What do the city election results mean for Heritage? We can expect to see zoning changes return and our neighborhood to be a focus. Friends of Heritage will be reaching out to the city to be part of the conversation from the start. We’ll need your input and energy so get involved! Interested in the details? Keep reading.
While the dust has yet to settle, the election results indicate that Austin will be revisiting land use. Mayor Adler won re-election while his opponent campaigned against CodeNEXT, and the anti-CodeNEXT Proposition J lost. In addition the incoming council will likely feature two new members who are more urbanist than the prior members.
What’s in store
Heritage can expect again to be a focus for increased density and reduced reliance on cars. Our location between two major bus routes, along the expected Guadalupe mass transit corridor, and just north of UT and West Campus, the most densely populated neighborhood in Austin, all make us a candidate for land use reform.
Keeping Heritage friendly
Rather than wait for the city to approach us, Friends of Heritage will engage with the city to ensure that as Austin continues evolving to a vibrant large city, it maintains its character while also accommodating new residents who want to live in walkable central Austin neighborhoods. We can’t stop Austin from growing, but we can look for win-wins and guide the code revisions to make our neighborhood an even nicer place to live. (I sure can think of better things to have along 34th Street than a bunch of shuttered medical offices…)
What you can do
Neighborhood organizations like Friends of Heritage are only as effective as the folks who get involved. In order to represent you, we need your input and your energy. We’ll kick off forum discussions in the coming months, hold socials where we can talk in person, and you can also email the board at friends-of-heritage-board@googlegroups.com if you want to share your thoughts privately. We’ll have board elections in 2019 and are always looking for new members who are passionate about making Heritage and Austin a better place to live.