AUSTIN (KXAN) — An ordinance went into effect Monday that allows Stream Realty — which owns dozens of properties on Sixth Street — to build up to 140 feet high between Neches and Sabine streets. Previously, developers could not build higher than 45 feet on the historic strip.
Stream is now working on plans to build a 150-to-160-room hotel and a 10-floor residential tower in the area, according to the Austin Business Journal, a KXAN media partner.
“On Sixth Street, there’s not a lot going on during the day,” Richard Suttle, Stream’s attorney for the project, said. “The goal is to bring back restaurants, music venues, office buildings, hotels. Places people want to go during the day. Because as everybody knows, activity tends to discourage bad behavior.”
Marc Roppolo, who opened Roppolo’s Pizzeria on Sixth Street in 1990, said he’s seen some safety improvements downtown, “but there’s still a lot of work to do.”
He said he wants to see Sixth Street “the way it used to be.”
“Very safe… and everyone was there for fun and having fun,” he said. “That’s what it was like 30 years ago. That’s what I want to bring back.”
Some Sixth Street employees welcome the new plans, others worry it might change the street too much.
Roppolo said it’s all about striking the right balance.
“Protect the integrity of these historical streets and also rebrand the city,” he said.
Suttle said maintaining the character of the historic entertainment district is a priority for Stream throughout this process.
“All of that will be taken into account as we get the engineers and architects involved,” he said. “Keep the atmosphere and flavor of Sixth Street as we’ve all known it.”
He said the planning is still in its very early stages, and there is currently no timeline available regarding when construction could begin.
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