The "Lock-and-Leave Lifestyle"

More and more Austin residents have been combing the real estate market for “Lock-and-Leave” Communities, which are usually smaller homes with amenities or automation systems that enable an on-the-go lifestyle.

World travelers, empty nesters, & busy millennials are all craving this style of home ownership, built for convenience and security. Lock-and-leave living allows people to own a home while enjoying the freedom of very few maintenance responsibilities.  It gives the homeowner the freedom to lock the house up and leave for an extended time without having to worry about the yard getting overgrown or needing water while the owner is away. The monthly HOA fees at these communities pay for the landscaping of both the front and back yards, as well as the outside water. This type of “lock-and-leave” living has always been a primary advantage of condominium ownership, but more and more detached home communities are offering lock-and-leave security and maintenance services as part of a monthly fee, which can vary depending on the size and location of the housing unit (usually averaging between $150 – $400). For example, many times for “lock-and-leave” home owners, a yard is important for a dog to run around in, but having no yard work to do on the weekends is equally important!

Here are some common features of lock-and-leave communities:

1. Publicly maintained lawns and landscape maintenance

2. Public pools, golf courses, parks & walking trails

3. Security: Gated entry and secure entrances- these communities take extra precautions to ensure that when you lock and leave, your home is safe and secure.

4. Lower energy footprint-usually lock-and-leave homes are smaller garden homes with a lower energy bill & footprint, which save you money!

For available condominium homes, check out active listings here. If you are looking for some lock-and-leave detached home communities in the greater Austin area, try Belterra Village near Dripping Springs, the Cottages at Meadow Lake in the North Austin/Round Rock area, Southpark Meadows in Southwest Austin, and Santa Rita Ranch out near Liberty Hill.

Interested in finding a lock and leave home or condo of your own? Contact me today!

Project Catalyst, Recently Renamed "4700 East," Still Moving Forward

In its August meeting, the Austin City Council approved the re-zoning measures required for Project Catalyst, recently renamed 4700 East, to keep moving forward. If the mixed-use development project proceeds as planned, it will sit on a a 97-acre site in Southeast Austin and will neighbor Oracle’s new 40-acre corporate campus.

Often referred to as Austin’s future “Third Downtown" (with the Domain North being Austin’s “Second Downtown”), Nimes Capital has proposed building 4,700 residential units, 600 hotel rooms, 4 million square feet of office space, 60,000 square feet of medical and dental office space, and 435,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space at 4700 East. In short, an “urban village” would be created in this area near the corner of East Riverside Drive and South Pleasant Valley Road that would basically offer, well, everything!

The city could require developers to offer hundreds of income-restricted affordable housing units, but it would only do so if the developers build structures above the restricted height of 60 feet. To maintain the promise of affordable housing in the area, the developer is currently promising that 8-12% (400-550) of the units will be income-restricted as a trade off for greater building heights. Additionally, the developer formally committed to reserve 10 units for people who are transitioning out of homelessness. These housing units will be paid for with vouchers supplied by the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition.

In order for 4700 East to be built, there are some other buildings that will need to be removed for this project to move forward. For this reason, developers have been slowly purchasing apartments in the area over the course of the past several years. The buildings that would be removed, which are roughly 60% student-occupied, are The Ballpark North and Town Lake, as well as the Quad East, West and South. The properties account for a total of 3,702 bedrooms and 1,308 units, according to city documents. Developers will also ensure gradual displacement of current residents in the area—250 of the existing units on site will not be redeveloped or demolished for five years in an effort to defray displacement.

Construction is not envisioned to begin on 4700 East before 2020. However, once the project is officially approved by the Austin City Council, the development will be built slowly over a 25 year period in five different phases along the way. The developer will return to the city council for a third and final hearing in September, at which it will need to receive at least six votes in favor to pass.

Austin FC

The City of Austin has it all—live music, great food, hike & bike trails, and fantastic schools.  But, for a long time, the city has lacked one ingredient that some would say is essential to a major city.  In fact, as the 11th most populous city in the United States, it is highly unusual that Austin doesn’t yet have several of these yet... 

What ingredient are we talking about?  That’s right—a professional sports team.  The University of Texas hasn’t minded the absence, as college sports have basically been our pro team of choice in Austin.  Avid pro fans can also always look north to Dallas, south to San Antonio or east to Houston to scratch the itch even more.

In 2016, the Austin Sol (ultimate frisbee) became the very first professional sports team in Austin, although most Austinites would be hard pressed to tell where and when they play (Can you?).

However, on September 5th, everyone will know that a PROFESSIONAL sports team is coming to town.  Austin FC, a Major League Soccer (MLS) team will host a groundbreaking ceremony for a $242 million North Austin soccer stadium. The stadium site, located on 24 acres at McKalla Place near The Domain, is on track to host the league's 27th team beginning in the spring of 2021.

According to the Austin Business Journal, Dave Greeley, the president of the Austin FC parent company Two Oak Ventures, hopes to make an additional announcement in the coming weeks about the details of a separate training facility for the team that is also in the works. 

In addition, we all know one of the investors in Austin FC. We know him not just from the movies, but also from his face at all of the UT home games.  Matthew McConaughy has joined the investor group bringing the team to town.  According to McConaughy, "Austin FC is a healthy investment in our city's culture and future. The most diverse and borderless game in the world is now coming to one of the most multicultural, creative and diverse cities in the world."

So, Austin…How should we react to getting our first MAJOR professional sports team?  Well, in the words of McConaughy, I guess we should all just say, “All right. All right. All right!”

Improvements Around Austin's Capitol

If you are traveling FOR THE NEXT 1, 060 CALENDAR DAYS near the Capitol and are planning on using North Congress, or 16th, 17th, 18th, streets between San Jacinto & Colorado, you may want to check your route. That area is going to be torn up due to construction of an eight block transformation of Austin’s Capitol Complex.

The city has launched and secured funding for Phase 1 of the Texas Capitol Complex Project , scheduled to be completed by June 2022. The 1-million-square-foot, $581 million Phase One of the Texas Capitol Complex project has two main parts to it: two new office buildings and a pedestrian mall that will replace a section of Congress Avenue and include five levels of underground parking. This pedestrian-friendly street will provide plenty of green space right in the middle of Congress and provide more tourism venues for the city to hold concerts, festivals and the like.

As for the two new office buildings, details are starting to emerge. One building will be located opposite from both the Bullock museum and Blanton Museum of Art. The 14-story, 603,000-square-foot building, to be named after George H. W. Bush, will take over the surface level parking lot at 1801 Congress Ave. The new state office building will include display and performance spaces, & a cafe and food service on the first floor. Pairing with the two museums, the Bush building’s first floor will create what the state calls the “Museum Plaza,” serving as a cultural gateway to the Capitol and connected to the Capitol via the pedestrian mall. The Texas Lottery Commission is the only tenant named for this building so far.

Just south at 1601 Congress Ave., a new, unnamed, 12-story, 416,000-square-foot office building will include a state childcare facility, along with other tenants who have yet to be named.

In addition to the above construction, a new 9-story Texas Health and Human Services Commission office building is being constructed at the corner of West Guadalupe and 46th Street. The building will be built with a 7-story parking garage and should open by May 2021. According to the state, this building should save taxpayers $7.4 million in lease expenses.

East Riverside Development

If you haven’t driven through East Riverside Drive in a while, you might be surprised by the rapidly changing development in the area.  Some support the expansion of business, art, and residential communities in the area, while others are opposed to gentrification and its impact on long-time homeowners. The City of Austin has partnered with UT to study the development of this area and its impact on current residents and have pledged to offer tax credits to affordable housing opportunities in the area.  However, at the same time, private land is being to sold to developers and the area is rapidly evolving.

Oracle’s forsight to build a South Shore Campus really kicked off a chain reaction of East Riverside development. Oracle opened a “South Shore” campus in 2018 and will double its size by the end of 2019. The Austin Business Journal quoted an Oracle executive saying, “The Lady Bird Lake campus will soon employ 3,000 people onsite and that the headcount could grow to 10,000 people as the company expands.”  Oracle landing here has since driven much of the development in the area.

Here are just a few of the projects that have recently been completed or are currently in development in the area:

www.berkadia.com

UNDER CONSTRUCTION (BLUE):

#54 Foremost-new apartment development

#55 The Elizabeth at Presidio-apartment development; rental units ranging from 504-1938 sq ft.

#57 IO at Tech Ridge- apartment complex

#58 Lenox Oaks- Mixed-use (residential and commercial) property

ALSO UNDER CONSTRUCTION: The Montopolis Recreation and Community Center (1200 Montopolis Drive) is expected to be completed in the Spring of 2020.  This building will be co-operated by Austin Parks &  Rec and the Austin Public Health Department.  It will provide over 33,000 sq feet of new space, including a commercial kitchen, gym, fitness room, computer lab, conference rooms, and classroom areas. 

Montopolis Recreation & Community Center

berkadia.com

PLANNED DEVELOPMENT (DARK BLUE):

#113 6507 Riverside—apartment complex

#114 Aspen Heights Riverside- 325-unit apartment complex

#115 The Mont-apartment complex

#116 The Riverside-apartment complex

#117 South Shore District Phase IV-322-unit apartment complex

#144-Cambrian East Riverside-65-unit multifamily mid-rise to be located at 1806 Clubview Avenue with a planned 55 units rated as affordable, or available to tenants earning less than 80 percent of the area’s median family income. Only 15 units are one-bedrooms, with the rest a mix of two, three, and four-bedrooms. The living spaces have a total area of 57,268 square feet, and the indoor common areas total 2,444 square feet.

#145 Tierra Skyline-apartment complex; affordable housing development

#146 Vi Collina-apartment complex; affordable housing development

berkadia.com

PROSPECTIVE CONSTRUCTION (BROWN):
#198 Broadstone Riverside-apartment complex

#199 Project Catalyst-97-acre “urban village” along the East Riverside corridor, a mixed-use project including 4,709 multifamily units, 600 hotel rooms, 4 million square feet of office space, 60,000 square feet of medical and dental office space, and 435,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.

#200 Wickersham-apartment complex

#244 1600 Pleasant Valley-retail center property

#245 5700 East Riverside-retail center property

#246 The Point at Ben White-apartment complex with units ranging from 850-1185 sq ft

#247 Urban East-a mixed-used development with 100,000 square feet of office space and 20,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space.

This brief glimpse should tell investors and home owners alike that East Riverside and Montopolis are emerging areas to keep an eye on in the coming years. Let’s hope the city can continue to work with real estate developers and homeowners to create an East Austin anyone can live in and enjoy.