Real estate
BY BRITTANY ANDERSON
North Austin’s skyline is poised to get taller as city o cials work to transform the North Burnet/ Gateway district into Austin’s “second downtown.” The yearslong vision has been fueled by development momentum and zoning and land use amendments that have allowed developers to propose taller and denser projects in the district, bringing more mixed-use developments focused around multifamily units, o ce space, retail space and transportation. The city’s NBG plan was adopted in 2009 and has had many updates since. These amendments have helped mixed-use development Uptown ATX o Burnet Road deliver 348,000 square feet of o ce space at One Uptown and 341 multifamily units at Solaris House, with more o ce, residential, retail and hospitality uses slated to deliver into 2028. City documents show other proposed NBG developments, such as tracts o Stonehollow Drive and Kramer Lane, could also bring hundreds of multifamily units to the district under the updated amendments. “This land that was once low-rise warehouse [and] industrial is being cleaned up and redeveloped,” said Jorge Rousselin, head of Austin Planning Department’s Urban Design Division. North Burnet area changes proposed
Developing North Burnet/Gateway
A variety of developments have been proposed within NBG’s subdistricts, which have undergone zoning changes to provide residential units, retail space, o ces and more.
Approved rezonings* with outlined redevelopment plans NBG boundaries
STONEHOLLOW DR.
MOPAC
ESPERANZA CROSSING
183
DONLEY DR.
WEST RD.
360
BRIGHT VERDE WAY
MC KALLA PLACE
183
N
*SOME REZONING WERE APPROVED FOR OTHER AREAS BUT DID NOT MENTION SPECIFIC REDEVELOPMENT PLANS.
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN COMMUNITY IMPACT
NBG 2035 Master Plan Although adopted in 2006, the district’s master plan continues to provide framework for development in the area and anticipates it could accommodate:
The features
Going forward
People are looking for additional opportunities to live, work and play, said former 10-year District 7 council member Leslie Pool, and city o cials are focused on ensuring NBG has enough residential space to accomplish this. “I expect to see more residential and commercial kind of ltering in the mile between [Broadmoor Station] and [McKalla Station],” Pool said. In some NBG subdistricts, a developer can only reach the increased building heights if they par- ticipate in Austin’s development bonus program, Rousselin said, which requires setting aside a certain number of a ordable units—usually about 10%. “As urbanists, we tend to think a ordable housing is important, but you also need the infrastructure system around the a ordable housing to make a place livable,” Rousselin said. “Great sidewalks, trail connections, parks, open spaces.” CapMetro is working with city o cials and devel- opers on trail-to-rail and BikeShare connections
Areas like NBG tend to go through a long- term transformation that is often reactive to the peaks and lows of the real estate market, Rousselin said. “I believe you’re going to continue seeing a great interest in this area as it continues to transform over the next one or two decades,” Rousselin said. As the district develops, o cials say they are continuing community engagement e orts through stakeholder and town hall meetings, block walking and digital campaigns. Rousselin also said NBG’s regulating plan could see further amendments as the area continues to grow. “In the planning world, nothing is set in stone,” Rousselin said. “Every major city that enjoys the tremendous in ux of residents has to stay current in some of these land-use and speci c district regulations to be able to keep up with the demand.”
4-5M sq. ft. of retail space
3-4K hotel rooms 5-6M sq. ft. of industrial warehouse space 12-13M sq. ft. of o ce and commercial space 40K residential units
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTINCOMMUNITY IMPACT
within NBG, which has “moderate demand” in The Domain area but is anticipated to increase as Broadmoor Station and other developments come online, said Sharmila Mukherjee, executive vice president and chief strategic planning and develop- ment o cer at CapMetro. “We are very mindful of the fact that we have a unique moment in time ... to be able to impact change,” Mukherjee said.
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NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION
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