When it comes to innovation, Austin and its startups like to think BIG. And nothing says big like Springdale General in East Austin, scheduled to officially open up in August 2018.
The new development is a partnership between noted social innovation organization Notley Ventures, Michael Hsu Architecture and Central Austin Management Group as way to help serve Austin’s burgeoning creative and maker communities.
Central Austin Management Group and Michael Hsu Architecture created Canopy, a similar creative center in East Austin, last year. With a “heck of a wait list,” the team knew that there was a lot of underserved demand in the creative class.
They were joined by the Notley team, which was looking for a way to strengthen their nonprofit investments, while also making an impact on the community.
“In our conversations with the community, we kept hearing 'we had our lease amount tripled, we need stability' and nonprofits were talking to us about the lack of event space around the city,” said Notley Ventures partner Matt McDonnell. “We thought, what if we could make an investment that is profitable, while supporting over 20 organizations and providing programming?”
There are 15 industrial buildings with 165,000 square feet of office space on the ten acre campus. The development is 65 percent leased, with tenants like the Texas Book Festival, HousingWorks, The Brown Firm, Austin Monitor and AIDS Services of Austin in the Center for Social Innovation.
McDonnell said one of the biggest reasons he is excited about the campus is the ideas that can occur between the for-profit and nonprofit startups occupying space in the building that may not have happened otherwise.
While the building does not entirely open until August, the founders are putting on programming to build momentum.
Notley has created educational programming focused on a variety of subjects, from how to help nonprofits become smart consumers of real estate, to teaching software entrepreneurs how to make their licensing plans can be self-sustaining.
Springdale General will feature more than socially innovative companies. Cafe Medici will also debut a 5,000 square foot roasting facility, and other vendors will also be serving delectable dishes.
Take a look at how construction is progressing below.
