How many hours of your life have you spent driving at less than 10 miles an hour on I-35 or circling Downtown looking for parking? It's probably best not to count. Traffic and parking woes have grown from annoyances to deterring factors in the workplace. The Sutton Cos chairman Mac Pike and Cielo Property founding principal Rob Gandy know better than most how important commuting solutions are to businesses. Hear more from Mac and Rob at our Austin Creative Office event on Aug. 16.
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Rob and Mac (and you know, everyone) know that employee desires are one of the biggest driving factors when selecting an office. Rob's new 350k SF office development Third + Shoal and 100k SF office and condo project the Foundry, and Mac's 300k SF Waller Park Place are in (or are themselves) mixed-use havens. This live/work/play dynamic keeps employees, and therefore business owners, happy, but not if employees arrive to work late after searching for parking or annoyed by an awful commute.
There's no substitute for living close enough to walk. Luckily for the high-paying tech jobs in the CBD, employees can afford to live comfortably in the city center, Mac tells us.
The jury's still out on Austin's commuting solution, but a few concepts will pick up the slack in the meantime. Mac (above with his wife) emphasizes the importance of parking to market (offering as few parking spaces as possible) and taking a serious look at the other forms of transportation.
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CapMetro must step up its game. Mac would like to see the city better explore a light rail. Bike storage in office buildings makes for an appealing alternative to driving, but Rob (above with his family) says to make sure to install showers for when employees arrive drenched from the summer sun.
The commuter market will make room for valet services like Lux, especially given the untimely demise of Lyft and Uber. Other ride-sharing concepts will surely compete within the city's new confines.
Learn more about creative office solutions at our event on Aug. 16. Register here.
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