- Schools: Blanton Elementary, Maplewood Elementary, Kealing Middle School, Bertha Sadler Young Women’s Leadership Academy, McCallum High School, Reagan High School
- Year Homes Built: 2007 – present
- Average List Price: $544,391 (April 2015)
- Style of Homes: Yard Houses, Garden Court Houses, Row Houses, Condominiums
- Nearby Restaurants: Torchy’s Tacos, Xian Sushi & Noodle, Verts, MOD Pizza
- Nearby Shopping: Mueller Retail Center, Mueller Farmers Market, H-E-B
- Nearby Attractions & Amenities: The Thinkery, University of Texas Austin
One question that vexes many of Austin’s newcomers is why Airport Boulevard goes nowhere near the airport. The answer to this mystery lies in the history of the exciting new residential and commercial development known as Mueller.
Bordered on the west by I-35, to the east by Manor Road, to the north by 51st Street and to the south by—you guessed it—Airport Boulevard, Mueller is a 700-acre property being built in phases on what was until 1999, the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport.
Opening in 1936, Robert Mueller Airport was Austin’s air travel hub, but as early as 1971, it was identified as being too small for the growing city. Once plans were finalized during the ’90s to move the city’s airport to the recently closed Bergstrom Air Force Base (creating Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in the process), a plan was implemented to convert the former airport property into a mixed-use urban village. The new Mueller community would be created with principles of new urbanism in mind, such as walkability, community parks, and a variety of housing options, including single-family homes and multi-unit condominium buildings.
Since 2007, when the first commercial and residential buildings were unveiled, Mueller has steadily grown into a vibrant community for both its residents and neighbors from the surrounding area with recreation, transit options, shopping, entertainment, healthcare and jobs all located within its confines. In addition, the development focuses on sustainability with resource-efficient home designs, Austin Energy’s groundbreaking on-site power plant, and a dedication to planting native trees and landscaping plants in the green spaces that make up approximately 20 percent of Mueller’s land. Located just three miles from downtown Austin and two miles from The University of Texas at Austin, Mueller also provides great convenience for people looking to live in Central Austin, and with some 25 percent of the homes reserved specifically for households with incomes below the area’s median incomes, potential affordability for qualified buyers.
Featuring a variety of homebuilders, Mueller homes come in a variety of styles and manage to avoid the “cookie-cutter” uniformity that can be found in many master-planned developments. Home designs are classified into four general categories: yard houses, which are single-family homes with garages opening onto a shared rear alley; garden court houses, where a group of houses is arranged around a central garden area; row houses, which feature a townhome style with detached garages and private rear courtyards; and condominiums, found in larger buildings located throughout Mueller.
As of April 2015, the average list price for all market rate homes at Mueller was $544,391. The median list price for the same homes was $515,880, and the average list price per square foot was just over $246/sqft. The highest list price was just over $1m, and the lowest market rate home was $295,000.
Depending on where in the development they live, Mueller’s school children are zoned to either Maplewood or Blanton Elementary, Kealing Middle School or Bertha Sadler Young Women’s Leadership Academy, and either McCallum or Reagan High School.
For more information about the various home styles and builders, as well as general information about the Mueller community, visit http://www.muelleraustin.com/.
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