Living Central, considering a change. Advice welcome! (Austin, West: apartment, rent)

[gpurcell]

Originally Posted by Komeht

No. The problem is the zoning rules in the first place force students into stealth dorms. A sensible zoning policy would recognize the need for student housing near students.

No one is forcing the students into stealth dorms--they are making that choice of their own accord. If Austin didn't allow the insanity of 8-10 unrelated adults (and their associated cars) living in on a single lot zoned "single family" this wouldn't be an issue.

[centralaustinite]

We almost made the same decision in 2008, leave our central house for NW Hills. We were looking for a second living area and a bigger backyard with a pool. We put our house on the market, had two contracts on homes in NW Hills but it all fell through (and once Lehman Brothers collapsed in Sept, we pulled the plug on the whole thing). Now we feel lucky that we didn't do it.

Why?

Mainly, property tax! Any home that we could afford in NW in 2008, needed a lot of work, around 50-75K, we would have stretched to purchase the house and remodeldo that and I would have done a permitted remodel, so TCAD would know about the added value, so right away, we would have to pay taxes on about $175K more value than what we had central. Today, we would be looking at taxes on a value close to $600K and I just can't do that.

Also, we learned that our current location is very valuable to us and that Mopac traffic is much worse than we thought!

We put some money (less than closing costs) into new landscaping to increase the usability of our lot, and some money into new furnishings etc that let us maximize what we already had.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by mark311

I do think you brought some adverse comments upon yourself by calling East Oak Hill "creepy" which sabotaged your thread a bit. I think most people don't know quite what to make of that.

A traffic reference, perhaps? "Y" not?

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by mackenziep

I'm nowhere near opposed to sensible multifamily dwellings. We are surrounded by actual apartment complexes (three on our block and at least three diagonally across the street) and their presence doesn't even enter my consciousness. I would much rather live in a mixed single-family/multi-family neighborhood than one that is ostensibly single-family, but that allows duplexes. That's where the stealth dorms are able to get a foothold.

I actually don't think stealth dorms are going to be a problem in my immediate vicinity. Hyde Park and NUNA are all over this right now. And as silly as it sounds, there are a LOT of old oak trees around us - I'm not sure that were someone to make an attractive offer to all of the homeowners in our little row of single-family residences, that an apartment complex could pass impermeable cover/heritage tree preservation requirements.

Hyde Park and NUNA are two of the most reactionary most over protective absolute absurdist neighborhoods in Austin that reactively oppose every multifamily housing unit proposes. They are on the border of UT famous. It is utterly absurd to believe you can deny multifamily apartment buildings and then expect students wont cram themselves into houses and duplexes. If the NAs would wake up and realize their position is untenable then rationality might have a chance to function. As it is, they are bringing on this issue on themselves.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by gpurcell

No one is forcing the students into stealth dorms--they are making that choice of their own accord. If Austin didn't allow the insanity of 8-10 unrelated adults (and their associated cars) living in on a single lot zoned "single family" this wouldn't be an issue.

Yes, Hyde park NA and NUNA are doing exactly that by opposing multifamily housing in their neighborhoods. Again, UT has 50,000 students. It is unreasonable to expect they won't live in the neighborhoods adjacent to UT. I've spent a third of my life in 78705 and know these issues well. The insanity is in opposing sensible student housing that results in insensible student housing.

[ImOnFiya]

Originally Posted by gpurcell

You don't know what you are talking about. There's a massive one going up about 4200 Duval right now and the whole Stop Stealth Dorms website was triggered by a particularly outrageous one across the street from Lee Elementary. What makes the economics work for the developer (and there is one scumsucker really responsible for this) is that these are constructed as "duplexes" and that code enforcement won't enforce existing laws about the number of unrelated adults allowed to live under one roof.

So, it's a "conspiracy" between code enforcement and the developers? Where is the proof - since only you know what you talking about?

[ImOnFiya]

Originally Posted by gpurcell

No one is forcing the students into stealth dorms--they are making that choice of their own accord. If Austin didn't allow the insanity of 8-10 unrelated adults (and their associated cars) living in on a single lot zoned "single family" this wouldn't be an issue.

If what you say is true, where is the market for buyers of stealth dorms? Why would a cheap landlord pay outrageous prices for 1/2 of a home, aka a duplex - as you say - just to rent to out to several individuals instead of that $100k+ professional couple who afford to simply buy the duplex outright (which is what is actually happening in NUNA, Hyde Park, Rosedale, North Loop)?

Answer any of my questions [you too mackenziep] with facts and maybe you have an argument, right now, you're just talking with a premise (which again) doesn't make financial sense..

[mesmer]

Originally Posted by Komeht

Yes, Hyde park NA and NUNA are doing exactly that by opposing multifamily housing in their neighborhoods. Again, UT has 50,000 students. It is unreasonable to expect they won't live in the neighborhoods adjacent to UT. I've spent a third of my life in 78705 and know these issues well. The insanity is in opposing sensible student housing that results in insensible student housing.

Austin didn't ask UT to grow its enrollment to 50,000 students, and I think UT has been remiss in planning for housing for those students. Most universities try to build a reasonable amount of dorms as they expand. Here's a comparison:

Percent in campus owned/affiliated housing
UT: 19%
U. of Florida: 23%
U. of Wisc: 24%
Berkeley: 26%
University of Michigan: 37%
Penn State: 37%
USC: 38%
UCLA: 45%
NYU: 47%
Georgetown: 68%

Why isn't there more pressure on UT to provide housing for students?

[ImOnFiya]

Originally Posted by mesmer

Austin didn't ask UT to grow its enrollment to 50,000 students, and I think UT has been remiss in planning for housing for those students. Most universities try to build a reasonable amount of dorms as they expand. Here's a comparison:

Percent in campus owned/affiliated housing
UT: 19%
U. of Florida: 23%
U. of Wisc: 24%
Berkeley: 26%
University of Michigan: 37%
Penn State: 37%
USC: 38%
UCLA: 45%
NYU: 47%
Georgetown: 68%

Why isn't there more pressure on UT to provide housing for students?

If UT stated buying more land in central Austin, just imagine what the stealth dorm conspiracists would accuse UT, the State of Texas, and Governor Perry of doing to destroy single-family housing? Don't encourage these people, anymore than they already are.

[mackenziep]

Originally Posted by mark311

1000 square feet is a lot. Having the plans drawn up and actually being able to add on 1000 square feet without being hassled by the city every step of the way are two different things. I imagine that adding on that much would be very expensive in itself, not to mention the stress involved with a major renovation to your home with a kid either in or entering Elementary school soon.

I would decide very quickly as I'm sure you're not alone in your worries about your neighborhood. If everything that you see happening in the future looks real, you could probably get the most money for your home this summer while the market is very hot and not have to worry about that area getting overrun with students.

I do think you brought some adverse comments upon yourself by calling East Oak Hill "creepy" which sabotaged your thread a bit. I think most people don't know quite what to make of that.

Re East Oak Hill - to me, creepy = too quiet, too organized. Sorry if I offended anyone...

We think we'll be OK with our plans - they might not be exactly 1,000 sf, and the architect has already taken into account the three heritage trees that affect our property, as well as permeable cover. As it is, our house is less than 1,000 sf. Also - we're on a full-sized lot.

I guess to each his own, but I hate, hate, hate moving. I can live with renovation. It means lots of eating out !