It’s a big deal
Massive new development bringing hotel, restaurants, and more to North Austin neighborhood
Regardless of whether Amazon chooses to locate its second headquarters there, a 66-acre site near the Domain is poised to add more than 1 million square feet of offices, as well as shops, restaurants, apartments, condos, and a hotel.
About 1.1 million square feet of offices already stands on the campus, which is anchored by IBM. Now the owner, real estate developer Brandywine Realty Trust, is seeking approval from the City of Austin to dramatically expand the campus. The Austin City Council is expected to pass Brandywine’s rezoning request at its May 24 meeting.
Aside from doubling the amount of office space to about 2.2 million square feet, highlights of the proposed Broadmoor expansion include:
- 2,092 apartments
- 150 condos
- 98,462 square feet of retail
- 40,000 square feet of restaurant space
- 300 hotel rooms
Also in the works is relocation of the MetroRail train station on Kramer Lane to the Broadmoor campus, about one-third of a mile to the north. The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority supports the move, but it appears Brandywine would need to pick up most or all of the tab for the MetroRail project.
Broadmoor sits across Burnet Road from the Domain and Domain Northside, two mixed-use projects that collectively are evolving into Austin’s “second downtown,” complete with offices, apartments, hotels, stores, and restaurants. Major employers at the Domain developments include Blackbaud, Facebook, HomeAway, and Amazon, with Indeed soon joining them at an office tower that’s now under construction.
The Broadmoor site is also less than two miles north of the proposed location of a Major League Soccer stadium.
Philadelphia-based Brandywine forecasts the Broadmoor expansion won’t be completed till 2036 — nearly two decades from now. However, that timeline might change if Amazon picks the campus for its second headquarters, known as HQ2. Brandywine has touted the site for HQ2.
Amazon is set to decide sometime this year among 20 finalists for HQ2, including Austin. Dallas is the only other Texas city in the running. HQ2 is projected to eventually generate $5 billion worth of real estate development and up to 50,000 jobs.