HBO, Netflix lease space in Central Texas to support new projects, sources say "In recent weeks, two major Hollywood film studios signed separate leases for portions of this year and next so they can shoot projects in Central Texas, according to multiple sources. Home Box Office Inc., or HBO, has leased 110,000 square feet — about the size of a big-box store — at Kyle Crossing, located at 1980 Kohlers Crossing in the Hays County city of Kyle, while Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) signed on for about 20,000 square feet in East Austin, sources said. (Parimal M. Rohit, Austin Business Journal)
Cloudflare signs Austin's largest office lease of pandemic, sources say "According to multiple sources, Cloudflare Inc. has signed a lease for 125,000 square feet at Foundry II, an office building at 1600 E. Fourth St. that was recently purchased by New York-based Tishman Speyer." (Parimal M. Rohit, ABJ)
Austin homebuilding still on record pace, but market may be cooling slightly "Homebuilding is continuing at a record pace in Central Texas, the latest figures show, and industry experts say Austin-area housing demand is expected to remain strong through the rest of the year. However, they say the market could see the pace of both sales and price increases slow a bit in the second half of the year." (Shonda Novak, Austin American-Statesman)
Downtown Austin’s Most Eligible Warehouses Hit the Market at 99 Trinity "A block of 1970s-era warehouses located at 99 Trinity Street, representing a low-density curiosity in a region of downtown Austin otherwise experiencing rapid growth, is listed for sale as of this week via commercial real estate giants JLL — and maybe it’s needless to say, but the possibility of development at this site is music to our ears." (James Rambin, Towers)
City-backed homeless encampment relocations continue days ahead of shift in Austin camping ban enforcement "City staff, police and community representatives worked through the rain Aug. 5 to begin clearing one of Austin's most prominent downtown homeless encampments, days ahead of a ramp-up of local camping ban enforcement that could bring arrests for those living on the streets. The relocation of people experiencing homelessness along West Cesar Chavez Street Aug. 5 represents the latest step in Austin's Housing-Focused Encampment Assistance Link, or HEAL, program." (Ben Thompson, Community Impact)
Massive new neighborhood pegged 45 minutes from Austin "As the region faces an extreme housing shortage, SouthStar Communities plans to bring up to 6,000 residential units, more than 300 acres of public parks, 35 miles of trails, four Comal Independent School District schools and more than 200 acres of commercial space near I-35 just north of New Braunfels. That would put it about 45 minutes from South Austin." (Mitchel Parton, ABJ)
TxDOT halts tree-clearing in Oak Hill, pending court hearing "In light of a federal judge’s concerns over the state’s planned removal of nearly 200 trees to make way for a 12-lane road project through Oak Hill, the Texas Department of Transportation last week agreed to temporarily halt its tree-clearing work in southwest Austin. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman will make a final determination on the fate of the trees after hearing legal arguments on Sept. 2. By the time the stop-work order was issued last Friday, the Texas Department of Transportation had already uprooted enough trees to stack, by its estimation, about a dozen large piles that were slated for mulching. TxDOT broke ground on the $674 million project in early July and anticipates completing it by 2025 or 2026." (Amy Smith, Austin Monitor)
Musicians Get Sinking Feeling as Fall Festivals Loom and COVID Surges "Among Austin's musicians, a harsh reality is beginning to set in. The post-vaccination period of cultural jubilation that had been roundly predicted to kick off a new "Roaring Twenties" feels like it's been suspended after just four months. The latest COVID-19 surge, involving the highly transmissible Delta variant, now threatens to upend the broad return of live music." (Kevin Curtain, Austin Chronicle)
