The center of commercial gravity will be located a little to the east in Austin after two six-story office buildings are complete.
"The Austin City Council has approved a zoning change that will allow the development of an office project of unprecedented height and size for its Eastside neighborhood," reports Cindy Widner.
The council voted to rezone ten acres of land on Springdale Road, in effect creating a Planned Unit Development for the tract. "The move clears the way for California developer Jay Paul to build two six-story office buildings totaling 775,000 square feet and a parking garage on the former site of a 'tank farm' where petroleum and chemicals were piped in and stored for decades," according to Widner.
The development faced local opposition that focused on the height of the proposed development as well as the risk of gentrification. "Other neighbors have expressed support for the proposed project, most often citing heightened improvements to prevent or mitigate flooding from the site as well as from nearby commercial properties. Much of the property is in floodplain, and the plan’s landscape design is focused on measures to address that issue as well as on restoration."
More project details and community benefits are described in the source article.
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