Across Austin many neighborhood groups, including Friends of Heritage, are reviewing the second draft of CodeNext and crafting feedback to give to the city. Many neighbors are understandably concerned about the impact of updated zoning on Heritage and focused on ensuring that we maintain its character and diversity. The stakes are high, especially if Heritage is being asked to absorb an unfair share of increased urban density that could upset the delicate balance that makes the neighborhood a uniquely livable corner of the City.
However it’s also worth noting that CodeNEXT aims to solve a very real and inevitable challenge in planning for Austin’s future: one million new Austinites will join us in the coming decade. How can we welcome the energy and creativity they’ll bring as they join our community while also preserving the best of what we have today? Our neighborhood’s central location makes it a highly desirable place to live - how can we ensure that it remains a place where artists and public employees can afford to live with their families?
Friends of Heritage is working on resolutions for our membership to vote on, and other groups have begun releasing their proposals. When looking at any resolution, ask yourself: how does it address the issue of sprawl and affordability? Saying Heritage has enough density without specifying where that growth should go is avoiding the crux of the problem. Every neighborhood pointing their finger at the others saying “Not here, over there” will result in no change at all and a sprawling car-based Austin with a central city that’s unaffordable to anyone except doctors, attorneys, and high-tech professionals.
Friends of Heritage believes that land use can be a tool to protect existing homes while also revitalizing multi-family and commercial lots by working on common sense solutions to trigger pedestrian-friendly mixed-use redevelopment. We can not only protect the character of our neighborhood and city but make it a better place. We’ll accomplish this not by saying “No” but by working with the city to make CodeNext preserve the things we love about Heritage and finding ways to welcome new Austinites who love our city for the same reasons we do.