Austin Mixed-Use Project Proposed Near Endeavor, Related Sites

Another mixed-use development is moving forward in the area where Endeavor and the Related Companies are aiming to reshape the South Congress area.

Garwald Company, which is registered to Rogan Giles Jr. of Smithville, has submitted plans for the 4-acre site at 200 East Riverside Drive, where it intends to build two high-rises comprising 1.38 million square feet of office space and 29,000 square feet of retail, the Austin Business Journal reported.

The project would replace a 93,000-square-foot vacant office building that was constructed in 1970. The Giles family has owned the property since 1973, appraisal district records show.

Garwald is exploring a range of possibilities for the site, which could include up to four buildings and may feature residential or hotel components. Light rail plans for the area will likely influence its final development approach, said Richard Suttle, an attorney representing Garwald Company.

The project would add to high-profile developments in the area just south of downtown and the Colorado River.

Related Companies is planning a multi-tower project that will include 800 residential units, a 225-key hotel, 200,000 square feet of office space and 125,000 square feet of retail on 6 acres at the intersection of South Congress Avenue and West Riverside Drive.

Austin-based Endeavor has plans for 1.5 million square feet of office space, 1,500 residential units and retail space for the former Austin American-Statesman property. That project has been hit with lawsuits from community activists. The first blocked its use of a tax increment reinvestment zone. The second, which takes issue with its planned unit development, is in process.

Giles is seeking rezoning for the land. If approved, the project is expected to be completed by 2026.

— Andrew Terrell