Austin’s Mueller Development

Mueller Development

The old Austin Airport is now well along in the process of being re-developed as the mixed use, sustainable, green Mueller Development. The 700 acre area is located on the east side of IH 35 near Airport Boulevard and IH 35 only two miles from the University of Texas and three miles to downtown Austin. Mueller also considers itself to be a model of “green urbanism” because of its green buildings, green infrastructure and green community design. All homes must be Three Star green or higher in the nationally acclaimed Austin Energy Green Building program to be located in Mueller. To get an idea of where that fits in Austin Energy’s program, One Star is the entry level for the program; Five Stars is the highest or “greenest” level. Under the United States Green Building Council’s LEED program commercial buildings range from LEED Gold to Platinum. There are 140 acres of green space including parks, trails and open space. Every home must be a maximum of 600 feet from a green space. Mueller also has created its own “Mueller Green Resources Guide” to act as a sourcebook for developers in meeting the community sustainability goals.

Mueller is considered a New Urbanist development in land planning terms. New Urbanism is a new buzz word in urban planning design in which development is planned to minimize urban sprawl. Instead, communities are dense, walkable and include nearby public transportation. Shops and services are included in the mix as well so that residents needn’t leave their community to shop, eat, or get a haircut. Mueller is planned so that most all of its expected 20,000 residents or community employees are only ten minutes or less from the transit options (bus service and possible future commuter rail service). The Mueller Redevelopment Plan won the Charter Award in 2001 from the Congress for the New Urbanism.

Mueller is being developed in a series of phases. The very first Mueller homebuyers moved in their new homes in the fall of 2007. Not all the same home plans will be available in each phase so homebuyers really liking one particular plan may want to act and not wait to ensure getting that particular plan. Standard Pacific Homes currently has 10 new homes ready to move in and many lots ready to build on at Mueller. There is an affordable housing opportunity at Mueller. A minimum of twenty-five percent of homes both for rent and for sale will be available through the Mueller Affordable Homes Program.

The retail center at Mueller is located at IH 35 and 51st Street. It includes stores for clothing, restaurants, banks, a pet store and other services. A partial list includes such names as Rue21, Old Navy, DOTS, Lane Bryant, Marshall’s, Famous Footwear, Shoe Pavilion, Chipotle Grill, Papa John’s, Starbuck’s, Which Wich, Doc Green’s Salads and Grill, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, PetSmart, Family Christian Store, The Chair King and Wachovia Bank.

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