Universal Music Group Plans Austin Branded Condos

Branded condo development is taking off in Texas, and Universal Music Group is tossing its hat in the ring.

The “big three” record label is partnering with Austin developer White Rocks Entertainment to build UMusic Hotel & Private Residences Austin at a Hill Country site near Bee Cave, the Austin Business Journal reported.

The project, at 10549 SH 71, will feature 600 condo units, 150 hotel rooms and a 10,000-seat outdoor venue. Proposed amenities include professional recording studios, a nightclub, comedy club, indoor performance venue and two restaurants. It would be the first stateside hospitality project from Universal, which has a flagship hotel in Madrid.

Christie’s International Real Estate broker associate Dara Allen is leading sales for the condos. Pricing is expected to start at $2.3 million, she told the outlet.

Construction could start in early 2027 and is projected to wrap up in 2030 — if the project gets approved.

White Rocks president Chris Milam pitched a similar project at the site in 2021. Violet Crown would have brought two luxury apartment towers, a 96-bay driving range and 20,000-seat amphitheater. Milam pulled the plug on the project after it sparked opposition from Bee Cave City Council and residents over water usage and other environmental concerns.

The new project “is designed to meet a 100 percent water reuse standard,” a White Rocks spokesperson told the outlet. In addition, more than 70 percent of the 71-acre project will be open space. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will review the project’s wastewater permit at a hearing on July 15.

News of the partnership comes shortly after the Four Seasons Lake Austin project got a major boost in the form of an $870 million construction loan. The condo project, which is being developed by Austin Capital Partners and Lincoln Property Company, will rise on a 210-acre site that features nearly one mile of Lake Austin shoreline.

— Jess Hardin