Affordable Housing Threatens Grove Agreement

Artist rendering of the Grove at Shoal Creek

Just when it seemed like there was peace in the (West Austin) valley, it now appears that the mediated agreement going before City Council today (Dec. 15) on the Grove at Shoal Creek PUD could fall apart due to increased demands for affordable housing. Bull Creek Road Coalition Vice President Grayson Cox told the Chronicle Monday that the coalition and PUD developer, ARG Bull Creek Ltd., expect Council to request more affordable housing, "but we hope that can be accomplished outside of the agreement parameters." He said, "The PUD will generate a ton of funds to the affordable housing trust fund. If the housing department finds that use of those funds is a good investment for the city, they should be willing to fund more on-site affordable units."

Cox added that should Council squash the deal because of this single component, members would be sacrificing "other quality of life issues like the parks" and "traffic from commercial development" – "a big disservice to achieving more affordable housing in the long-term," he said.