917 & 919 E 7th St, Austin, TX 78702

For sale: a 11,776 SF (over 1/4 acre!) mixed-use development parcel (Lots 7 & 8, 92' frontage on E. 7th, 128' depth) at the corner of E. 7th and San Marcos Streets in East Austin, within the Plaza Saltillo TOD Station Area Plan, zoned as Corridor Mixed-Use Subdistrict. This designation is the least restrictive in the TOD and permits up to 60’ building height, 45 living units/acre, with no minimum unit requirement, and diverse uses, potentially eligible for an Affordable Housing Density Bonus. Boasting a Walk Score of 96, this site offers unparalleled access to downtown Austin’s vibrancy. Key landmarks include Sixth Street’s nightlife (0.3 miles), Texas State Capitol (0.5 miles), Austin Convention Center (0.6 miles), Paramount Theatre (0.7 miles), Red River Cultural District (0.2 miles), Lady Bird Lake trails (0.8 miles), Congress Avenue Bridge (1.0 mile), University of Texas (1.2 miles), Bullock Museum (0.9 miles), and Driskill Hotel (0.7 miles). The Plaza Saltillo TOD, just 0.3 miles from the MetroRail station at E. 5th and Comal, promotes transit use, reducing car dependency, cutting household transport costs by $3,000-$4,000 annually, and lowering emissions. The 11-acre Plaza Saltillo hub celebrates East Austin’s Hispanic heritage with public art, a Mexican-style plaza, retail, restaurants, offices, and 800+ apartments (18% affordable). Future enhancements include 1.4 acres of parks, extended bikeways to Lady Bird Lake, and sustainable stormwater systems, ensuring long-term economic and cultural vitality. An additional parcel may expand the site to 14,400 SF, making this a prime canvas for high-density residential and retail in Austin’s thriving core.

At 11,776 square feet with 92 feet of frontage on East 7th Street, 917 & 919 E 7th St puts more than a quarter acre in play at one of East Austin's most strategic corners. Priced at $2.50M, 917 & 919 E 7th St in East Austin, Austin, TX 78702 trades at roughly $212 per site square foot and sits at the corner of E 7th Street and San Marcos Street inside the Plaza Saltillo TOD Station Area.

This is a Commercial Sale - See Remarks property in Travis County, and the value here is in flexibility, frontage, and location. The 0.2703-acre site is made up of two lots with about 128 feet of depth, giving an investor or developer a footprint that is hard to assemble this close to downtown. The Corridor Mixed-Use subdistrict zoning in the Plaza Saltillo TOD is one of the key facts to understand. It allows a broad range of uses, building heights up to 60 feet, and residential density up to 45 units per acre, with potential Affordable Housing Density Bonus upside depending on the final program. Year built is not listed because this should be viewed as a redevelopment parcel first.

What is it like to own or build at this address? It means being in the middle of the East Austin growth corridor, with fast access to Downtown Austin, the Red River Cultural District, and the Plaza Saltillo district. Sixth Street is about 0.3 miles away. The Texas State Capitol is about 0.5 miles away. The Austin Convention Center is about 0.6 miles away. Lady Bird Lake and its trail system are about 0.8 miles away. The MetroRail station at Plaza Saltillo near East 5th Street and Comal Street is about 0.3 miles away, which matters for both tenant demand and long-term value in a transit-oriented district.

Road access is another strength. East 7th Street connects directly into the downtown grid, while I-35 is minutes away for north-south movement across Austin. For users thinking about daily patterns, that means quick connections to the CBD, Rainey Street, the University of Texas campus, and major employers in Central Austin. School data and campus ratings are not listed in the property details, which is typical for a commercial offering, though the site is within the urban Austin core where Austin ISD serves surrounding neighborhoods.

Days on market at 146 suggests buyers have time to underwrite it carefully, but sites with this size, zoning profile, and walkability do not come around often in 78702. In a district where transit, retail, housing, and cultural identity continue to converge, this corner is positioned for long-term relevance and rising land value.

East Austin is the only neighborhood in the city where you can walk from a James Beard Award-winning restaurant to a converted warehouse gallery to a live music venue to a craft cocktail bar without ever getting in your car. That walkability, combined with a building boom that has reshaped the housing stock over the past decade, makes East Austin the most dynamic real estate market in Central Texas.

East Austin stretches from I-35 on the west to Highway 183 on the east, with Lady Bird Lake forming the southern boundary and roughly MLK Boulevard marking the northern edge of the 78702 core. The 78722 zip extends the identity further north and east. Downtown is immediately across I-35 - five minutes by car, 15 by bicycle. East Cesar Chavez, East 6th, and East 7th serve as commercial corridors, each with its own personality. East Cesar Chavez leans toward taquerias and family shops, East 6th trends cocktail bars and restaurants, East 7th mixes galleries with newer retail.

Modern townhomes and duplexes make up about 35% of sales activity, concentrated on infill lots. Original shotgun bungalows and Craftsman homes account for 25%, mostly on quieter streets east of Chicon - typically 800 to 1,200 square feet on generous lots with ADU potential. Contemporary custom homes represent 15%, with architects like Bercy Chen and Alterstudio producing some of the most interesting residential design in Texas. Unrenovated bungalows start in the mid-$400s. Renovated historic homes with ADUs land between $700,000 and $1 million. New townhomes cluster around $600,000 to $900,000. Custom builds cross $1.5 million.

East Austin falls within Austin ISD. Zavala Elementary and Blackshear Elementary handle early grades. Martin and Kealing Middle Schools are the primary options, with Kealing's magnet program drawing students districtwide. Eastside Memorial High School serves the area, though many families opt for LASA, private schools, or open-enrollment options. The school landscape is more complex than in neighborhoods with a single feeder pattern, and specific addresses matter.

The lifestyle is what people picture when they think of modern Austin. Morning starts at Cenote or Fleet Coffee. Franklin Barbecue's line forms early, but locals order ahead. The dining concentration is remarkable. Suerte does modern Mexican with in-house nixtamal. Nixta Taqueria won a James Beard Award. Launderette turns a converted laundromat into one of Austin's best brunch spots. Canje brings Caribbean cooking to Holly Street. Kemuri Tatsu-Ya fuses izakaya with smokehouse. Via 313 has been making Detroit-style pizza since before the current boom. The Butler Trail, Boggy Creek Greenbelt, Roy Guerrero Park, and Mueller Lake Park provide outdoor options.

East Austin offers urban density and walkability unmatched outside downtown, at prices that undercut the west side significantly. Compared to South Congress, it provides more housing variety and better value per square foot. Compared to Mueller, it trades master-planned orderliness for more character. The main concerns are the pace of change and the east-west infrastructure divide, which has narrowed but still shows in some areas.

East Austin is for buyers who want to live in Austin's cultural energy rather than commute to it. It fits people who eat out frequently, bike to work, and value diversity of experience. It works for investors who see ADU potential in the generous lots. If you need a large lot, a quiet cul-de-sac, or a top suburban school, look elsewhere. But if you want to walk out your front door and feel the pulse of what makes Austin different from every other Texas city, there is no better address.