Grossman & Jones Real Estate Blog - development

"Townhomes — why aren't they popular here?"

Austin Business Journal writes, "Even with a ballooning population and pushes for increased density, Austin has shied away from townhome development.

There are about 570 active single-family projects in Austin, and 40 of them are townhome developments, said Keith Hughes, vice president of sales at housing analytics company Zonda. And that’s keeping in track with other Texas cities, according to Zonda’s National Outlook report, but lagging behind other metros across the country.

Zonda defines townhomes as multilevel, single-family residential units sharing a common wall with another similar structure. These homes are typically built in series or rows.

Zonda's data shows that, while townhome deliveries have slowed since the pandemic in many…

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"D.R. Horton could bring around 1,500 homes to Bastrop"

Austin Business Journal shares, "The busiest volume homebuilder in the region plans to bring around 1,500 homes to a small town outside Austin.

Bastrop City Council was shown new plans for a public improvement district called Valverde on Aug. 13 that could be valued at $557 million at full buildout. The property is owned by D.R. Horton Inc. through its Continental Homes of Texas LP subsidiary, according to property records.

The Valverde plans are the latest evolution of a project that was formerly called Viridian, which was also a D.R. Horton project.

Valverde would rise on 399 acres north of State Highway 71, and plans call for both single and multifamily development. In a statement, D.R. Horton Austin Division President Scott Wilburn…

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"Multifamily spigot opens with Endeavor’s North Burnet development"

TheRealDeal reports, "Endeavor Real Estate Group is moving forward with an apartment project on a 4.3-acre site in Austin’s North Burnet neighborhood. 

The Austin-based developer will bring 396 units to 2320 Kramer Lane, in an area that has relaxed zoning under the city’s North Burnet/Gateway plan, Towers reported. 

The project will feature five floors of residential units, 14,000 square feet of amenity space, and a central parking garage. It is set to replace a Culver’s fast food restaurant and the Copenhagen Imports furniture store. 

The location is half a mile from Q2 Stadium, near CapMetro’s McKalla and Kramer light rail stations. Construction is expected to start sometime next year.

Atlanta-based Dwell Design Studio is the…

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"The Modern Austin Residences Tops Out in the Rainey Street District"

Towers Austin shares, "The 56-story Modern Austin Residences condo tower project celebrated its official “topping out” this week, with the building now reaching its maximum structural height of 658 feet at the northeast corner of Davis and Rainey Streets on the north end of the Rainey Street District in downtown Austin. It’s just one of multiple tower projects currently redefining the skyline of this neighborhood, which already contains the densest residential population in downtown and is set to gain hundreds more homes in the years to come — including 320 new residences at the Modern, with 21 of those condos income-restricted under the district’s affordable housing requirements.

The tower’s topping off obviously represents a milestone for the…

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"Cost of permitting set to more than double in Travis County"

Community Impact reports, "Starting Sept. 1, the cost of development review fees—paid throughout the development permitting process—will increase 141%, after county staff received approval from Travis County Commissioners on July 23, affecting homeowners, business owners and developers alike.

The why?

In an effort to streamline the permit review process and increase transparency, staff members from the Travis County Department of Development Services have revamped the county’s website and examined the department's existing systems and performance.

The last time fees were increased was nearly a decade ago, in 2016, according to staff. Both small- and large-scale projects are subject to these fees, ranging from home renovations to subdivisions.

About the…

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"Tower on West Sixth Street nears completion"

Austin Business Journal shares, "Another West Sixth Street tower is approaching the finish line.

ATX Tower, formerly known as 321 West, will open in the fourth quarter this year after topping out in May, according to an announcement. The 58-story tower will add hundreds of apartments and a big chunk of office space to downtown, much like Sixth and Guadalupe, which opened earlier this year and is located across the street from it.

ATX Tower is being co-developed by Ryan Companies US Inc. and Tishman Speyer Properties LP, the latter of which came on board in 2021.

In total, ATX Tower, located at 321 W. Sixth St., is 425,000 square feet. Floors two through 11 are dedicated to parking. Floors 14 through 19 consist of more than 100,000 square feet…

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"Travis Club sells $90M in homesites, infrastructure construction underway"

Austin Business Journal writes, "A luxury housing development on the shores of Lake Travis has pulled in more than $90 million, all before a single home has been built.

At Travis Club, a sprawling 1,500-acre housing development being co-developed by California-based real estate developer Haas & Haynie Corp. and Austin-based real estate investment firm Castle Hill Partners Inc., about three-quarters of the homesites available in the project’s first phase have been sold, according to an announcement. And, with infrastructure construction is underway, phase two homesites will soon be available.

Travis Club, located near Briarcliff west of Austin, will feature 274 single-family lots and 223 villa units, listed between $800,000 and $3 million,…

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"$112M mixed-use redevelopment with affordable housing, artistic space coming to East Austin"

Community Impact Austin shares, "A pair of mixed-use developments with affordable housing and cultural spaces are coming to vacant city-owned lots in East Austin's African American Cultural Heritage District.

The big picture

Local stakeholders and agencies have been working for years on a plan to transform Austin's "Blocks 16 and 18" sites on the 900 and 1100 blocks of East 11th Street.

The framework that's now moving forward was one of two proposals under consideration by Urban Renewal Board—which oversees the "blighted" East 11th and 12th street area under the city's Urban Renewal Plan—since last summer. After months of review, a final outline for the blocks' redevelopment advanced July 18.

“This milestone for Blocks 16 & 18 marks a significant step…

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"'Samsung effect' spurs plans for 100-acre residential development in fast-growing Taylor"

Austin Business Journal reports, "A new 100-acre residential neighborhood could be coming to Taylor, where economic growth has been explosive thanks to Samsung’s 2,000-acre, multibillion-dollar semiconductor plant that's under construction in the city.

The development, called Turner Springs, would be home to single-family and multifamily residences as well as commercial and retail properties, according to Taylor Planning & Zoning Commission documents. The commission recommended the project for approval at its July 9 meeting.

If it comes to fruition, the project would be built on two properties that have been owned by an entity known as Turner Bobby Jr Etal since 2000, according to the Williamson Central Appraisal District. Insite…

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"Wilson Capital's recapitalization strategy continues with $35.2M loan"

Austin Business Journal shares, "Wilson Capital, one of the busiest multifamily development firms in Austin, continues a refinancing spree that began in January. 

The latest effort comes in the form of a $35.2 million loan originated from Southern Realty Trust Inc. for the refinancing of Jovie Belterra, a partially complete apartment complex in the Belterra neighborhood between Austin and Dripping Springs, according to a July 8 announcement.

“Since the beginning of the year, Wilson Capital has successfully refinanced multiple properties in the greater Austin area,” said Taylor Wilson, the company’s president, in a written statement.  “These transactions are consistent with a portfolio-wide recapitalization strategy to support lease-up activities…

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