Austin’s historic Rainey Street welcomes a new neighbor: a 48-story mixed-used residential tower
By Novid Parsi, Contributing Editor
Austin’s historic Rainey Street is welcoming a new neighbor. The Paseo, a 48-story mixed-used residential tower, will bring 557 apartments and two levels of retail to the popular Austin entertainment district, known for houses that have been converted into bungalow bars and restaurants. The Paseo’s groundbreaking took place in late February.
The project is located at an infill site on Rainey Street that was previously used as a food-truck lot. The development preserves and incorporates two historic bungalows that have operated as bars and now will serve as commercial space. Masonry brickwork on the building podium also connects the building with its neighborhood.
In addition to the Paseo’s street-facing retail and restaurants, the high-rise tower’s ground floor includes alcoves in the building’s street frontage to create social space and allow for sidewalk cafes. Between the main building and the bungalows, a landscaped garden and walkway connect Rainey Street to the riverfront park and trails.
The above-ground parking garage features a plant-lined masonry façade. A series of staggered setbacks atop the parking podium open up to an amenity deck providing views of the city and Lady Bird Lake. The project aims to reduce vehicle traffic loads on Rainey Street by moving vehicular access, loading, and pick-up away from the street.
Above the garage podium, the residential tower features patterned glass and protruding balconies intended to reflect the dynamic atmosphere of Rainey Street. The residential levels “are arranged in staggered tiers that seem to organically erode into the building mass,” according to a statement from the development’s architect, Pappageorge Haymes Partners.
The Paseo offers 10% onsite affordable housing and preserves most of the existing onsite trees. The project also includes 34,000 sf of building amenities.
The development is scheduled for completion in 2025.
On the Building Team:
Owner /developer: LV Collective
Architect: Pappageorge Haymes Partners
MEP engineer: Blum Consulting Engineers, Inc.
Structural engineer: DCI Engineers
General contractor/construction manager: JE Dunn Construction Company
Landscape Architect: TBG Partners
