This morning, designers of the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter at Northcross Mall released several images of the new store (again). Instead of the traditional "big box" approach, Wal-Mart seems to have yielded to community pressure and created a design that is more pleasing to the modernist eye. The present design covers 219,000 square feet -- 6,000 square feet less than the originally-proposed project but still about 35,000 square feet larger than the average Wal-Mart Supercenter. more ›

Wal-Mart has released its new plan for a supercenter at NorthCross Mall. As we predicted (see comment 25), the primary changes are that the revised store is marginally smaller and will be closed from 1 to 5 a.m. Sadly, the overall suburban plan has not changed. As we also predicted, the "upscale" exterior feature is Austin-cliché limestone block. more ›

In case you missed the meeting last night, the urban warriors at Responsible Growth For NorthCross have posted pics of their plan for redevelopment of the lot currently hosting NorthCross Mall. more ›

Despite well-organized citizen outcry and a complete lack of visible public support for the paragon of suburban retailing, the City Council decided not to attempt to stop the proposed Wal-Mart planned for NorthCross Mall. However, councilmembers urged Wal-Mart to work with neighborhood groups to modify the plan to make the development more pedestrian-friendly and add mixed uses -- presumably by adding office and residential space, as the prior setup was exclusively retail. (Pssst ...... more ›

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Wal-Mart is building a new Supercenter in Northcross Mall that thinks it's "urban." Today's article about it in the Statesman uses the word "urban" in nearly every sentence. Cute, but wrong. Selling gourmet cheese does not make you urban. Encrusting the exterior with limestone does not make you urban (they don't say it will be limestone, but it's a safe bet). Building a second story, while an improvement on single story super sprawl, does... more ›

Completion of the first leg of the new Capital MetroRail is less than two years away. The 32-mile-long Red Line will run between Leander and Downtown Austin, with stations positioned strategically near the new Northwest Austin development, Highland Mall, Lakeline Mall, Plaza Saltillo, and more. Currently, both the rail vehicle and many of the stations are still being designed, but they're already promising that the former will include Wi-Fi connections. more ›

One of the sillier competitions that we watched during last year's Winter Olympics was curling, a sport that involved teams of un-Olympian-like people gliding in tandem pairs down a slab of ice, accompanied by a big rock, while furiously carving a pathway ahead of them. We still don't understand why the Canadians are so keen on this, though we'd imagine it to be intensely cerebral, mostly because there's so very little happening on the ice.... more ›

Over at Northcross Mall, outrage has begun to boil over implications that a new Wal-Mart location could take root on this newly-desirable patch of retail property just west of Burnet Road along Anderson Lane... more ›

FRIDAY [3] [music] Ariel Pink, Belong, Weird Weeds and Ralph White at Emo's (Inside) (link) [music] What Made Milwaukee Famous, Deathray Davis, AUX at Emo's (Outside) (link) [music] Slightly Stoopid, The Expendables and Bedouin Soundclash at Stubb's (link) [music] Bucketheard and Kid Beyond at La Zona Rosa (link) [music] Dirty Hearts at End of an Ear (Free, 6pm) (link) [DJ] Whee!Explode! By Learning Secrets and DJ Ian Orth at The Peacock (10pm-2am) (link) [fashion] ATX... more ›

Interested in getting the low-down on those artsy, creative types? Well head on over to Staple, Austin's own Indy Media Expo. They outgrew their space from last year and this year's event is happening at the Red Oak Ballroom in Northcross Mall. Featuring over 50 exhibitors and a great panel lineup, it looks like this year's Staple will be quite impressive. The event promotes independent creative media: comics, mini-comics, zines, art, and self-published literature. They also strive to build the bond between artist and audience. Special guests include Tony Millionaire, Jim Mahfood, Dave Crosland, and Keith Knight. more ›