From caterpillar to butterfly?
Many of us locally witnessed the construction taking place while driving (or putting along) during rush hour on Mopac. From the ashes of an IBM business park spawns a rethought, modern redevelopment of The Domain. So what exactly is North Austin’s new center of attention and will it have an impact to current and future home owners?
I had an opportunity to head out to the new development to check it out for myself and I must say, I am pretty impressed. In the first phase, there are apartments atop retail stores below similar to what you might find downtown or some newer development projects in East Austin such as the Perdenales Lofts on E. 6th. Ranging from 488 square feet to 1519 square feet there are a wealth of different floor plan options -up to 38 are available. Currently there is a wealth of 678 sqft and 1017 sqft plans starting at $999+ and plan to stay because the lease terms are a minimum of 14 months.
Inside these units are nicely styled layouts with either black or stainless appliances, fans in all rooms, tile, garden tubs, and contemporary lighting. Premium units sees granite tops, stone or wood flooring, and nickel brushed fixtures.
Outside, the grounds provide coffee shop Starbucks, restaurants, retail both local and nationally recognized heavy hitters such as Apple Store, (iPhone soon in June) Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Neiman Marcus, Macy’s. Lux giant Nordstrom just signed on for a 2011 open date. Approaching is a Oakville Grocery store as well, nicely thought of considering those essentials are missing in some similar residential downtown areas in many cases or for those too lazy to go down the street to H-E-B. The Courtyard along the Century Oaks Terrace drag is meant for concerts or other entertainment events. So its everything you would need in one spot right?
So the question is what will happen to North Austin? The first thing it will do is head it in the right direction. The City will benefit by way of tax base and those tax dollars ultimately stays local benefiting North Austin. The 10 year project will continue to build and strengthen the area over time attracting more residential buyers. The Domain is a very attractive option to those coming from out of state either testing the Austin waters or those techies who work in Round Rock but rather live in a downtown-like setting as well as having access to go enjoy the true downtown nightlife. With all this development, it is likely that Austin may re centralize as it grows and current area property owners may see their value go up as well because of it. Did I mention the Commuter Rail will soon be screamin’ “all aboard!” connecting the public to downtown at one of its stops at Braker and Burnet? Why wouldn’t you want to live nearby? What do you think The Domain will do to North Austin?
