What was first billed as Related Companies’ first mass timber project is still a go.
The New York-based developer again tweaked the Austin mass timber office project it announced in 2022. This time, it’s downsizing, the Austin Business Journal reported.
Related initially pitched a five-story, 107,000-square-foot office project for 901 South Congress Avenue. Plans for the project changed in April 2023, when Related raised the structure’s height to seven stories and expanded the square footage of the project to 260,000 square feet.
The firm is back to its original plans after its application expired, according to documents filed with the state this spring. The project is once again being planned as a five-story project. The new filing did not specify the projected square footage of the building.
The updated site plan still lists the project as an office building. It’s unclear whether it will be mixed-use; prior iterations of the site plan included ground-floor retail and residential units, the outlet reported. The site plans did not specify the construction method, though the project was originally billed as a mass timber build.
The office project is down the street from another project in the works from Related. The company announced a multi-tower project in the 500 block of South Congress. The project is slated for 800 residential units, a 225-key hotel, 200,000 square feet of office space, 120,000 square feet of retail and a 25,000-square-foot grocery store.
The project secured approval from Austin City Council for planned unit development zoning last fall. The zoning change will allow for increased density. As a construction material, timber is considered faster, cheaper and more sustainable. As a result, the use of timber has gained traction in Austin, where it was also used for the construction of Hines’ T3 Eastside development and 901 East Sixth Street, an office development by Endeavor Real Estate Group.
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