Live/Work Lofts and Condo Projects Cater to Austin's "Creative Class"

Jean Kwon from the Austin American-Statesman, wrote a article on Austin's upcoming projects that cater to Austin's local "creative class".

Austin has had a surge of new developments that seek to accommodate live/work lifestyles. These include Waterstreet Lofts, at Comal and East Cesar Chavez streets; 1305 Lofts, on East Sixth Street; Spaces 2525 and The Magnolia, both on South Lamar Boulevard; Sixth and Brushy at Sixth and Brushy streets; Satsuma53, at East 53rd Street and North Loop Boulevard; and Willow Branch Lofts on Poquito Street.         

The redeveloped Robert Mueller Municipal Airport site will include substantial live/work housing, such as flats above storefronts, and the Domain shopping center being built near the Arboretum will include apartments.

Although the live/work concept dates back centuries, the modern interpretation originated in San Francisco's South of Market area in the late 1990s, when technology began to create a mobile work force, Warshaw says. The "true" live/work space is a loft with a studio/office on the ground floor and a living space on top connected by an open staircase.But the high cost of developing and affording such large lofts has tempered demand. "I think people would love (live/work spaces) but it's a question of cost," Warshaw says. In Austin, "selling a half-million dollar live/work space hasn't really been plausible yet."

Recent projects target buyers by creating boutique urban infill developments with lofts anchored by commercial space at street level.

I'll be on vacation next week, so may be slow to post, but I plan on writing an update on the upcoming projects. Most are central, where the creative hub is in Austin, but some are slightly further north, as reported in the story when they mentioned The Domain.

The full story can be found on the Statesman's website.