New uses proposed for longtime industrial corridor



By Joe Olivieri



Several projects are in the works along South Congress Avenue south of Ben White Boulevard; if completed, they stand to change the corridor from an industrial hub to a more mixed-use area featuring housing and retail options.



TDI Real Estate is building Jefferson South Congress, a 352-unit apartment complex expected to open in late 2015.



6400 South Congress LLC is finishing construction of three buildings for retail and restaurant uses at 6501 S. Congress Ave.



Other residential and commercial ventures are awaiting approval from the city of Austin.



On Oct. 23, Austin City Council will review St. Elmo's Market and Lofts, a more than $100 million project that would include up to 200 condominiums, parking, a food market, music venue and hotel.



Meritage Homes has submitted plans to build Dittmar Condominiums; 50 units at 7400 S. Congress Ave.



Charlie Coleman, president of Meritage's Austin division, said developers are interested in the area because of its easy access to I-35 and local job centers.



"The price points up north are so high," he said. "That's part of the attraction to Southwest Austin. It's still growing, it's still in Austin and for now, land is at a price that's affordable."



In January, Capital Metro included the corridor as part of its first MetroRapid bus route, which connects Southpark Meadows to Tech Ridge in North Austin.



"It's one of the busiest corridors," Capital Metro spokeswoman Melissa Ayala said. "There is a lot of growth and ridership demand there."



That demand has caught business owners' attention.



Dallas-based firm Groundfloor Development, is proposing St. Elmo's Market and Lofts. The project required a zoning change to allow apartments, which the Austin Planning Commission granted Sept. 23.



Groundfloor founder Brandon Bolin said the residential component is essential to the project, adding industrial is no longer the highest and best use for the land.



Bolin said St. Elmo Market is modeled after Madrid's El Mercado de San Miguel, a historic marketplace that includes local food vendors, shopping and live music.



"Maybe we'll have a charcuterie shop, a bakery, a coffee roaster and a cheese purveyor. We may have a brewpub [and] a produce section. ..." he said. "It's a food hall and market. There'll be shared seating. It's very much a social experience. We want to make it part of what makes Austin cool."



The market would be built in what is now a furniture warehouse, and Bolin said he plans to retain the building's exposed trusses and pipes in the new space.



Groundfloor has met with the community six times.



In a letter to the Planning Commission, resident Elaine Martinez wrote that discussions included increased traffic and how the St. Elmo's project would affect the community's character.



Resident group South Congress Combined Neighborhood Contact Team endorsed the plan.



"We as a neighborhood contact team agreed that it's just beneficial for the area," team member Jeff Madden said. "[There's] the convenience factor—being able to walk or bike there. The idea of going to pick up a coffee or a loaf of fresh-baked bread [from a market vendor] is exactly what we want as a neighborhood."