Top Local Business Stories of the Week

GOOGLE’S GROWTH

Google gobbles up more space in Austin high-rise: Google is growing its downtown Austin footprint, even before its first employees set foot in the company’s new space in the sleek new office tower called 500 West 2nd.

The new space ultimately will house more than 450 Google employees, working on products and teams across Android, G Suite, Google Play, human resources, finance, engineering and marketing operations. Google’s new space will consolidate employees from other locations, including North Mopac Boulevard (Loop 1) and University Park just north of downtown.

In 2015, Google confirmed that it had signed a lease for more than 200,000 square feet of space in 500 West 2nd, a 29-story tower that celebrated its grand opening last week. The California-based search engine giant, one of the world’s largest companies, will be the marquee tenant in the Gensler-designed building.

Google will be occupying about 300,000 square feet of space in the building, or 50 percent more than its initial lease, Gensler said in a news release. Google will occupy the top 10 floors, Gensler said.

Google is not revealing the exact time of its move, a publicist said. The company declined to comment.

Other tenants at 500 West 2nd include business services firm Deloitte, real estate firm CBRE and the law firm of King & Spalding.

Todd Runkle, principal and managing director of the Austin office of Gensler, a global architecture, design and planning firm, said the building incorporates the latest technologies and amenities designed to draw top tech talent.

“Our goal, from the outset, was to design a building that would help attract, and then retain big-time tech companies and other global leaders,” Runkle said. “It’s thrilling to reach the grand opening knowing that compelling design was crucial to achieving that goal.”

The tower has 500,500 square feet of space, 95 percent of which is spoken for, according to CBRE, the commercial real estate firm handling the leasing. The tower was developed by Trammell Crow Company and joint venture partner Principal Real Estate Investors.

The building is part of Trammell Crow’s transformation of the former Thomas C. Green Water treatment plant into a mixed-use project that the developer estimates will add $500 million to the city’s tax rolls, putting 1.7 million square feet of new shops, offices, retail, residential, hotel and restaurant space on the ground.

Master planned by Gensler, the four-block redevelopment also includes the Northshore apartment tower and the Austin Proper Hotel and Residences currently under construction, with additional development to come.

SELLING ESTATE

Restaurateur Mandola selling Driftwood estate for $12 million: A 323-acre Hays County estate — owned by a well-known restaurateur — has hit the market with an eye-popping $12 million price tag.

Near Driftwood at 13304 W. RM 150, Villa Antichità is owned by Damian Mandola, founder of Mandola’s Italian Market and co-founder of the Carrabba’s Italian Grill chain, and his wife, Trina.

Mandola told the American-Statesman he and his wife plan to move to Italy.

“Our dream was to move to Italy and we are having that dream become a reality and it did not make sense to keep an estate this large while we were no longer living there,” Mandola said. “We will continue to travel between Italy and Austin, business as usual.

“We are planning to not only keep but grow our presence in the Austin area. We just signed the lease and will be opening up a Mandola’s … location in Cedar Park soon. Technology has made it easier to be hands-on with our business.”

Villa Antichità features an 8,271-square-foot, Tuscan-style main house with more than 60 antiques including a hand-carved stone fireplace in the living room that dates back to the 15th century, according to Juan Alonso, who, along with Jennifer Alonso, has listed the home on behalf of the Mandolas.

The ideal buyer, Mandola said, is “someone who loves Italy and its lifestyle.”

“Someone who enjoys a tranquil setting on Onion Creek and a one-of-a-kind estate in the Hill Country filled with unique antiques that were hand-chosen by us to truly give the villa its charm and authenticity,” he said. “The buyer should also be someone who loves nature and the outdoors since there are hiking trails and an abundance of wildlife.”

The property is about 25 minutes from Central Austin, according to the Alonsos, who have created a website, villaantichita.com, to help market Villa Antichità.