Austin’s High End Systems Creates Olympic Gold For Opening Ceremonies
August 14th, 2008 by Staff
The Chinese set out to ‘WOW” to world and ‘WOW’ the world they did. The success of this extravaganza was due, in part, to the control technology for the massive display of video effects, provided by Austin-based High End Systems, Inc.The main video screen that encircled the stadium was the largest video projection surface in the world, Blair said: nearly 1,950 feet long and about 45 feet high.
Popularity: 19% [?]
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Manor Expressway: Central Texas Answer To Congestion
August 11th, 2008 by StaffLike many U.S. cities, the Austin area has a challenge with traffic congestion. Traffic on U.S. 290 has increased more than 78 percent since 1990 as Manor and surrounding cities increase in population.
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The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority is proposing construction of the Manor Expressway to alleviate congestion. This 6.2-mile toll road would be constructed in the median of the existing highway. Construction would begin in late 2009, with the road opening in 2013.
The Mobility Authority focus is to create the modern regional transportation network in Central Texas. Current and future projects are key elements in a carefully planned, multi-modal transportation system designed to meet the diverse mobility needs of our fast-growing region.
Visit the Mobility Authority’s website for maps of current and future projects, along with a new interactive tool showing what the Manor Expressway and other planned expressways in the region will look like. High speed tooled roads are planned to be built in the medians of currently congested highways. Drivers will have both tolled and un-tolled options.
Also read:
Will Light Rail Solve Downtown Austin Transit Woes?
Forbes Study Puts Austin’s Growth Rate Among Best in Nation
Popularity: 21% [?]
Spotlight: Las Casas Verdes, Austin’s First Eco-Friendly Neighborhood
August 7th, 2008 by Staff
Las Casa Verdes will be comprised of twenty single family homes featuring the latest in solar, wind and water energy systems. All homes will meet the strict standards of the Austin Green Building Program, Energy Star and LEEDS certifications. Prices will fall within FHA guidelines for the area, with completion schedule for mid-2008.Passive solar design will be used and orientated to best manage light from the sun. Overhangs, porches and shade trees will provide shielding to reduce heat load.Heat chimneys, operable awning windows and landscape features will combine with local breezes to move air throughout the home with little or no mechanical assistance during spring and fall months.
Popularity: 33% [?]
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Austin Real Estate Weekly Market Update
August 4th, 2008 by StaffAUSTIN REAL ESTATE OVERVIEW
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PRICE
The market has been on a downward trend recently and this week, while essentially flat, doesn’t break us out of that cycle.
Popularity: 46% [?]
Spotlight On Senna Hills: A Neighborhood Of Luxury
July 31st, 2008 by Staff
Ten minutes away is Austin’s largest and most upscale shopping mall, Barton Creek Square Mall. Less than five minutes away are the Shops at the Galleria, which are currently under construction, and coming soon, the Hill Country Galleria Mall.Popularity: 34% [?]
Mueller Center Earns LEED Gold Certification For “Greenness”
July 29th, 2008 by StaffSince we’ve been spotlighting the Mueller Austin community for a while now, we know that this planned development is one of the most eco-friendly of its kind. Featuring affordable homes and plenty of public green space, the mixed-use “urban village” is a model for sustainable community design.
When guests and potential residents visit Mueller, they first enter through the Mueller Center which acts the community information center and the Catellus Development Group’s main office. But this is no ordinary welcome center: Catellus recently announced that the Mueller Center has earned LEED® Gold Certification from the US Green Building Council (USGBC).
The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ awards buildings points for satisfying specified green building criteria. The major areas of consideration are: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation/design. Buildings are awarded silver, gold, or platinum ratings based on the number of points they earn toward each category.
Mueller Central earned LEED Gold certification based on a number of features, several of which
relate to the facility’s adaptive reuse construction. Built in the 1930s, the former airport building
played many roles prior to being redesigned for its current use in 1996. Other features contributing to the certification include the building’s use of sustainable bamboo flooring
and doors, drought-tolerant native landscaping, regionally sourced materials, an expansive amount of natural light, individual comfort controls, and highly efficient HVAC and water use equipment.
“Mueller Central is to be commended for achieving LEED® certification. This facility is one that
both the community and its visitors can be proud of,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and
Founding Chair of the U.S. Green Building Council. “Mueller Central will be a showcase for high performance, energy-efficient buildings, and an inspiration for others.”
Be sure to stay tuned for more information about this innovative Austin community.
Popularity: 41% [?]
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Spotlight On Mueller: A Model for Sustainable Community Design
July 7th, 2008 by Staff
Mueller Austin is quickly becoming an energetic community hub within Austin city limits. It’s been almost a year since the first residents moved into one of the diverse neighborhoods, Located just three miles from downtown and two miles from the University of Texas.
Robert Mueller who first envisioned the redevelopment of Municipal Airport into a mixed-use urban village. The result is an award-winning sustainable community being developed by Catellus Development Group.
Read Also: Mueller Austin among best green real estate in the U.S.
New homes and jobs
Mueller’s 711-acre site, when complete, will become home to approximately 10,000 people, 10,000 permanent employees, more than 1,100 affordable homes and approximately 140 acres of public open space, including:
- Nearly 4,600 single-family, condo or apartment homes (at least 25 percent reserved for families who qualify for affordable housing)
- More than 140 acres of parks and perimeter greenways
- A town center with cafes, shops, plazas and live/work spaces planned to include at least 30 percent locally-owned businesses
- 5 miles of new hike and bike paths
- Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas (open)
- The University of Texas Medical Research Campus
- Austin Film Studios (open)
- Connections to public transportation
- Regional retail (open)
- State-of-the-art rental apartments
- A broad variety of new home opportunities–both for rent and for sale
- Class A office space
Popularity: 73% [?]
Austin Texas Real Estate Market Update: Rebound in 2009
June 24th, 2008 by DeeinAustinThe buying season heated up in Central Texas in May according to the Austin Board of REALTORS® Multiple Listing Service (MLS) May 2008 sales report. Single-family home sales in May are up slightly over April 2008 numbers, when 1,981, homes sold. Homes are spending fewer days on the market and overall, the real estate market continues to reflect conditions similar to those of 2005, before the unusual boom in 2006.
Take a look at May single family sales statistics compared to 2007:
|
Date |
Homes Sold |
Median Sales Price |
Dollar Volume |
|
May 2008 |
2,154 |
$196,120 |
$566,827,254 |
|
May 2007 |
2,679 |
$183,160 |
$671,716,386 |
No matter which city you live in, inventory is still high. Still, Texas is fairing better than the rest of the nation. Austin’s current home inventory is below.
AUSTIN REAL ESTATE MARKET FORECAST- Mid Year Update 2008
The Austin Home Builder Association (HBA) held their semi-annual market update last week. Their research shows that the market is slated to remain low through Third Quarter 2008, then pick up by Winter 2008 or early 2009. Mark Sprague with Vesta Strategies thought buyers and sellers should be relieved to see a "cleansing of the market", which was overheated by real estate speculators.
Great areas to buy include the Southtown area in South Austin, but also other areas such as Round Rock, Pflugerville and Kyle due to coming Seton Hospital complexes and other large mixed-use developments.
Read Also: Austin real estate is a great buy for boomers and empty nesters.
Popularity: 100% [?]
Austin Tackles Affordable Housing Again. Anyone Care?
June 16th, 2008 by DeeinAustinWho pays if we don’t create affordable housing for Austin real estate?
This question was posed at the Austin Neighborhood Housing and Community Development’s Affordable Housing Forum, held last Friday (June 13). The third in the forum series on affordable housing issues for real estate in Austin featured Ken Bacon, VP for Housing and Community Development at Fannie Mae. (Fannie Mae recently reduced down-payment requirements nationwide).
Austin real estate consistently ranks among the fastest-growing metro areas in the nation. Demand continues to rise for housing. We recently wrote about the issue of affordable housing in Austin, citing key issues facing developers and investors. One example of development problems in Central and East Austin includes the building of duplexes on infill lots.
Are the duplexed condos more affordable than regular Austin homes or are developers just going for double their money?
Read more about the super-duplex debate in Central Austin.
Popularity: 93% [?]
Austin Home Builders Extend Parade of Homes to Save Rough Hollow
June 11th, 2008 by StaffThe Austin Home Builders Association already held their Annual Parade of Homes at Rough Hollow, but decided to have a second showing. “Dream Homes Become Reality!”, Parade of Homes, an annual tour of homes presented by the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin, as dates have been extended to include: Saturday, June 7 & Sunday, June 8 from 11:00am - 7:00pm
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The Parade of Homes is located at Water’s Edge in Rough Hollow in Lakeway TX, near Lake Travis.
The rumor mill touts problems at Rough Hollow, which include lack of extensive marketing and overpriced homes in a saturated Lakeway market.
Rough Hollow is a prime location for golf, tennis, hiking, flying, scuba diving, sailing, horseback riding and many watersports with access to Rough Harbor Yacht Club and Marina. Great shopping is minutes away at the new Hill Country Galleria and schools feature the excellent Lake Travis School District.
Popularity: 90% [?]
