Oct
25
It’s time for the semi-annual North Loop Block Party on the North Loop Strip!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
11 AM - 9PM
North Loop Halloween Block Party!
Live Music:
12-2pm Gypsy Halloween Music by WinoVino @ The Parlor
2pm-4pm The Thunderchiefs @ Austin Modern
Costume Parade around 4pm
(Yes, costumes are encouraged! And we will have trick or treats for those candy eaters!)
FREE OUTSIDE BIG SCREEN HALLOWEEN BLACK & WHITE MOVIES
@ THE PARLOR starting at 6:30pm:
2 Old 1930s Black & White Horror Films. Then at 9pm a Secret R Rated Thriller…
(Bring a lawn chair or blanket, buy a glass of wine & a slice from the Parlor!)
Lots of sidewalk sales at all the vintage shops!
Room Service, Forbidden Fruit, Austin Modern, Monkey Wrench, Sound on Sound + much much more!
Pumpkin Contest
Bring a carved pumpkin to display at THE PARLOR by 2pm, and winner of the best pumpkin will recieve a $30 gift certificate from the Parlor!
(Pumpkins will be on display until at least 7pm, winner will be announced before the first movie starts at 6:30pm)
Hope to see you there!
Oct
23
Over the past weeks Jamil Alam of Endeavor Real Estate has stated that the developer does NOT intend to move forward with the Howard’s Project.
Because the Variance Request at the Board of Adjustments (still scheduled for Nov 14) has not been cancelled we asked Jamil why, what Endeavor’s intentions were with the Howard’s lot, and if they planned to pursue the variance request w/o neighborhood support.
Mr. Alam would not respond directly to us and asked that we communicate through the NA president, Sebastian Wren. Wren posted the following letter to the list serve this morning:
———————————————————————————-
I had a good conversation with Jamil Alam about the BOA application for
the Howard’s property. He confirmed that indeed he no longer has a
contract on the Howard property, and he is not at all interested in
pursuing a variance from the BOA without a letter of support from the
neighborhood.In this conversation, he told me that he has gotten very mixed messages
from individuals in this neighborhood about the desire for mixed use,
and he asked me what I thought neighbors really wanted. He asked
point-blank what I thought neighbors would prefer if it came down to a
choice between (for example) an apartment complex versus a mixed-use
development.I honestly couldn’t say.
I think we need to talk as a neighborhood over the next few months and
see if we can get some common visions for development. Not only for the
Howard’s property, but for 5117 N. Lamar, which is also for sale, the
large lot on Middle Fiskville, and for some of the larger properties
that are not currently for sale, but may be in the future.We have a neighborhood plan, but maybe we should go back to that from
time to time to just check that we still have that common vision for
development, or we should fine-tune the details of that plan. I use the
plan as my guide in my position, so it is very important that we really
talk out the details of development.At this point, I’m not sure the door is completely closed with Endeavor.
Jamil certainly isn’t going to try to get a variance without our
support, and he doesn’t even have a contract pending to purchase the
property. But he is still willing to talk to me, and he does seem
interested in finding out what kind of development the neighborhood
would support on the Howard’s property.Jamil told me several times that the property is for sale, and that
somebody else is likely to purchase the property and build something
else. As Clay reported, Centro is already looking at the property for a
different project. But if we decide that we really do support a
mixed-use project for that site, then I think Jamil would like to stay
in the loop.I would like to broaden the conversation to include other sites in our
neighborhood. We have the same compatibility problems with the lot at
5117 N. Lamar. If the VMU project at North Loop and Lamar (West side)
is approved and construction begins, I think other developers will get
similar ideas about properties on our side of Lamar.Cheers.
____________________________________________
Sebastian Wren, Ph.D.
Oct
17
Hello, Centro Partners
Filed Under Howard's Development | Leave a Comment
We at I Love North Loop were contacted earlier this week by Allen Cowden of Centro Partners, another local Austin development firm. Centro is interested in pursuing the Howard’s property, but has some different ideas about what could be done with apartments there, including the possibility of 3-story, owner-occupied townhomes along 56th, more green space, and different traffic routing. Unlike the last guys, they seem genuinely interested in designing the project in a way that appeals to the neighborhood at large. So far, it’s music to our ears. Stay tuned to ilovenorthloop.org for more info.