Mueller, the massive redeveloped master-planned community on the former Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, is adding another housing element to its mix.
Austin Modern Lofts, a for-sale residential condo project that includes high-rise and townhome-style units, will be built on the northwest corner of Berkman Drive and Tom Miller Street.
The 3-acre site is across the street from the former airport control tower — an historic landmark of a bygone era.
Catellus Development Corp. has been redeveloping Mueller for the past decade. In the past several years, construction is cranked up to a rapid pace with an eclectic mix of commercial and residential uses.
JTM Development, headed by J. Thomas Mercer, was selected to build Austin Modern Lofts, which will include 91 units. Some 35 units will be condos in a mixed-use building, which incorporates about 6,000 square feet of street-level retail. The 56 adjacent townhouses within the project include five units that have floor-level commercial space in a live-work scheme.
Austin Modern Lofts will participate in the Ready, Set, Own affordable homes program with 29 units reserved for income-qualified households.
Pricing of the units has not yet been set.
MWM Design Group, an Austin-based company headed by Julia Harrod and Eduardo Mendez, is the architect on the project.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2018 with the first elements completed in early 2019. A contractor has yet to be selected.
JTM Development has a wide array of projects — both commercial and residential — ongoing in Austin. Mercer brings an intriguing mix of talents, according to a bio on the JTM Development website.
He handled build-to-suit developments on behalf of AMB Corp., a San Francisco company, and later became a partner with Panattoni Development Co. overseeing projects in Colorado. For about five years he was in charge of development in North America for ProLogis Trust — coordinating about $1.5 billion in construction in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
JTM’s path leading to Austin appears to have some back story — Mercer has an MBA from the University of Texas.
In August, Austin Business Journal reported that JTM Development is building Walsh Tarlton Overlook, a 55,000-square-foot Class A office space set to deliver by the end of the year.
Mueller, like The Domain, is a city within a city — growing daily. Here is a snapshot of what else is currently underway around the development:
• Texas Mutual Insurance Co. is building its corporate headquarters.
• AMLI, Greystar and DMA Cos. are finishing multifamily projects and have started preleasing.
• Town Center Park, a 3.5-acre open space and public park, is under construction.
• Several new retailers and restaurants have recently opened or will soon, including Kay Jewelers, Pokeatery, Spirit Halloween, Total Wine & More and University Federal Credit Union.
• A variety of single-family homebuilders are delivering new units at a consistent pace.
• Foundation Communities, one of the city’s most active affordable housing developers, has obtained state tax creditsfor another development in Mueller.
