No rear entry here, the back of Sinsations

Next in a series of semi-random, occaisional updates on whats going down on S 1st St.

Well it looks like the financial crisis has killed off any hope the realtor/developer community had to turn South 1st St, north of Oltorf, into SoFi has died for now. This is a good thing, and a bad thing. It’s good because at least for now, a number of commercial properties are back on the market, the rents etc. will be somewhat stabilised. It’s a bad thing in so much as there are now a number of key properties sitting idle and gathering non-permissive graffiti.

In the last South 1st Watch, I mentioned I’d got in trouble for referring to this bit of South 1st as “downtown”. There were a few comments on the blog entry and an offline email flurry started. Turns out this is really undesirable. The business community has had this area in their sights for a long time, 30-years or so at least. This is because while there are still many lots downtown, their existing CBZ zoning makes them expensive, where as developers hope to capture Bouldin Creek properties at Residential Prices and then get the developer friendly council to rezone as appropriate.

One exception to this seems to be the proposed development on the south west Corner of Live Oak and South 1st St, 603 Live Oak, the former home of Las Manos Magicas. I wrote about this almost a year ago today. Dated May 20th, the City wrote to tell me that the Administrative review of the plans is now finished and the plans approved and the applicant has paid all the required fees. So, next up is to get funding for development and actually break ground.

And so, here is what’s changed since the last update:

Sinsations, 2008 The graffiti wall pictured above is the back wall of Sinsations. It is as the graffiti community would describe it, a permission wall. I didn’t check with the Sinsations owner/manager, but I did stop by earlier in the year when there was a massive mural on the north side wall. I went to take a picture and it had been painted over. When I asked why, I was told there had been some confusion, they had given permission for the rear wall.

1906 Formally a residential home, has been taken over by a “sharpest” that now offers knife, razor and mower blade sharpening. More interestingly, they are out on the front lawn throwing knives at targets a couple of evenings a week. 1906 is next door to La Mexicana bakery.

1708 Calavera Skate shop is now open, selling all things skating.

1502 Both development here, and the Live at Elizabeth development, on the diametriacally oppsoite corner from Bouldin Creek Coffee shop have “tanked” since my initial reports a year ago. The development on the north-east corner of Elizabeth and South 1st has now much more modest ambitions called Bouldin Creek Square. Meanwhile over the road, they are simply trying to rent out the existing warehouse.