We need a new direction. Our Mayor is dishonest with us. (Houston: real estate, condo)

[VAF84]

I make it a point to vote (I have kids, work, pay taxes), but have you seen the people in lines, if there even is a line? What was the turnout for the last vote here in earlier this month? It was 15%. I wonder which voting block had the least number voters. I'm not making excuses for myself, I'm just telling you what I'm seeing at the booth and the people around me.



https://countyclerk.traviscountytx.g...191105cume.pdf

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by VAF84

I make it a point to vote (I have kids, work, pay taxes), but have you seen the people in lines, if there even is a line? What was the turnout for the last vote here in earlier this month? It was 15%. I wonder which voting block had the least number voters. I'm not making excuses for myself, I'm just telling you what I'm seeing at the booth and the people around me.



https://countyclerk.traviscountytx.g...191105cume.pdf

I had to wait 45 minutes on election day a few weeks back. I was a little surprised. I had expected hardly any wait or else I would have voted early.

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

I believe with all the gentrfying that's going on in Austin and the sky-high property taxes, the mid-middle income and lower income people are being priced out and away from the city center. The further from downtown, the cheaper the rent. Before gentrification, the closer to downtown, the cheaper the rent.

Before gentrifying is all over with, most of the suburbs that surround Austin will experience a major change in demographics and have a higer percentage of poor and lower income people than the City of Austin. It's not something that's unique to Austin. Gentrifying is happening in the prosperous cities all across the nation. That's why nearly every downtown of every prosperous city is experiencing an economic boom of new businesses and big condo buildings, like never before.

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by Ivory Lee Spurlock

[...]Before gentrification, the closer to downtown, the cheaper the rent. [...]

That was NEVER the case, at least not in the last 50 years or so....

[creepy]

[quote=BentBow;56711916]The direction of Austin, to serve the very rich with kickback patty-whacks they have all but forgotten the middle classes.
Instead of securing and protecting our inalienable rights,

I agree 100%. I have been in Austin since 84' on & off and my husband is born and raised.

You may be saying it in not the most eloquent way that makes sense to others perfectly - but I know just what you are talking about.

I find it really sad, disheartening, pitiful really.

Why are the middle class, the average people not supported? Only catering to the rich and trying to bring in more rich people which will cause more gentrification and more lack of affordability?

I think the one key thing we have that is most flexible and could bring about some amount of relief is property tax reform. there is no reason they have to be set at an unaffordable rate. If you talk about changing them the negative people say we wouldn't be able to pay for this and that. Yes we will, if we get the businesses that have been exempted and the rich who can afford to pay high rates who are moving here. But for the middle class and the lower and the poor this is so unfair and needs changing.

the other half is we need a NO GROWTH movement. Why does it make sense to keep growing-it DOESN'T!

Lets stop growing and work on quality and infrastructure!

[creepy]

[quote=Ivory Lee Spurlock;56729504]I believe with all the gentrfying that's going on in Austin and the sky-high property taxes, the mid-middle income and lower income people are being priced out and away from the city center. The further from downtown, the cheaper the rent. Before gentrification, the closer to downtown, the cheaper the rent.

Yes, you got it right.It was thins way for the past 80 years till the last 6 or so when it really changed.

[creepy]

Originally Posted by atxcio

This sort of political rant does not belong on the Austin forum. Also, you claimed in the title that the mayor wasn’t being honest, then provided no example of where he has been dishonest. You only spewed hate.

THIS type of political rant does belong on the Austin forum-PERFECTLY. Except is is even political? It is more ethical I would say.

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

That was NEVER the case, at least not in the last 50 years or so....

That's not the way I remember it. I remember in the 1980's or 1990's there was a nice sized new apartment complex on 4th Street in downtown Austin, I think it was called The Railyard, pink buildings, I believe, but the apartments were not expennsive, maybe $500 for a one bedroom. It wasn't as expensive as where I was living on Wm Cannon. I remember because I was wanting to move there but I didn't because on Wm Cannon I had direct bus sevice that got me to work by 6am. There were some apertments on Riverside along Town Lake east of Congress that rented for about a hundred dollars less than what I was paying for rent near Wm Cannon and South 1st. In the 80's and maybe the 90's, the houses in Cherry Creek near Westgate and Wm Cannon cost quite a bit more than those south of the river along South 1st and Congress. In the 80's, those areas were "rougher" parts of Austin. Back in the day, near downtown was cheaper than further out. Anderson Mill was more expensive than most houses in Central Austin, near downtown. Riverside east of 35 the rent was real cheap. Mostly college kids living in that area. They had direct UT bus service

[Trainwreck20]

In the 80s, the housing costs seemed to be directly related to the distance from the university, with the areas around UT and St. Eds being the 'prime' property; however, while I could rent in the Hyde Park area (in a crappy, roach infested apartment), it costs more than my place I got in the mid- to late-80s off of Far West. People moved out to Riverside for cheap apartments throughout the 80s.

I suppose maybe downtown might have been cheapish, i don't know, but it was a ghost town like area due to the S&L implosion. The true 'downtown' was UT campus and that was the epicenter of expensive housing.

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Starting in the late 60's is when all the stores and businesses began to vacate the downtown areas for the suburbs in just about every city in the United States, leaving the downtown areas to become virtual "ghost towns" and among the most undesireable areas of the city. Many downtowns were not safe to walk in after dark.