Statesman sold

Austin’s daily newspaper will have new owners as of April 2. On Tuesday, the Austin American-Statesman announced it is being purchased by New York-based GateHouse Media. The paper was put up for sale by current owner Cox Enterprises in the fall and the sale to GateHouse – for $47.5 million – had been rumored since early this year. The deal includes the Spanish-language publication Ahora Sí and Statesman’s community newspaper group, but it does not include the 19 acres of property on Lady Bird Lake where the paper now operates. That parcel was retained by the Cox family and is being sold separately with the intent of converting it into a mixed-use development. On Monday it was announced that Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings & Merrill – an architecture, urban planning and design firm – had joined the project to redevelop that site, which is being led by Austin-based Endeavor Real Estate Group. There is no timetable for the sale of that property, which is the key piece of a larger redevelopment plan for the area just south of the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge.