This is a good read, written by Richard Hagar, SRA, and published on WorkingRe.com. It is especially relevant to the recent zoning change in Austin. I understand wanting more density, but we need to stop kidding ourselves that tearing down that 1970’s home in Tarrytown or Allandale that is on a 9,000sf lot and then putting up 3 units there is making things “affordable”. You’ve bought a $1M teardown, and the developer will then build and sell three $1.5M homes. Not affordable housing by any stretch.
Suburbs develop for a reason; people want space. Those suburbs then attract businesses, and become self-contained. Look at Lakeway, Round Rock, Cedar Park. They all have most of the commercial amenities you would want and are becoming large employment centers as well. I’ve got friends in Lakeway that haven’t been in downtown Austin in years…
