More housing developments being built in East Austin? Shocker. But before you start rolling your eyes, here us out: the Plaza Saltillo District, which breaks ground today, is going to be a pretty sweet addition to the neighborhood.
The 10-acre plot—surrounded by East Fourth Street, I-35, Comal Street and East Fifth Street—will be a hub for housing, retail and transportation, serving both locals and visitors to the area. The plan is to include 800 living units (140 being affordable housing); 140,000-square-feet of office space; 110,000 square feet of retail space and 1.4 acres of open space, but the most encouraging aspect of the development is the promotion of the already existing Capital Metro station, the Plaza Saltillo Station that services the Red Line commuter rail.
Photograph: Courtesy Endeavour Real Estate Group and Columbus Realty
Cap Metro and developers Endeavor Real Estate Group and Columbus Realty have hopes that the district will attract more metro riders, giving them a space to shop, eat and relax before and after catching a ride on the metro. And their hopes are a culmination of years of planning. "The Plaza Saltillo District is the realization of a shared vision of literally hundreds of talented and dedicated people, and reflects more than 20 years of input from surrounding neighborhoods, businesses, elected leaders and community stakeholders," says Linda Watson, president and CEO of Cap Metro." Additional transportation amenities will also include pedestrian paseos, underground and structured parking, electric vehicle stations, reserved Car2Go spots, a B-cycle station, wide sidewalks, locally designed bike racks, and the extensions of the Lance Armstrong Bikeway and San Marcos Street.
The groundbreaking ceremony was held at 10:30am this morning, and while there's no word on just how long the project will take to complete, construction in this area will be just another part of every day life for a while.
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