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Quick answer: The Lenora is a proposed 39-unit affordable apartment community at 4507 Menchaca Road in South Austin (ZIP 78745). According to ATX Things' read of the public record, it has now cleared three separate steps: a City Council resolution of support in February, a spot on the state's July 23 tax-credit award list, and a state accessibility filing registered on November 2, 2026 that gives a planned start of April 15, 2027. None of that is a building permit, and we found no sign that anyone has broken ground.
Disclosure: Austin Local Team is a sister site of Austin Texas Things. It is brokered by All City Real Estate, ltd. Co. (TREC #9003633), and its About page carries the Texas Real Estate Commission notices.
What is The Lenora, and what has actually been filed?
Four public records describe it. They agree on the address and the 39 units and differ on almost everything else, so here they are side by side.
| Date | Record | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 5, 2026 | City Council resolution of support (Item 38) | Council backs an application for competitive 9% housing tax credits at "or near" 4507 Menchaca Road. |
| July 23, 2026 | Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) 2026 9% award and waiting list | Application 26170, The Lenora, 39 units, a credit request of $1,164,600, marked "Award." |
| Oct. 19, 2026 | City site plan "ESP - The Lenora" | One multifamily building with drainage, paving and utilities. Listed as applied for, status "CC Pending." |
| Nov. 2, 2026 | Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) project TABS2027004906 | New construction, 45,000 sq. ft., estimated cost $8.3 million, planned start 4/15/2027, completion 6/15/2028. |
The TDLR page names the owner as JBHR Project 16, LP, lists Jones Gillam Renz Architects as the design firm, and says the project "involves public funds." The City's February announcement names O-SDA Industries as the developer and gives the plan a 45-year affordability period. Our own records put the site about four miles southwest of downtown.
Who is it for, and what would the rents be tied to?
The City's release splits the 39 units by income limit, measured against the area's median family income (MFI):
- 4 units at or below 30% of MFI
- 18 units at or below 50% of MFI
- 14 units at or below 60% of MFI
- 3 units at or below 80% of MFI
That adds up to 39, and the state's list calls the target population "General." We are not publishing dollar rents or income cutoffs, because none of these records states them for this building. The state sets them each year; the City's housing department is the place to ask.
The City's February release describes 39 units. The Council backup for the same agenda item described a 70-unit version, with seven units at the lowest income tier. The state award list and the TDLR filing both say 39. The plan appears to have shrunk between February and now, but none of the records says why. If you are tracking this project, treat the 39 as the current figure and the 70 as history.
Does an award mean it gets built?
No, and this is the part most headlines skip. The July 23 spreadsheet is titled "Award and Waiting List Recommendations." It shows The Lenora marked "Award." We did not find a separate board resolution or a signed credit agreement, so we are calling it a recommended award, not a closed financing.
The steps after an award are the ones with the most ways to slip: final site plan review, building permits, construction financing, and the state's own compliance steps. The TDLR filing is also not a permit. It means a project was submitted for accessibility review, and the dates on it are the owner's plan. The planned start is about five months out.
The site plan is the next public marker. Its listed status is "CC Pending," and we have not confirmed what the City means by that code. A site plan is a proposal, not an approval.
What else has been filed around ZIP 78745?
Austin Local Team's ZIP page rolls up the same public records for the postal ZIP, generated November 3, 2026. For the past 12 months it lists 3,065 construction permits (143 of them new residential buildings), 14 site-plan applications and 44 TDLR project registrations. Those are counts of filings, not a description of any street or building, and a postal ZIP is not a neighborhood boundary.
How do you check a project like this yourself?
Start from the address, not the headline. Look up the TDLR project number (TABS2027004906), the City site-plan case, and the TDHCA application number (26170). Each one carries its own dates and status, and they are the fastest way to see how far a project has actually moved.
- Search the address on the City's permit and site-plan portals and note the case numbers.
- Open the state accessibility filing on TDLR's TABS site and read the planned dates.
- For tax-credit projects, find the application number on TDHCA's 2026 9% page.
- Put the dates in order, and note which are filed events and which are planned ones.
Austin Local Team's ZIP 78745 page shows these filings for the ZIP, and its neighborhood guides cover more than 4,200 Austin-area neighborhoods and subdivisions as of November 3, 2026. The footprints are approximate and built from MLS subdivision names and recorded plats. For more on reading these records before a tour, see our Windsor Park walk-through, and for the month's big filings, the November 2026 Austin Development Report.
What we have not confirmed
We have not visited 4507 Menchaca Road. The images in this article are AI illustrations of a generic South Austin lot, not photos of the site. We have not heard from the owner, the developer or the City on this project. We do not know the final rents, the unit mix by bedroom count, the construction lender, or whether the site plan will be approved as filed. If any of that changes, we will update this article with a dated note.
FAQ
Where is The Lenora in Austin?
At 4507 Menchaca Road, Austin, TX 78745, in Council District 5, about four miles southwest of downtown by our records. It is a proposed project, not an open building.
How many affordable units are planned?
Thirty-nine, according to the City's February announcement, the state's July 23 award list and the TDLR filing. The City Council's backup for the same item described a 70-unit version earlier in the process.
When would construction start?
The owner's TDLR filing, registered November 2, 2026, gives a planned start of April 15, 2027 and a planned completion of June 15, 2028. Those are planned dates from a filing, not permits or a schedule anyone has confirmed.
Is the project funded?
The state's July 23 list marks it "Award" for a 9% tax-credit request of $1,164,600. We did not find a signed agreement or board resolution, so we describe it as a recommended award. The TDLR filing separately says the project involves public funds.
Sources, all read November 3, 2026: TDLR project TABS2027004906 · City of Austin Housing announcement, Feb. 5, 2026 · Council Item 26-2885 · TDHCA 2026 9% Housing Tax Credits (July 23 award list) · Austin Local Team ZIP 78745 page (City permit and site-plan records via Zabalist, synced Nov. 2, 2026). This desk publishes twice a day, morning and afternoon, on what is open, happening and filed in Austin: follow @austintexasthings.
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