St. Elmo project moves forward

Once upon a time, the Saint Elmo Market District was nothing more than a unique zoning case in the Planning Commission’s eye. Having long since cleared that hurdle, the project’s developer, Maker Bros., announced yesterday that they have closed on the land and are moving forward. They plan to begin construction in 2018 on the project, which, according to a press release, “will include 400 multi-family units and a 40,000-square-foot renovated warehouse for an indoor-outdoor marketplace, which will feature Austin’s famed Saxon Pub. The project also includes 100,000 square feet of creative office, a boutique hotel and a for-sale condo development.” Currently, the site is home to an Office Furniture NOW! warehouse. Phase one of the project will include a $3 million renovation of a 1950s AISD school bus factory “with the intention of re-tenanting the space with maker-oriented users of the space.” Phase two will include the multifamily and parking structure development, and, according to the statement to the press, “(t)he developer has acquired a long-term option on an additional 2.5 acres on South Congress that will expand the first phase of the project.”