Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/461140
photography by Zac Seewald photography (four SeaSonS); mary kang (roundtable); courteSy of tate property (boat dock) Time and Place A pAnel of reAl estAte experts discusses the city's skyrocketing Assets, Austin nostAlgiA, And the expAnsion And evolution of centrAl Austin neighborhoods. Produced by jane kellogg murray The Panel (shown below, from left) GARY DOLCH, founder and CEO, Austin Luxury Group, 512-656-5627; garyandmichelle.com EMILY MORELAND, owner/broker, Moreland Properties, 512-480-0848; moreland.com WILL STEAKLEY, cofounder, DEN Property Group, 512-222-3364; denpg.com LAURA GOTTESMAN, owner/broker, Gottesman Residential Real Estate, 512-451-2422; gottesmanresidential.com PAT TATE, owner/broker, Tate Property, 512-633- 0151; tateproperty.com MODERATOR: MARK SPRAGUE, state director of information capital, Independence Title, 512- 454-4500; independencetitle.com Mark Sprag ue: How has Austin changed since you moved here and have been in the real estate business? Emily Moreland: I have seen a fantastic change in our downtown. It was dirt y, it was vacant, and there were storefronts boarded up. You felt a sense of despair back in the '8 0s and '90s. A nd then we had t wo mayors who decided we were going to have a wonderful downtown, starting with K irk Watson [now a state senator]. Developers got on board and stepped out of their comfort zones to build t hese condos, because it had never been done in Austin. To have a real neighborhood downtown is exciting. Pat Tate: I came [to Austin] in 1969, and Anderson Lane was the end of the world at that time; Burnet Road was one sign after another, and Northwest Hills was the new development. Will Steakley: I find we are having more diversity in more pockets. We're creating more clusters and communities, so you don't have to make the drive to downtown. Austin has been so location-centric, and around downtown was where the energ y was. Now you're seeing these little offshoots. Whether it's The Domain or the Hill Country Galleria or some parts of the east side, we're starting to find these areas that are coveted. Some [businesses] that were very successful downtown are now venturing off to those new markets because there's opportunity there. Where do you see Austin moving— where are the new places your clients want to look? Laura Gottesman: Obviously east. And once we have the medical school here and Waller Creek is redone, that's going to be huge. There's also a lot of opportunity north—not super far out, but if you look at it, there are opportunities to buy that haven't hit the stride that the very close-in neighborhoods have. And areas north of 45th Street into Northwest Hills, Allandale, near the Triangle, north Burnet Road—have just become so vibrant. That has become the new hot place for restaurants, and it's very family-oriented. There's Economist Mark Sprague (far right) discusses real estate with local experts at the W Austin. above: A unit in the Four Seasons Residences, one of a handful of luxury condominiums in the highly coveted 78701 zip code downtown. right: The boat dock at this residence on Scenic Drive offers quick access to the river that runs through downtown Austin. 106 AUSTINWAY.com haute property Brokers' roundtable