New luxury hotel, condos headed for South Lamar lakefront

Plans to develop a luxury hotel and residences on a coveted but cursed-seeming property at South Lamar Boulevard and Riverside Drive are in the works. The Loren Group, a New York-based company with a Bermuda resort under its belt, will expand into the United States with the Loren at Lady Bird Lake. Rhode Partners, Drenner Group, Hoar Construction, and Fleur-de-lis Interior Design will design and develop the property, which will feature 108 guest rooms and 26 two- to four-bedroom condominiums for sale, including two penthouses.

The Loren promises lake and city views from all the hotel rooms and condos in a midrise structure to be built on a wedge of land between Butler Park Pitch & Putt and South Lamar Boulevard, with the lake to its north, just across Riverside. The property, which has seen a couple of false starts and been the subject of redevelopment rumors for a few years, was the longtime home of a Taco Cabana and popular upscale restaurant Paggi House.

There will be a luxury spa, a gym, and a swimming pool at the hotel and residences, as well as ground-floor retail and a rooftop restaurant, bar, and possibly a lounge and events space. The Loren at Lady Bird Lake is expected to open in early 2022.