Downtown East Austin's Skyline, One Home at a Time
Chris Hitchcock is putting that view into single-family homes on the east side. And he is doing it on purpose. "When people think about building in East Austin, they think about the culture, the food scene, the walkability," Hitchcock says. "All of that matters. But what a lot of developers overlook is that this is one of the only places in Austin where you can build a home with unobstructed views of the downtown skyline. That changes the entire value proposition."
The Developer
Hitchcock, 38, is the co-founder of HT Elevations, a real estate development company he launched roughly eight months ago with his business partner Will Thomas. He is also a working realtor at Strub Residential, affiliated with Billboard Asset Management, and the founder of Noble Crest Ventures, his personal brand on the retail sales and investment side of the business. He closed 100 deals in his first two years as a realtor and nine leases in his first month.
The resume is impressive, but it is the long-term vision that sets him apart. "I did not get into real estate to sell houses," he says. "I got into real estate to build something that lasts. My father taught me that real wealth comes from real assets. Land. Brick. Concrete. Things you can touch. HT Elevations is the vehicle to honor that."
Born in Lima, Peru, and bilingual in Spanish and English, Hitchcock brings a global perspective to a hyperlocal market. He talks about East Austin the way seasoned urbanists talk about Brooklyn in the early 2000s or Miami's Wynwood before the galleries arrived: a neighborhood on the verge of something permanent, not a trend cycle but a structural shift.
The Location
East Austin's story is one of the most layered in Texas real estate. Designated in 1928 as the area where the city's Black and Hispanic communities would be concentrated, the neighborhood spent decades defined by resilience, cultural richness, and an identity forged under pressure. That identity never faded. It deepened.
Today, East Austin sits at the intersection of Austin's creative soul and its economic engine. The African American Cultural Heritage District preserves the legacy of the community that built this part of town. The newly designated Govalle Cultural District along Springdale Road has been officially recognized for its thriving ecosystem of artists, makers, and culturalinstitutions. East Cesar Chavez has become one of the city's most dynamic corridors, where authentic local flavor meets forward-looking development. And then there are the views.
East Austin's topography gives it a geographic advantage that no amount of money can manufacture on the west side of downtown. The gentle eastward rise from the I-35 corridor means that new builds in key pockets of Downtown East Austin enjoy sweeping, unobstructed sightlines toward the downtown skyline.At golden hour, the towers light up against the Texas sky, and residents in these homes do not have to leave their living rooms to see it.
"That is what we are building toward," Hitchcock says. "A home where you wake up, pour your coffee, and you are looking at the city you are helping build. That is not just a feature. That is a lifestyle."
The Market
The fundamentals backing Hitchcock's bet are hard to argue with. East Austin and South Austin have emerged as the primary focal points for real estate development across the entire metro. Major mixed-use projects are reshaping the area east of I-35, with hundreds of thousands of square feet of new residential, office, and retail space either under construction or recently delivered.
Austin's median home price in the city proper sits around $565,000, and the neighborhoods closest to downtown on the east side are forecast to outperform the broader market. Key projections call for 2 to 4 percent price appreciation over the next year, with the majority of that growth concentrated in centrally located and eastside neighborhoods where nfrastructure is improving and development is accelerating.
The I-35 corridor expansion and Project Connect light rail system are unlocking transit accessibility that East Austin has never had. Austin's progressive land-use regulations have expanded opportunities for density and mixed-use projects. And the City of Austin recently announced over $24 million in cultural funding awards for 2026, its largest cultural investment since forming the Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment department, with much of that energy concentrated on the east side. Meanwhile, the current buyer's market is working in a developer's favor.
Austin recently ranked as one of the top buyer's markets among the nation's 50 largest metro areas. Land acquisition costs have moderated, mortgage rates have come down nearly a full percentage point from their recent highs, and pending home sales are trending upward. The window to build and deliver into a recovering market is open.
"Smart money does not wait for the market to tell you what is obvious," Hitchcock says. "By then the margin is gone. You build when the land is right, the product is right, and the neighborhood is ready. East Austin checks every box."
The Builds
HT Elevations is currently building 12 homes across 4 lots in East Austin, targeting Q3 delivery. Every project is designed around a set of principles Hitchcock considers non-negotiable: contemporary architecture with clean, modern lines. Elegant, industrial-influenced aesthetics that complement the neighborhood's character rather than clash with it. Thoughtful density that adds to the streetscape without overwhelming it. And wherever the geography allows, an intentional orientation toward the downtown skyline.
"We are not dropping cookie-cutter product into a hot zip code," Hitchcock says. "Every home we build is designed to take advantage of where it sits. In East Austin, that means you are designing around the views. You are thinking about sightlines from the kitchen, from the primary suite, from the rooftop deck. The downtown skyline is right there. If you are not designing toward it, you are leaving value on the table and you are shortchanging the buyer."
The approach reflects a broader philosophy. Hitchcock sees East Austin's authenticity as its greatest asset and believes the developer's job is to amplify it, not overwrite it. The homes HT Elevations is delivering are built for buyers who are choosing East Austin deliberately: people who want proximity to downtown without living in a high-rise, who value neighborhood character as much as square footage, and who understand that a home with skyline views in this part of the city is not just a purchase. It is a position.
The Vision
Hitchcock does not talk about HT Elevations as a company that builds homes. He talks about it as a company that builds legacy. "My long-term goal is to scale into high-rise development," he says. "I want to be the developer who shapes skylines, not just builds in front of them. But it starts here. It starts with doing this right, in the right neighborhood, at the right time. East Austin is where we prove the concept." He pauses, then adds the line that has become HT Elevations' signature: "From Vision to Legacy. That is not a slogan. That is the business plan."
For a neighborhood that spent a century earning its identity, and a developer committed to honoring it while building something new within it, the fit feels natural. The downtown views do not hurt either.
Chris Hitchcock HT Elevations | Real Estate Development
Noble Crest Ventures From Vision to Legacy
