Hampton Branch Library
Welcome to the Neighborhood
RECEIVED Tue., Oct. 17, 2023
Dear Editor,
I recently came across a newsletter from a local neighborhood association that described proposed zoning changes to allow greater density in our neighborhoods as “gutting our quality of life.”
This struck me as odd, as I am a homeowner in a part of town that has seen lots of new infill development (such as multiple homes being built on a single lot) directly adjacent to my property, and massive new construction of apartment buildings within two blocks away, including a 100% affordable housing development for low-income people.
Given this, I would expect that my quality of life would have cratered based on the fears expressed in that newsletter. In fact, the opposite has occurred. I can now walk to a great coffeeshop and salon, and have made close friends with new residents who bring vibrance and vitality to our neighborhood. Traffic and crime have not noticeably increased. My property value (and taxes) remains stubbornly high.
Please don't listen to the irrational fears of those who see every new building as the apocalypse. Call your Council member to voice your support for the HOME initiative and bring the benefits of greater density to all of Austin, not just my lucky neighborhood.
I recently came across a newsletter from a local neighborhood association that described proposed zoning changes to allow greater density in our neighborhoods as “gutting our quality of life.”
This struck me as odd, as I am a homeowner in a part of town that has seen lots of new infill development (such as multiple homes being built on a single lot) directly adjacent to my property, and massive new construction of apartment buildings within two blocks away, including a 100% affordable housing development for low-income people.
Given this, I would expect that my quality of life would have cratered based on the fears expressed in that newsletter. In fact, the opposite has occurred. I can now walk to a great coffeeshop and salon, and have made close friends with new residents who bring vibrance and vitality to our neighborhood. Traffic and crime have not noticeably increased. My property value (and taxes) remains stubbornly high.
Please don't listen to the irrational fears of those who see every new building as the apocalypse. Call your Council member to voice your support for the HOME initiative and bring the benefits of greater density to all of Austin, not just my lucky neighborhood.
Thanks,
Mike Wainwright
Mike Wainwright
