Luxe Austin Homes - tesla

First phase of 1,400-acre Mirador neighborhood in Del Valle takes step forward

Plans to develop a huge residential and commercial hub on the southeastern edge of Austin have taken another step toward.

With little discussion, the city's Zoning and Platting Commission on Aug. 16 unanimously approved a preliminary plan for the first phase of construction for the planned community on 1,400 acres near Pearce and Wolf lanes. That is in the unincorporated community of Del Valle, east of Circuit of The Americas race track and south of Tesla's new gigafactory.

Houston-based real estate developer Hines purchased the land earlier this year with the intention to create Mirador, a master-planned community that includes 2,500 single-family lots and 75 acres of commercial space.

The project also includes 50 acres of multifamily homes…

403 Views, 0 Comments

As extreme heat rolls on, energy efficient homes capture attention

As Texans keep a close eye on the state's electrical grid during this record summer heat, one Austin-area neighborhood is staying relatively worry-free about blackouts.

Each home in Whisper Valley — located in Manor, about 8 miles north of the Tesla factory — comes equipped with solar panels on the roof and an underground geothermal heat pump that is more efficient at heating and cooling a home than an above-ground unit, said Greg Wolfson, chief technology officer of EcoSmart Solution, an affiliate of community developer Taurus Investment Holdings LLC. These two factors make Whisper Valley a zero-energy capable community. The development will eventually have more than 7,000 homes that are zero-energy capable.

The zero-energy capable label is not…

457 Views, 0 Comments

$500 million Southeast Austin project calls for 4,000 homes, condos and apartments

A $500 million development that calls for more than 2,500 houses, 1,500 multifamily units and commercial space is in the works for fast-growing Southeast Austin

The developer is Houston-based Hines, an international real estate firm. Its partners are Vancouver-based Trez Capital, based in, Dallas-Fort Woth-based Caravel Ventures and Tokyo-based Sumitomo Forestry.

The project — which is being called Mirador — will be developed at a cost of more than $500 million, according to Hines executives. The company said financing is in place, but did not provide additional details.

The Hines-led development group said this week that it has closed on the sale of the 1,400-acre site for the project. The property is bounded in part by Pearce and Wolf…

501 Views, 0 Comments

Elon Musk announces Tesla headquarters will move to Austin

Tesla will relocate its headquarters to Austin, CEO Elon Musk announced at the company's annual stockholder meeting Oct. 7.

"I'm excited to announce that we are moving our headquarters to Austin, Texas," Musk said at the meeting, which was held at Giga Texas, Tesla's under-development production plant in Southeastern Travis County.

He emphasized that despite headquarters shifting from Fremont, California, to Texas, Tesla's activities in California would continue at a strong pace, with output from both Tesla's Fremont factory and its Reno, Nevada, gigafactory increasing by around 50%. However, he said the company's space for growth was limited in Fremont, and he expected even greater growth in Texas.

"There's a limit to how big you can scale it in the…

535 Views, 0 Comments