Today, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D. announced the General Land Office's (GLO) historic undertaking to transform the Hobby Building into substantial workforce housing. Commissioner Buckingham was joined by Austin Mayor Kirk Watson as she presented the GLO's solicitation for this momentous endeavor. The state office building, located at 333 Guadalupe Street, will hopefully provide additional amenities that downtown residents need such as childcare, parking and retail spaces.
“I have one metric by which we at the General Land Office take action and judge our success: serve the people you are supposed to serve and do it well. That is why I am pleased to present qualified investors and developers with a unique opportunity to collaborate with the GLO on the historic redevelopment of the Hobby Building into workforce housing for Austin families,” said Commissioner Buckingham. “Anytime the state can come together with the City of Austin and work collaboratively for the benefit of its residents, we all win. This project will seek to serve those who provide critical services to the community, including our hardworking teachers, steadfast police officers, valiant firefighters, dedicated government workers and many crucial healthcare providers."
“By including and focusing on workforce housing as a part of this redevelopment process, Commissioner Buckingham is choosing to make affordability front and center in this project,” said Mayor Watson. “She is challenging the respondents to be creative and explore different approaches and partnerships to help address affordability in our city.”
Beginning today, prospects will have 90 days to submit responses, after which time GLO staff will review and recommend the best proposal(s) that will ultimately need to be approved by the School Land Board.
Information regarding the Hobby Building Redevelopment Site can be found at the following link:
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