Below is a perspective from one Austin neighbor (posted to NextDoor) that draws attention to the question of what “neighborhood character” really means.
What does “neighborhood character” mean to you? What does “protecting our neighborhoods” mean, and when does it cross a line and become protectionism? How do you balance it against neighborhood improvement?
If you literally reframe the point this NextDoor user is trying to make by using the people typically found in those dwellings, instead of the form of the dwellings, it’s really quite sad and appalling…
I don’t want [children], [people down on their luck], [renters], [old folks], [cooperative communities], etc. in my neighborhood."
I usually try to reframe arguments like these back to the original poster, and ask them why they think these folks don’t deserve housing near to themselves.
People view such places either as commercial entities rather than truly residences, or they think anyone elderly, poor and/or minority is a criminal. In other words, bias.
