"Austin, we have a problem" (San Marcos, Kyle: condo, maintenance)

[winkosmosis]

Originally Posted by Westerner92

Austin is in a humongous paradox when it comes to traffic. It's lack of freeways is a big contributor to central Austin's quality of life and character, but it's the ire of anyone who lives outside the core but has to deal with it. This is the perfect setup for an urban/suburban divide, which will only become more profound as central Austin densifies and the metro's footprint expands.

We are way beyond a cheap and quick solution. Expanding the road system will come at tremendous cost to core communities, cost billions, and take decades to implement. Expanding public transit would be a complete change of commute style for everyone living and working in the core, as well as cost billions and take decades to build. I know what I want to happen and what I think will happen, but I'm always curious what all these nay-sayers and NIMBYs want, since they never propose any solutions, just **** on the people who are actually trying to fix the problem.

Build the commuter trains, give them nice big parking garages, and people will use them!

Austin isn't Houston-- it's not culturally biased against rail.

[hillcountryheart]

Originally Posted by winkosmosis

Build the commuter trains, give them nice big parking garages, and people will use them!

Austin isn't Houston-- it's not culturally biased against rail.

Amen. Give us more frequent bus service and we'll use that too. Part of solving traffic congestion is staggering the times people go to and from work. If the "commuter" buses only run once or twice a day, people who go to work after 7.30 am can't use them.

[hillcountryheart]

Originally Posted by jb9152

Based on the CAPCOG Commute and Labor Shed by Zip Code report available on their website (it's in the 60+ Mb range, so be warned), here are the % of employed people from these towns that leave and go to a zip code in Austin every day:

Buda - 72%
Cedar Park - 70%
Georgetown - 40%
Kyle - 60%
Leander - 59%
Pflugerville - 77%
Round Rock - 66%
San Marcos - 22%

If you look at the total number of people simply *leaving* those towns to go work somewhere else, the %s are even larger:

Buda - 93%
Cedar Park - 94%
Georgetown - 43%
Kyle - 97%
Leander - 90%
Pflugerville - 90%
Round Rock - 87%
San Marcos - 33%

And no town in Hays County is part of Capital Metro. They pay NOTHING in sales taxes and yet they want SW 45 to get them to Mopac - when most of SW 45 will be in Travis County's watershed and paid for by Travis County taxpayers. Chutzpah much?

[sxrckr]

Originally Posted by winkosmosis

Austin isn't Houston-- it's not culturally biased against rail.

Well that's funny since they've had rail for longer and still expanding.

[IC_deLight]

Originally Posted by hillcountryheart

And no town in Hays County is part of Capital Metro. They pay NOTHING in sales taxes and yet they want SW 45 to get them to Mopac - when most of SW 45 will be in Travis County's watershed and paid for by Travis County taxpayers. Chutzpah much?

Do you think that none of those commuters purchase anything in Austin or Travis County?
Seems to me that Travis County and Austin get the benefit of a large population of people that come in the day and spend money in Travis County and Austin but for whom Travis County and Austin have no real obligation.

Would you feel differently if they all lived in non-HOA subdivisions along SW 45 where city of Austin can pay for the streets, infrastructure, etc? Then you won't have to complain about them commuting in because they'll already be in Austin. Don't worry, Austin will continue sticking homeowners with HOAs and most of the folks in those areas don't care for Austin or its prices.


"Travis County Watershed" is mumbo jumbo speak from the anti-growth "I was here first" crowd. There isn't a "Travis County Watershed" and when you got here is irrelevant. There are numerous watersheds in the area and apparently it was okay for you to live here, right? Just not "those people" right?

[scm53]

Originally Posted by jb9152

Ohhhh! My bad. I thought you were referring to simply the number of people traveling from suburban towns to Austin. I didn't realize you were making an argument about suburban commuters paying or not paying a "fair share".

First, thanks for the actual data. Know that wasn't fun to pull out, and appreciate you doing so. Enlightening.

Second, it was someone else making the ridiculous "free rider" argument. Given Austin's budget - on both the tax and revenue side - it is residents that are net drains on city services, not commuters. The best situation any city could find themselves in is to be all commercial, zero residential.

[hillcountryheart]

Originally Posted by scm53

Second, it was someone else making the ridiculous "free rider" argument. Given Austin's budget - on both the tax and revenue side - it is residents that are net drains on city services, not commuters. The best situation any city could find themselves in is to be all commercial, zero residential.

Really? Not when so much of the "commercial" infrastructure belongs to UT or the state and is therefore non-taxable. Not when the streets connecting this maze of commercial buildings have to be constantly repaired and one of the largest police presences is there. Not when the regional trauma center is there - you really believe that most suburbanites spend a ton of money in the CBD?

[scm53]

Originally Posted by hillcountryheart

Really? Not when so much of the "commercial" infrastructure belongs to UT or the state and is therefore non-taxable. Not when the streets connecting this maze of commercial buildings have to be constantly repaired and one of the largest police presences is there. Not when the regional trauma center is there - you really believe that most suburbanites spend a ton of money in the CBD?

You do realize that property tax revenues do not fund the Transportation and Public Works departments - the folks that maintain streets. Right? So, now what is your argument?

[IC_deLight]

Originally Posted by hillcountryheart

Really? Not when so much of the "commercial" infrastructure belongs to UT or the state and is therefore non-taxable. Not when the streets connecting this maze of commercial buildings have to be constantly repaired and one of the largest police presences is there. Not when the regional trauma center is there - you really believe that most suburbanites spend a ton of money in the CBD?

Define "suburbanite"

Austin and Travis County sales taxes are collected on purchases anywhere in Austin and Travis County, respectively.

[kavorka]

Originally Posted by winkosmosis

How the heck does zoning in the central core affect sprawl?

The prevalence of SF-1 zoning in the urban core prevents density. In most areas in the core, outside of downtown, multi-story condos and apartment buildings are not allowed. This limits inventory in a big way, drives up prices for existing properties, and forces people outward.