New 35-story condo tower planned for downtown Austin's northwest side. Here's what we know

A developer says it plans to build a 35-story tower with nearly 300 luxury condominiums on downtown Austin's northwest side — a project that would be one of the tallest buildings to date in that area.

Called Luminary, the building will have 286 one- to three-bedroom residences in a tower slated to rise 400 feet. Luminary’s condos are expected to range in price from about $600,000 to more than $3 million, with a number of units below the $1 million mark.

The 0.81-acre site is located at the northwest corner of 14th and Guadalupe Streets, west of the Texas State Capitol and SXSW Center, home of South by Southwest’s headquarters.

The site currently houses the offices of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, or CLEAT, which will gain new office space in the tower. CLEAT will occupy 10,000 square feet in the new tower.

The developer of the planned tower is Northland Living, which launched late last year as the U.S. affiliate of Canadian hospitality powerhouse firm Northland Properties Corp.

Northland Living will focus on developing residential towers and mixed-use communities in Texas. Along with the Luminary site in downtown Austin, Northland Living owns or controls prime sites in Dallas and in Cedar Park, a fast-growing suburb northwest of Austin.

Northland Properties, based in Vancouver, Canada, owns and operates 63 hotels and resorts, 175 restaurants and venues, and three hockey teams in five countries. It employs more than 12,000 people and is the force behind well-known brands such as Sandman Hotel Group, The Sutton Place Hotels, Moxies, Denny’s, Chop Steakhouse & Bar, Shark Club, Revelstoke Mountain Resort and the Dallas Stars NHL team.

A news release did not give an estimated timetable for breaking ground on the Luminary tower.

The building is being designed by Page, a prominent Austin-based architecture firm. The street level will have have 4,800 square feet of retail space, including a spot for a restaurant. The tower will include 6 1/2 levels of parking with an amenity deck just above the parking podium, and one floor of office space.

Amenities will include a pool, fitness facilities and indoor and outdoor spaces with views of the downtown Austin skyline and surrounding neighborhood.

“Our ultimate goal is to bring beautiful, functional and timeless living to a part of downtown Austin that’s ideal for a residential community,” said Tony Kaleel, president and chief operating officer of Northland Living.

Luminary's planned height puts it on track to become one of the tallest buildings in downtown's northwest quadrant.

The nearby 26-story Westgate Tower at 1122 Colorado St., standing 261 feet high, was the tallest building built in downtown in the 1960s — and until 1972, only the Texas State Capitol and the University of Texas main building stood taller.

Another tall building in the area is the Moody National Bank Tower, which rises 296 feet with its flagpoles. A 399-foot-tall hotel is planned for 1308 Lavaca St., and a 34-story luxury apartment tower called Annie B, planned by Stratus Properties for West 12th Street between San Antonio and Guadalupe streets, is expected to rise 400 feet.

Nearby, Austin-based Pearlstone Partners plans to build a 34-story tower at Lavaca and West 14th streets, one block south of the SXSW headquarters and the Texas Chili Parlor, an Austin favorite and longtime staple on Lavaca Street. Pearlstone's Chris Zaiontz says its tower will offer a blend of residential and hospitality uses, and is targeting a groundbreaking in late 2024 or early 2025.

For Luminary, Austin-based Urbanspace LLP has been tapped to handle the marketing and sales of the units.

“What makes Luminary particularly special is that it offers attainable home ownership for urban dwellers seeking the city energy and conveniences combined with the serenity of a residential neighborhood,” said Kevin Burns, founder and CEO of Urbanspace. “Additionally, new homes for less than $1 million in downtown Austin fill a much-needed void, and are particularly attractive to young professionals, empty nesters and people wanting a lock-and-leave lifestyle or second residence.”

Burns' Urbanspace real estate brokerage team has downtown Austin’s most prolific new condo sales representatives. Burns and his agents previously have sold out towers such as Seaholm and The Independent (also known as the Jenga tower), which set a record-breaking pace for sales. Burns also is developing his own high-rise project, The Modern Austin Residences in the Rainey Street District on downtown's southeastern edge.

Burns and Kaleel previously joined forces when Kaleel was with Intracorp Homes and spearheaded the development of the 44 East Ave condo high-rise on Rainey Street, which Urbanspace also represented.

The same general contractor for 44 East, Flintco LLC, will serve in the same role for the Luminary. Kimley-Horn has been tapped as the project’s engineer, while Drenner Group PC is providing legal services.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: New tower will have 286 condos in downtown Austin. What we know.