The redevelopment of the former site of a longtime favorite restaurant is taking shape. The former site of Hill’s Cafe at 4700 South Congress Avenue in what’s now known as the St. Elmo District, will take place in two phases.

The Sutton Company, Dallas’ Koa Partners and Atalaya Capital Partners in New York are the general partners on the first phase, which includes 444 apartments to be built on the rear portion of the property fronting a tributary of Williamson Creek.  

Sutton and Koa are partners on second phase, to be built on the front of the Congress Avenue property. In addition to more multifamily units, it will also include a cafe/restaurant site — possibly with outdoor seating and a music venue — and a 125-room boutique hotel.

Current plans include a 150-room boutique hotel, a possible 130-room extended-stay hotel, a revival of Hill’s Cafe that includes its outdoor music venue, more restaurants, retail, and a 100,000-square-foot office building on the front of the 15-acre site, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The project could cost up to $300 million, according to the article.

Arcadis Architecture leads the design team, which includes CEC Engineering, Ensight Haynes Whaley Structural Engineering, Bay and Associates MEP Engineering, and Blue Fish Collaborative Landscape architects. Dallas-based Provident Constructions is the builder.