@ Bean, they have gone totally nuts! Just what Downtown needs, more people trying to get there and park.
A major Austin employer is in the midst of a nearly $900 million project that will bring more than 3,000 additional workers into the heart of downtown.
But it’s not Google, Apple, Indeed or some other high-tech heavyweight behind the huge initiative; it’s state government.
Hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer-backed bonds have been authorized by state lawmakers to fund an ongoing effort to transform the four blocks of Congress Avenue immediately north of the Capitol.
The $895 million development — counting $313.7 million for phase two approved during the just-ended legislative session and $581.2 million for phase one approved in 2015 — will include 1.5 million square feet of space in four new state buildings, below-ground parking and a pedestrian-friendly promenade for public gatherings and festivals that will stretch from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to 15th Street.