AUSTIN, TEXAS — Wilson Capital, an Austin-based real estate development firm, has unveiled plans for Wilson Towers, an 80-story apartment building in Austin. Totaling 450 residential units and rising 1,035 feet, the development would become the tallest building in Texas upon completion.
The property is located at 410 E. Fifth St. in the heart of Austin’s downtown. It is less than a block from the MetroRail Downtown station, three blocks from the Congress Avenue retail and restaurant district, and six blocks from the Texas State Capitol building. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer.
According to local real estate publication Towers, the project is a massive expansion upon previously released redevelopment plans for the site of Avenue Lofts, a 38-unit condominium property. Wilson Capital acquired the property via a negotiated buyout of the condos early this year. The record-breaking redevelopment plan would position Wilson Tower to rise 13 feet taller than the Waterline project located just a few blocks away, reports Towers.
The property will feature residences ranging from studios to four-bedroom penthouses. Wilson Tower will also offer four floors of amenities for residents such as a cocktail lounge, movie theater, pool deck and an entire floor dedicated to pet services such as a grooming center and dog run.
Additionally, the ground level of the property will offer 20,000 square feet of restaurant space, as well as resident valet parking.
Austin-based architecture firm HKS Inc. designed Wilson Tower to feature a brise soleil, or shade structure, that wraps the tower’s glass exterior to protect the property from the elements.
The development team also includes Britt Design Group for the interiors, Nudge Design for the landscapes and Kimley-Horn as civil engineer. Details of project financing are not available at this time, per the developer.
Austin is a hub for all sorts of new construction as the city’s population explodes. The city is the second-fastest-growing metro area in the country, trailing only the San Francisco Bay Area, according to a 2022 report from the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. The Austin Chamber of Commerce says the metro area’s population grew 33 percent from 1.7 million in 2010 to 2.3 million in 2020, and is continuing to grow.
— Kari Lloyd