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A target open date has been planned for the summer of 2024 for a development on E. 5th Street. (Lincoln Ventures)
Developers are continuing to transform East Austin, building a new mix-used development with apartments and community amenities.
Austin-based Lincoln Ventures has plans for a new six-story multifamily development at 2700 E. 5th St. With six stories, it will include 625 residential rental units, two levels of co-working space, a café and a grocery store. The development will break ground in the second half of the year with an estimated opening date in the summer of 2024.
“As East Austin continues to grow along with the city, it’s important to tap into the lifestyle needs of the area, and this project captures that energy by providing a unique variety of environments, services and experiences to the residents and the community,” David Kanne, Lincoln Ventures CEO said. “Future residents will be at the center of this dynamic East Austin District while enjoying easy access to public transportation and a city bike trail as well as proximity to downtown Austin and (the Austin airport).”
Local coffee shop Fleet Coffee will be working with Lincoln Ventures for the café. The development will also include fitness amenities like a gym, a spin studio and a yoga room. Other offerings are two outdoor pools, a dog run, a catering kitchen and below-grade parking with direct access to units.
Future residents will be able to choose among studios, one, two and three-bedroom options. Ten percent of the units will be designated affordable housing.
Not yet named, the building will also have two-story “urban row homes” and two-story live and work units along the frontage road.
The current tenant at the site is a construction company known as MasTec.
Lincoln Ventures partnered with Boston-based ELV Associates on the project and will have landscape and architecture services from local designers TBG.
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Historic preservationists, for their part, overwhelmingly support historic zoning, which would preserve the buildings in perpetuity. The Historic Landmark Commission unanimously voted to initiate historic zoning in July, citing architectural significance, landscape features and association to historic figures. City staffers recommend historic zoning, calling both structures one-of-a-kind examples of vernacular architecture.
Tarrytown neighbors have also banded together to stop the demolition. Many have written letters, and a few spoke at the meeting. “How could anyone buy this property with the intent of destroying it?” Ila Falvey said. “I think it’s an architectural treasure.”
Michael Whellan, an attorney representing the property owner, said that the claims made by preservationists are shaky. The buildings are run down, he said, and have had substantial renovations. A structural engineer hired by the owner said any attempt at preservation would involve tearing down and rebuilding – an undertaking Whellan said would likely cost millions.
Whellan also argued that any historical significance derived from the property’s association with Delisle and longtime owner C.H. Slator is dubious. “These men are not noted for any civic, philanthropic or historic impact,” he said.
What’s more, according to Whellan, Slator likely participated in segregation as the owner of the Tavern on North Lamar Boulevard between 1953 and 1960.
A city staffer, however, said she found no evidence to support the claim. “We would never landmark a property where a segregationist lived, or there was a racist person,” Kimberly Collins with the Historic Preservation Office said.
Commissioner Awais Azhar couldn’t support historic zoning in part due to lingering uncertainty about Slator. “Focusing on that factor is not here to disparage an individual or family. It is not about playing the race card. This is an important assertion for us to consider as Planning commissioners,” Azhar said.
Commissioner Carmen Llanes Pulido said that allegations of racism should come as no surprise. “We’re talking about white male property owners in the 1950s, in Austin, on the west side – and of course they were racist,” she said. But she argued that allowing the house to be demolished based on these grounds does nothing to help people of color who have been harmed by racism and segregation.
The question of tax breaks was also controversial. Michael Gaudini, representing the property owner, said that the tax breaks associated with historic zoning would exacerbate inequality by shifting property tax burdens to less affluent communities. City staffers estimate that the property, appraised at $3.5 million, would get either a $8,500 or $16,107 property tax break annually, depending on whether a homestead exemption is applied.
Commissioner Grayson Cox preferred the commission focus not on tax breaks but on whether the structures merit preservation. “To me, nothing in the historic preservation criteria lists, is this person deserving of a tax break or not?”
Azhar, on the other hand, said he plans to propose a code amendment getting rid of city property tax breaks for historic properties.
The commission fell one vote short of recommending historic zoning, with six commissioners in support and three opposed. Azhar and commissioners Claire Hempel and Greg Anderson voted against.
The odds of City Council zoning over an owner’s wishes are slim. Nine out of 11 members must vote in favor, and there have only been a handful of such cases over the past several decades.
