado River.
Benton D Struckcheon
(2,347 posts)Checked w/my bro, turns out I got that mixed up. He of course lives in San Antonio now, so that explains that. Aargh!
Link Speed
(650 posts)I now live in a town where the tallest building is three stories and every business (except banks) is independently owned.