“Austin city council has worked for many years to co-create a vision with various communities and stakeholders to allow a new dense, mixed-use, mixed-income development along the south shore of Lady Bird Lake, including the former site of the Austin-American Statesman, currently a nondescript building surrounded by parking lots. This site is but one piece of the larger South Central Waterfront Plan adopted by council in 2016, and considered by environmentalists as one of the strongest climate-responsible infill development plans in the nation, including being recognized by the American Planning Association with an Award for Excellence in Sustainability.”
did any of you participate in the south central waterfront planning process back in 2013-2016? i did. i can tell you that highly respected urban planners, architects, economists, developers, community leaders, non-profits, and city employees all came together to produce something that would be profitable for the developer while respecting the concerns of stakeholders. richard suttle did not show up at these meetings. i seriously doubt that he has bothered to read the report produced from these efforts and that the city supported in 2016 with a vote. while i agree in theory with what you are saying, i totally disagree that this project is being attacked by misguided environmentalists. everything you mentioned AND more can be accomplished with this plan. the developer wants almost zero affordable units when the plan calls for 10-20% at 60%mfi. the developer wants 4 acres of parkland, some of which is literally under water, instead of the 9+ acres the plan calls for.
stop spreading misinformation to your members if you didn’t participate in the process or haven’t read the plan to know the difference between what the city council agreed to support and what they are now being paid to support. in what way is LESS park land supporting urbanism? in what way is LESS affordable housing supporting urbanism? how many tax dollars should be spent on a project that fails to meet the criteria of a PUD or any of the goals set out in the SCW plan?