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Almost two years after it was announced Google would lease the entirety of Block 185 in Downtown Austin, construction on the new building has made significant headway. In drone video taken by Austonia, the 589-foot, sail-shaped structure is starting to take shape.
The new 35-story tower across Shoal Creek will be able to hold about 5,000 people with 793,000 square feet of office space and 1,327 parking spaces on the lower floors with some underground.
In its final form, the building will feature all the standard tech company perks employees have come to not only enjoy but expect. There will be fitness and recreation areas, lounges, kitchen and dining areas, conference centers and a bar.
The upper floors of the new building will be occupied entirely by Google offices, however, the structure will also feature retail businesses on its ground floor, and the lobby will be accessible to the 2nd Street retail and entertainment district.
Outside, the new Google building will have a plaza along Shoal Creek featuring bicycle and pedestrian access connecting to West Cesar Chavez and West 2nd Street.
Rendering of the completed Google tower downtown. (Trammell Crow Company)
Opening its first Austin office in 2007, Google is currently located in a 29-story tower at 500 W. 2nd St., where the tech company leases at least 10 floors.
In January 2019, developer Trammell Crow purchased Block 185 for about $10.27 million after landing on that amount in a 2012 master development agreement. One month later ground broke on the newest addition to Austin's skyline that was leased by Google.
While the company has remained rather silent since the initial announcement two years ago, initial plans for Google to move into the building in 2023 seem to remain on track.
More developments in progress:
- Google delays returning to Austin offices as COVID-19 spikes ... ›
- Google delays returning to Austin offices as COVID-19 spikes ... ›
- Google engineers struggle to be productive working-from-home ... ›
- Facebook could soon occupy some of Austin's tallest building - austonia ›
- A stand out in Austin skyline, Google Tower nears completion - austonia ›
- Cielo breaking ground on Downtown Austin 46-story tower - austonia ›
- 675-foot tower to add apartments, retail to Downtown Austin - austonia ›
- Tallest tower in Texas coming to downtown Austin - austonia ›
- Office tower coming across from Republic Square Park - austonia ›
- The towers that will shape Austin's skyline in the 2020s - austonia ›
- Lead architect behind new Meta tower gives inside look into soon-to-be tallest building in Austin - austonia ›
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Come later tonight, Texans will officially know who will be on the ballot for the November general election.
In Texas, candidates must win at least 50% of the vote to be elected. In the March primaries where the top candidate only received a plurality of votes, a runoff is being held. Voters will decide on the candidates to represent their party in the November general election. Just like the March primaries, voters will choose which party they'd like to vote in. Then based on location, each ballot will show which races are in a runoff.
Here's everything you need to know before heading to the polls.
Know before you go
The registration period for this election has passed; check if you're registered to vote here.
The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. As long as you're in line by 7 p.m., you can vote.
You'll need a valid photo ID to present once you're at a polling location.
Here is where you can vote in Travis County.
View wait times at polling locations here.
Races to watch in Travis County:
Statewide
Lieutenant Governor
- Republican: Incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick won his primary in March.
- Democratic: Mike Collier and Michelle Beckley are vying to be the Democrat candidate on the ballot.
- Republican: Incumbent AG Ken Paxton is fighting for his seat against George P. Bush.
- Democratic: Rochelle Garza and Joe Jaworski will face off to be the Democratic candidate in this race.
View all the statewide races on the ballot here.
U.S. House of Representatives
View the district you live in here.
District 21
- Republican: Incumbent Chip Roy won his primary in March.
- Democratic: Claudia Andreana Zapata and Ricardo Villarreal are hoping to secure this vote.
- Republican: Dan McQueen and Michael Rodriguez are going head to head to be the Republican candidate in this race.
- Democratic: Former Austin council member Greg Casar won this race in March.
District 19
- Republican: Ellen Troxclair and Justin Berry are vying to be the Republican candidate in this race.
- Democratic: Pam Baggett won her primary in March.
A $6,000 cockatoo named Lemon Grab was stolen from a pet store Sunday afternoon, owner Kelsey Fernandez said. (Kelsey Fernandez)
A big-money bird has been stolen from a northwest Austin pet store.
Kelsey Fernandez, the owner of a $6,000 sulphur and citron-crested cockatoo named Lemon Grab, said the emotional support animal was taken from the Gallery of Pets store, around closing time on Sunday.
"I've struggled with mental illness my entire life, and ever since I got him I've been doing so much better," Fernandez told Austonia.
The $6k cockatoo is young and will starve unless he is fed by hand, Fernandez said.
In a surveillance video, a man appears to have something under his shirt as he and two others exit the business around the same time the store believes that Lemon Grab was stolen.
Fernandez said a report has been filed with the Austin Police Department with an $1,000 reward for his return.
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