The Austin City Council Thursday denied a zoning change thatwould have allowed Lumbermen's to build a 180-foot-tall building onthe 4.5 acres as part of a development that would include retail,office and residential space. In that plan, the 180-foot buildingwould have been set back in the northwest corner of the propertywith the rest of the structures stair-stepped to lower heights withthe shortest buildings closest to the lake.

The property is at the northeast corner of Cesar Chavez Streetand Lamar Boulevard and just west of the former Seaholm PowerPlant, which is to be renovated into a museum.The four councilmembers voting against the zoning change cited the comments ofenvironmentalists that such a tall building is inappropriate forthe location.

One path for Lumbermen's is to build a 220-foot-tall tower,which is allowed under the property's current zoning. That zoningwas approved about 10 years ago. Or, it could construct buildingsof similar size. A Lumbermen's representative, presenting models ofthe options to the council, called the latter design reminiscent ofa Soviet-style development.