Austin texas growing out east through elgin (Houston, Waco: house, construction)

[elginresident]

Austin, texas city council, has announced the new wave of growth is out east toward manor/elgin area. Due to growth north, and south, and cannot continue out west because of caves. Austin wants to make manor and elgin part of the city like round rock and pflugerville have become, austin has a large mixed-use community called whisper valley being developed by sh 130, and new retail.

The council stated that manor is like cedar park it is landlocked, pflugerville to the north, elgin to the east, del valle to the south, and said manor would be easy to grow through.(like around 3 years or less) austin city council really has their eye on the city of elgin vast amounts of raw land, ready to be developed. So austin is starting capital improvements out that way like 290 east toll road, and the green line.(commuter rail)

so the city of elgin purchased some land out west(in elgin etj area) out towards austin, and annexed it into the city limits,where there planning to start dense,mixed-use walkable development soon as possible. Elgin will have 2 stops being that it is 4 times the size of manor, and manor will have 1 stop. Elgin has many new housing developments, and retail developments under construction, and planning phases for this boom to occur.

[CptnRn]

Austin has always wanted to encourage growth to the East. They have been talking about it for the 32 years I have been here, but they have not been very successful at doing it so far.

One of the problems are the clay soils out that direction, it makes construction of buildings and roads much more expensive. I built a fire station in Harris Branch that was about $200,000 more expensive then similar stations in Austin, because of the deep drilled piers and foundation that had to be isolated from the soil movement below it.

Maintenance of the roads is also very expensive. Go drive thru Harris Branch and look how badly the soil heave has cracked and buckled the roads.

[love roses]

If expansive clay soils were truly an issue then places like Houston wouldn't exist. Much less Brenham, Bryan/College Station, Waco, New Orleans, etc...

[CptnRn]

When there are cheaper alternatives in the same town it makes a difference. That is one of the reasons Austin has not grown in that direction.

[inthecut]

Growth always follows cheap land, unless Austin makes it artifically cheap to build(re subsides)....if it is more expensive to build out in bad soil, it won't be done unless tax breaks and other subsides make it appear a better deal than the west/northwest push......and people themselves have to want to move west......

Will "build it and they will come" work in East Austin?

[HappyTexan]

Originally Posted by love roses

If expansive clay soils were truly an issue then places like Houston wouldn't exist. Much less Brenham, Bryan/College Station, Waco, New Orleans, etc...

It's not that it's an issue, it's just more expensive to build and maintain.
I'm about ready for a 2nd driveway (asphalt) and the road my house is on has been repaved about 4 times in the last 10 years and it's already buckled again. In addition, I had to pay extra for my foundation when I had my house built due to the clay soil.

[love roses]

Judging by the traffic out this way, I'd say SOMETHING is working...And, I'm just curious, not trying to flame anyone, How is Western Hill Country land actually cheaper than Eastern land (clay soils aside). I just really don't understand how that stuff works.

[love roses]

I think we posted at the same time. Is that the only reason? I've heard it's cheaper for them to just do patches instead of constant repaving. Honestly, and I'm using Colorado again as an example, it's rocky like West Austin, but because of the harsher winters and heavy semi traffic, roads there have to be repaved almost yearly as well.

[inthecut]

growth goes where land is cheapest, so evidentally it is cheaper to build out out west......unless the East Austin "fear of minorities" factor plays a role.....do they plan on providing affordable housing out east? Doubt it......lets face it, the fact that the 35% of Austinites that are Mexican largely live in the east, along with the 10% black pop, makes a huge factor in the non-growth of east austin...
and it should not.....but thats the way people think....if cost is NOT an issue, or it is actually cheaper to grow out in east austin, you can say it is 100% to do with the avoidance of minorities factor.....and that is very wrong, I might add...

[love roses]

Well, they only have so far West they can go before they end up over developing and then HAVE to move to their Eastern territories because there aren't any more options.