Austin @ Large: Smart Growth: The Good, the Bad, and the %$@!-ing Ugly
Fri., July 4, 2003
GOOD SMART GROWTH!
Fifteen projects, some already built (like the Nokonah and the West Avenue Lofts), some under construction (like the Convention Center Hotel and the Pedernales Live/Work project), and some vaporware (like Sixth + Lamar and the Triangle), were granted approximately $5 million in fee waivers and other noncash incentives under the Smart Growth Matrix, which was formally abolished last month.
BAD SMART GROWTH!
The CSC complex (only two-thirds completed), the Intel building (less than half-finished before being abandoned), and the Vignette campus (not built at all) got, between them, many more millions of city dollars in incentives in off-the-grid deals cooked up by City Hall's brightest minds.
UGLY SMART GROWTH!
The Domain, planned for Braker Lane across from IBM in Northwest Austin, has been pledged up to $37 million in real cash money in return for vague (but "performance-based"!) commitments to creating jobs and improving the tax base.
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