Uses Mix As University Splits

As the Lutheran college leaves town, an ambitious mixed-use development is set to move in to Central Austin. In the plan are apartments and condos, retail spaces, office buildings, a luxury hotel and an Olympic swimming pool. High-rise towers are also planned to climb nearly 300 feet high. For an area once occupied by a university built in 1926, the planned development is rising a little too high for some neighboring residents who want to cut the height down to about 120 feet.

"Reminiscent of downtown's Second Street district, developers East Avenue IG plan residential space in the form of apartments and condos, as well as shopping and restaurants, office space (expected to cater to nearby St. David's Hospital), a small luxury hotel, and possibly an Olympic swimming facility. The ambitious undertaking won't come cheap; the real estate alone is estimated at more than $80 million, to say nothing of development costs for the site."