Lamar Central, located at 3800 North Lamar Boulevard, is situated near downtown in a major employment center and is in close proximity to a wide variety of housing options. A Houston-based developer, Highland Resources, razed the existing single-story Lamar Village shopping center and replaced it with a four-story, Class A mixed-use development. STG Design designed the new 165,000 sf project which includes 33,000 sf of ground-floor space for retail shops and restaurants, topped with 132,000 sf, making up three levels of office space. Selected retail tenants will provide upscale retail and restaurant services to the neighboring residents, offices and medical community. The 634-space parking garage provides direct access to each tenant floor.
A contemporary, lit breezeway feature on the ground-floor attracts pedestrians and shoppers into the lushly-landscaped courtyard, complete with a water feature, shaded turf areas, and patios with site furnishings for relaxing and outdoor dining. The building was designed with not only the pedestrian experience in mind, but also the surrounding community. The mixed-use concept is an evolution of the developer’s long-standing retail relationship within the surrounding Rosedale community. The efforts to constantly engage the neighborhood mitigated any potential challenges. In addition to financial support for the renovation of Rosedale’s Ramsey Park, the developer rearranged massive stones in the park and coordinated efforts with the City of Austin to add a crosswalk on nearby Medical Parkway. Convenient and sheltered parking was developed for tenants and customers to minimize disruption within the neighborhood.
Project materials include natural stone, walnut wood and floor-to-ceiling low-E glazed window systems. The project’s sustainable features include a 40,000 gallon cistern under the parking garage that collects rainwater runoff and condensation from the building’s rooftop mechanical equipment and supplies water to the courtyard fountain feature and for irrigating the site’s landscape. Additionally, the facility has preferred fuel efficient vehicle parking, an electric vehicle charging station, Car2Go parking spaces, an access-controlled bike storage room and shower and changing rooms for tenants. Energy efficient LED light fixtures are incorporated into the design. The demolition and construction waste was sent off-site for sorting of recyclable materials and diverting waste from the landfill. Many of the materials used in the construction of the buildings contain recycled content, low-emitting volatile organic compounds, and were sourced locally from within 500 miles of the site when possible. Lamar Central is LEED® Certified™.