Austin-based developer StoryBuilt is bringing the city’s first micro-apartments to South First Street.

As with almost all of Storybuilt’s developments — or at least the Austin ones — it will carry a proper noun as a name. In this case, it’s Bruno. Projects are named for rescued animals or employee pets. 

The development will be at 2001 South First. Street in the Bouldin Creek neighborhood. Storybuilt will manage as well as develop Bruno’s 38 studios and four one-bedroom rentals. Units will measure 308 to 703 square feet and 411 square feet in size. Bruno will include four affordable units, to be leased to tenants making 50 percent or less of Austin’s average median family income. The building will also have 3,000 square feet of retail and commercial space on its ground floor.

This is Storybuilt's ninth announced Austin project and its fourth in South Austin. The latter include mixed-use development Willa at 1600 South First Street, Frank at 900 South First Street, a group of single-family homes called Frank West at 900 South Second Street and the aforementioned Bruno. StoryBuilt has bought more property in the 1000 and 1100 blocks of South First Street as well. There are four East Austin projects as well. It plans a mixed-use project blending residential, commercial and retail uses for the property adjacent to Frank.

Storybuilt operates in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, Denver, and Seattle. The company has built more than 40 communities for over 700 homeowners across its five markets and has a $1 billion pipeline of future product in owned and controlled urban infill land. 

Construction on Bruno is scheduled to start at the end of April and to be completed in the second quarter of 2023. The company will also start pre-sales for Ellie May on Springdale Road in early May.