Austin has sold itself-Dale Watson says (Howe: HOA, how much, homes)

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Man, of all examples - that place was butt-ugly not so many years ago. Yes, it has changed to a style that apparently does not suit you but does suit others. Those that like the condos (actual residents, not developers) would call it improvement. You, obviously, do not. I am sure you are more important than them, right?

Anyway, Austin has been doubling in size every 20 years or so since its inception. This is nothing new. South Lamar was first 'destroyed' even before the Broken Spoke further 'degraded' the area. While I do sometimes mourn the passing of a place or a 'style' in an area, I have out-grown (for the most part) the apparently innate desire to 'freeze' everything at a certain time in history. Austin's history never has been about what the city was at any time, but more a reflection of the constant change that spark the dynamic nature of the city.

We lived just off that area, crawling distance to the Broken Spoke (now surrounded by abominable condos), back in the late 80's/early 90's. We loved it - it was convenient to everything (I walked to Whole Foods for a big chunk of that time), not too full of itself, it was REAL. We still own that house, rent it out, but I doubt I could ever live there again - it makes me sick what's been done to it. There's considered change and growth, and then there's poorly-considered, selling your birthright for a mess of pottage, going for the dollar uber alles change and growth. I have no problem with the former, but have a big problem with the "change is inevitable, change for change's sake, all change is good crowd".

[CT_ATX]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

...tearing down and burying everything that made this city unique and not Any City, USA)...

I wish Austin was Any City, USA. Last time I looked, it was tough to find the same qualities in a city for less. I'm definitely not moving to Memphis. Nashville was fun last time I was there, but it's kind of cold in the winter.

[RoamingTX]

Originally Posted by CT_ATX

I wish Austin was Any City, USA. Last time I looked, it was tough to find the same qualities in a city for less. I'm definitely not moving to Memphis. Nashville was fun last time I was there, but it's kind of cold in the winter.

It’s hardly Any City, USA - unless you’re out in one of the ‘burbs. It’s just not exactly the same as it was in the past. That’s called evolution, parts of which are a bummer - parts of which are great.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

2) Greed - greed is good, when properly regulated. In this case, the greed is owned by those who greedily want to tell others what they can and can't do with property. NIMBYs, old school neighborhood blue hairs, etc.

You lost me at greed is good. A fan of Michael Douglas 1980's movies much? (Wall Street anyone?)

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

We lived just off that area, crawling distance to the Broken Spoke (now surrounded by abominable condos), back in the late 80's/early 90's. We loved it - it was convenient to everything (I walked to Whole Foods for a big chunk of that time), not too full of itself, it was REAL. We still own that house, rent it out, but I doubt I could ever live there again - it makes me sick what's been done to it. There's considered change and growth, and then there's poorly-considered, selling your birthright for a mess of pottage, going for the dollar uber alles change and growth. I have no problem with the former, but have a big problem with the "change is inevitable, change for change's sake, all change is good crowd".

So, when you lived there, you were the 'change' from what the people that USED to live (or farm) there preferred, but then sold out for the money and allowed you to build something they quite possibly loathed. And it was surely regulated or less considered than it is now. And no, not all change is 'good' - at least from your perspective. But the change is good for someone - the current residents probably love it there, the same as you loved it in your 'iteration'. We are such a 'me first' world there days, but only blame the young people for that while failing to acknowledge it in ourselves...

[cBach]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Man, of all examples - that place was butt-ugly not so many years ago. Yes, it has changed to a style that apparently does not suit you but does suit others. Those that like the condos (actual residents, not developers) would call it improvement. You, obviously, do not. I am sure you are more important than them, right?
.

Yes the example was horrific. S Lamar was amongst the ugliest parts of town when I originally moved here. It's still ugly but at least it has better density and is improving. Broken Spoke is still there too.

[verybadgnome]

Originally Posted by cBach

You lost me at greed is good. A fan of Michael Douglas 1980's movies much? (Wall Street anyone?)

Adam Smith would use the term self-interest and the dirty little secret is everyone is like this.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

So, when you lived there, you were the 'change' from what the people that USED to live (or farm) there preferred, but then sold out for the money and allowed you to build something they quite possibly loathed. And it was surely regulated or less considered than it is now. And no, not all change is 'good' - at least from your perspective. But the change is good for someone - the current residents probably love it there, the same as you loved it in your 'iteration'. We are such a 'me first' world there days, but only blame the young people for that while failing to acknowledge it in ourselves...

We didn't build there. We bought an existing house that was several decades old at the time we purchased it - it even had the original 1950's Roper Range - man, I miss that stove! And the original mahogany paneling, and the original pink bathroom. We respected Austin and those that had built a city that we loved and wanted to live in. Unthinkable, I know, these days.

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

We didn't build there. We bought an existing house that was several decades old at the time we purchased it - it even had the original 1950's Roper Range - man, I miss that stove! And the original mahogany paneling, and the original pink bathroom. We respected Austin and those that had built a city that we loved and wanted to live in. Unthinkable, I know, these days.

And in 50 years, someone will be changing those condos/area into something else, and the then-current residents will lament that the new resident aren't respecting the people that built a city they loved and wanted to live in, unlike they did when they lived in those condos......

[cBach]

Speaking of development...

My sources say that a large tract of 73 acres along Spicewood Springs basically bounded by Hart and Wood Hollow and backing to Executive Center Drive will be bulldozed and redeveloped into a giant mixed use new urbanism development.