Retailers Hustling to Meet Growing Market Demands

A surge in Austin’s downtown corridor is accounting for more than 500,000 sf of retail space that is under construction or in planning stages, says city officials. Two projects account for most of the development, including a Target-anchored retail project at 6th and Lamar and the West Second Street project, a 2001 project with approximately 150,000 sf.

The downtown is being bolstered by office construction, the Convention Center expansion and a population explosion being catered to by a multi-family building surges. There are lofts aplenty under way or in the works as Post Properties preps to open a 243-unit complex.

New retailers being lured to the Central Business District include Gumbo’s and the Brown Bar, which opened in the Brown Building, and Truluck’s Seafood, Steak and Crab, now open for three months. James Coney Island, a well-known hot dog restaurant chain is opening its first store on Congress Ave. and is eyeing other spots in the city for more locations.