Austin: Boomingest Big City in America (Houston, Plano: estimates, suburbs, title)

[radiolibre99]

Originally Posted by Aquitaine

I assume you don't live here, because nobody who does would accuse the Austin city council of sitting around and doing nothing.

I don't live in Austin which is why I'm asking what is Austin doing?

[pop251808]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

I don't live in Austin which is why I'm asking what is Austin doing?

Making it as hard as possible for landowners here to increase housing density on existing city lots, vacant or otherwise. So new construction has to be build further and further away from the great city people came here to be a part of. Go figure. In short, old money, current owners rule the land development process and innovators, land developers and newcomers take the blame for the gridlock that long time residents engender with their whining about how great everything was until after they bought their first house in Austin.
Makes me money.

[Austinite101]

Originally Posted by pop251808

Making it as hard as possible for landowners here to increase housing density on existing city lots, vacant or otherwise. So new construction has to be build further and further away from the great city people came here to be a part of. Go figure. In short, old money, current owners rule the land development process and innovators, land developers and newcomers take the blame for the gridlock that long time residents engender with their whining about how great everything was until after they bought their first house in Austin.
Makes me money.

That's not entirely true. The council has been pushing for increased density in the core, not less density.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by Eastcoasting

After the brutality of this past winter I can only imagine that anyone who can leave the NorthEast and Upper Midwest will be looking at Southern and Western states.

More Southern California than anything. Still in that mindset from the 1950's/1960's.

I have had more than a few conversations with friends pointedly asking the "so what's it really like out there" questions.

When summer comes, there will be a migration of Texans up North. They might trade beautiful summers for horrible winters, just like the carpetbaggers trading the opposite in Texas.

[pop251808]

Originally Posted by Austinite101

That's not entirely true. The council has been pushing for increased density in the core, not less density.

You gotta watch what happens, not listen to the speeches. I'm not running for anything.

[Austinite101]

Originally Posted by pop251808

You gotta watch what happens, not listen to the speeches. I'm not running for anything.

I'm not talking about speeches. Zoning changes have allowed much of the infill being built in Central Austin to have added height and increased density. While I'd like to see even more being done, it's flat out wrong to say the council (overall) is anti-density.

[pop251808]

Originally Posted by Austinite101

I'm not talking about speeches. Zoning changes have allowed much of the infill being built in Central Austin to have added height and increased density. While I'd like to see even more being done, it's flat out wrong to say the council (overall) is anti-density.

You know, I don't pay close attention to this minute's city council. The man asked what is "austin" doing to limit density, and I gave my opinion, which is that "austin," meaning much of it, council now, councils past, and especially the citizens of Austin, haven't done much to solve their problems but in fact have added to them with their rather selfish head-in-the-sand policies of pretending it's 1967 and hoping that everything since then would just go away. A bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea and if you've been here, you've seen it in action.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by pop251808

You gotta watch what happens, not listen to the speeches.

Agreed. They _say_ they want density/affordability, then do their best to impede it.

Case in point, the recent rezoning for apartments on Burnet road (8500 or thereabouts). _Downzoning_ the already commercially zoned parcel to MF6. No adjacent SF land (surrounded by other commercial and MF). On one of Austin's major corridors and almost on top of a metrorapid stop. If you can't build there, where can you build?

Managed to squeeze through the first reading, but the votes against included Pool (who's district it's in). I'm glad we haven't yet developed an unofficial deferring to the district rep in these cases (and dread it happening), nothing would ever get built then.

[Tim_Barton]

All aboard!!!??!!!




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxM9GHmoxEU



I actually love the growth. I really shows the prestige of this city and a very desirable place to reside.

[Pink90]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

But seriously how will Austin handle all that growth? I know the mentality in Texas is that any sensible policy planning that requires any growth in the city/state govt is akin to blasphemy but its inevitable. There will eventually have to be an active role for the city government rather than just sit back and act like ah administrative arm for the businesses it's attracting.

It's growing like every other TX city is: unprecedented sprawl and strained roads. Of course, with that strain come economic growth and recognition. Plusses and minuses.