Absolutely in favor of density and mix use development. If we opt for big houses sprawling the outskirts but with all the business still gathered in downtown and north Austin, the current road infrastructure is NOT going to keep up. Let’s make walkable mix use to contain the growth in those areas while we prepare for the sprawl.
You can find prices under 300k, you just have to look and not be afraid to make moves. I just closed a 3/2 detached condo 1550 sq feet in 78660 for 290k with seller paying 5k in closing cost. So essentially 285k....
More density please! More homes on less land means less of a walk/drive to amenities. A big fan of mixed-use developments. It’s sad to see empty sidewalks, which is the case in most subdivisions. Austin is not a village!
The development next to The Domain is a little superfluous. You’ve already got the Domain, gateway, they are jamming in all these together. They need to be spread out so that the domain area doesn’t become a hot spot and a congestion zone
It's really bad. The trend I've seen lately is that salaries are going down and less companies are offering medical benefits. I also had an HR person tell me that the company shouldn't have to give cost of living raises on things that will go back down in cost, like groceries.... because clearly the price hikes were only due to supply shortages and transportation issues and not inflation at all *massive eye roll*.
Also, putting 50 units on 4.6 acres is not going to produce family housing, Those units will need to be small footprint units and small square footages to get to that density. And given what stuff sells for in that area - $400/square foot, I am SURE they will not be units affordable for a median income family. Even if they are small units - say 900 square foot two bedrooms, they will still not be family homes and will sell for nearly $400,000. If you want to live near Austin and want to be able to buy a home under $450,000 for your FAMILY, you will be living in Kyle, Leander and even Bastrop. Until the next recession, that is, when prices will plummet.
Your theory about density increasing prices doesn't actually make sense, among other things: 1. Single family home developments have 0% affordable housing requirements 2. The whole point of buying the affordable housing development is that they can't afford to buy a 500k+ dollar home, so your point about "buying a home they can sell instead" doesn't make sense -- no one buying affordable housing in central austin can afford a market rate home in that same area 3. The lightrail project is not cancelled. It just moved into environmental review which is the first step to securing federal funding. 4. To determine how much more affordable dense housing is, you need to be careful about controlling for variables. But basically, you need to figure things like: how much would this new condo cost vs. a new single family home in this same location? how much do people save by not needing a car (or needing 1 car instead of 2)? I can tell you here in south central austin that I can afford a condo and possibly a townhouse but I cannot afford a single family home except for the dinkiest of teardowns. I also highly desire to spend as little of my time driving in traffic as possible. Over time the demand for living in walkable mixed use areas will only increase. The reason they are expensive is *because* they are in so little supply relative to demand, and lots of them are new developments; a new SFH would also be very expensive.
@@JeremyAKnight Sorry, maybe you didn't emphasize it in the video but you seemed to agree with some comments below. As far as worrying about transportation, you should be aware South Lamar is on the map to receive a bus rapid transit lane among other improvements.
There are several reasons for the lack of affordability. One, it seems nobody can build anything in Austin that's not a 'luxury' development with wonderous amenities. Amenities are like gym memberships, a thousand people have them and 50 actually use them. That one time you took cousin Bob to the pool when he was in town doesn't count. Another is that there are alot of people that make pretty good money in this town but they don't want to pay for anything. They like that their $400k condo is now worth $800k but they don't like that a hamburger and fries is $20. Too many people work for too little money. Subsidies and affordable housing just distort things even further. When you raise the ceiling but leave the floor where it is you will find that you've actually sunk down even though 'the numbers' say otherwise. The tax man is all too happy that your house doubled in price and he's lined up with his hand out. Do they really need or deserve that extra money? Probably not but they'll demand it. One would think economy of scale would assert itself in this situation but it never does. They always need more and faster. That's the surest sign of a management problem. If it was your friend or relative you'd be worried they had a drug habit or gambling addiction. In this case it's just good old fashioned corruption and mismanagement. I bet the fastest growing demographic in Austin is that of 'consultant'. Every politician has a ton in the family and among their friends along with the 'non-profits' pulling down deep six figures for what exactly? What do we actually get for all that extra loot we send in? We get the other hand coming out to grab more because the first is full.
Im all for mixed use development. The problem I forsee is that the housing in those areas will still be massively unaffordable to most people (and especially native texans). Condos and town houses are great ideas, but the HOAs for them usually make them less affordable than buying a house with land.
I wish I could bring the mixed use neighborhoods of South Korea to Austin. Imagine every apartment complex having two or three bottom floors of restaurants and small businesses. It really is amazing. Plenty of parking too, in underground parking garages.
Uh, wait a minute. That story you told about someone not being able to make money on the sale of their home because of the red tape of the affordable housing programs? You must have left out lots of details. Was there a deed restriction that required a portion of the sale proceeds to be put into a land trust or some affordable housing fund? If so, then the homeowner had to have known about that deed restriction (or similar) when they purchased the home. Or, like many new homeowners, perhaps they just didn't read the documents. In that case, don't feel sorry for the seller and please don't trash the affordable housing programs using that example. I have friend who purchased homes in Mueller under the affordable home programs and indeed, their homes require some revenue sharing when they sell the home. That requirement was perfectly clear when they purchased the home. Otherwise, your example is just plain confusing or not really true.
DON’T MOVE TO AUSTIN!!! I moved to Austin in 1971 to attend the University of Texas. The city was a paradise. Imagine this: 250,000 population with 50,000 college students and the main employers in the city were the University of Texas and a state government controlled by Democrats. We were the ‘liberal’ oasis inside of conservative Texas. Rents were cheap. I rented my first apartment for $200 per month. There was lots of live music, restaurants, and other fun things to do. People were easy-going, welcoming, and friendly. Traffic was quite reasonable. Rush hour lasted about 30 minutes. You could be the only car on a major thoroughfare. For me it was the perfect city-small enough to get around and escape but big enough to provide everything you needed. Now just the opposite is the case. The population of Austin is pushing 1,000,000 and the entire metro-population is almost 2,500,000. We are still struggling to get by on the road system that was largely in place when I moved here, and all the modern improvements to the road system turn out to be toll roads. We have a continuous rush hour that never stops. It can take hours to get to and from work and going anywhere between 7 o’clock in the morning until about 8 or 9 o’clock at night can be a very aggravating experience. Don’t think that public transportation will offer relief. Expect public transportation to take twice as long because the buses are stuck in the same traffic as the cars and giant ‘man’ trucks. That’s why drivers in Austin drive very aggressively and are angry all the time. Housing is very expensive and continues to go up. My friends that rent are paying $1700 to $1800 per month for one bedroom apartments. Soon their rents will be above $2000 per month. Wages are low. After all, Texas is a ‘right to work’ southern state. If you don’t have an elite high-tech job, expect to live in poverty. Live entertainment still exists but expect to be packed in like sardines and driving for hours in heavy traffic to get there and later to escape. Austin’s ‘liberality’ is eroding in a very hateful and draconian state. So, don’t expect to be welcomed if you move here. People trapped in a city that doesn’t work for them with no relief in sight resent the people that move here and just make things worse.
Subsidies don't make things more affordable it just shifts the costs some place else often trapping people in homes/apartments or healthcare systems or whatever other situation it may be. The problem is that low income people have low income. How about we 'fix' this by paying people properly for things we find valuable. Subsidizing them keeps them trapped in dead end jobs, regulated housing, etc. It truly is a form of modern indentured servitude. We all need to start paying for the things we want and use. No one should be mowing your yard for 10 bucks, cleaning your house for 10 bucks or spending an hour driving across town through traffic in their vehicle for 10 bucks so you can sit comfy at home waiting on dinner. Luxury services are just that...too many people that can't afford them are using them and feeling entitled and too many companies are all too willing to exploit others to make it happen. The only way to have healthy markets is to have natural and proper pricing throughout. Central banking is of course the root of all evil but even in this corrupt system we can all take steps to make positive change. Didn't you grow up hearing a good person treats others as they like to be treated? It still applies. If the real and fair price is more than you can or want to pay then you can certainly do it yourself or do without. Most of us grew up with a huge list of wants and a much, much smaller list of 'got to haves'. Draw on that strength 😉
I recently moved to the Arboretum area, also somewhat next to Domain. A lot of shops and great restaurants are in walking distance and that is for sure good. When it comes to affordability, I am not sure if that is true. These areas are in high demand and people want to move to those places -> higher rents than average -> great areas for investors to put in some luxury apartments. I moved from a somewhat affordable apartment complex in Cedar Park to this area and I can tell that the people here are very different. In my old apartment, many neighbors were mostly Latinos and Black and some poor white people. The new area is mostly white and somewhat wealthy. I assume if Austin build a new area next to Domain.... it is certainly not for people with the average household income. I assume politicians say that just because they have to do that.
Muller Park is another. These enclosed neighborhoods are only for the wealthy upper middle class(or what's left of one). When the US economy collapses before the end of this year, non of it will matter.
@@JasonJrake depends where, but yes, most places north of san antonio/east of el paso were/are heavily non-hispanic for a long time so many of the pronunciations are not native spanish at this point
People mispronounce words in their own language you really expect them to get it right in another language entirely? There are thousands of roads around here named after people and hardly anyone knows who any of them were. Sadly if it's not a celebrity or sports figure most people won't have a clue. Foreigners mispronounce words too. The important thing is that you understand what someone is saying without having to get offended. The primary use of language is to communicate not commemorate. So if someone tells you "get in da kaaahh so's we can go to da shop for some pop!" go ahead and cringe but at least you'll soon have a frosty beverage. Defending Texas liberty is our gig now and we let it go for too long and let down alot of people that came before. It's just the cycle of things unfortunately.
Absolutely in favor of density and mix use development. If we opt for big houses sprawling the outskirts but with all the business still gathered in downtown and north Austin, the current road infrastructure is NOT going to keep up. Let’s make walkable mix use to contain the growth in those areas while we prepare for the sprawl.
Thanks!
Here's what I see. Overpriced and overvalued homes. We need more homes and fewer people.
You can find prices under 300k, you just have to look and not be afraid to make moves. I just closed a 3/2 detached condo 1550 sq feet in 78660 for 290k with seller paying 5k in closing cost. So essentially 285k....
In Jerrell and Seguin
@@JeremyAKnight This was pflugerville by the lake.
@@ehren5347 thats not Austin
@@heyjoejoe ok troll so only downtown austin is austin ?
@@ehren5347 only Austin is AUSTIN
More density please! More homes on less land means less of a walk/drive to amenities. A big fan of mixed-use developments. It’s sad to see empty sidewalks, which is the case in most subdivisions. Austin is not a village!
Yea just wait until you see the home prices when you do that.
The development next to The Domain is a little superfluous. You’ve already got the Domain, gateway, they are jamming in all these together. They need to be spread out so that the domain area doesn’t become a hot spot and a congestion zone
@@dinosaurd7295 It already has even without the development but you are 100% correct.
Agree Dino d
I think this will be a good project. My concern is that we are going to dance with not enough transportation. Thoughts?
When it comes to Austin in the job market competitiveness. It was crazy hard in 2017. I can't imagine what it must be like now.
Probably really hard
It's really bad. The trend I've seen lately is that salaries are going down and less companies are offering medical benefits. I also had an HR person tell me that the company shouldn't have to give cost of living raises on things that will go back down in cost, like groceries.... because clearly the price hikes were only due to supply shortages and transportation issues and not inflation at all *massive eye roll*.
Also, putting 50 units on 4.6 acres is not going to produce family housing, Those units will need to be small footprint units and small square footages to get to that density. And given what stuff sells for in that area - $400/square foot, I am SURE they will not be units affordable for a median income family. Even if they are small units - say 900 square foot two bedrooms, they will still not be family homes and will sell for nearly $400,000. If you want to live near Austin and want to be able to buy a home under $450,000 for your FAMILY, you will be living in Kyle, Leander and even Bastrop. Until the next recession, that is, when prices will plummet.
Your theory about density increasing prices doesn't actually make sense, among other things:
1. Single family home developments have 0% affordable housing requirements
2. The whole point of buying the affordable housing development is that they can't afford to buy a 500k+ dollar home, so your point about "buying a home they can sell instead" doesn't make sense -- no one buying affordable housing in central austin can afford a market rate home in that same area
3. The lightrail project is not cancelled. It just moved into environmental review which is the first step to securing federal funding.
4. To determine how much more affordable dense housing is, you need to be careful about controlling for variables. But basically, you need to figure things like: how much would this new condo cost vs. a new single family home in this same location? how much do people save by not needing a car (or needing 1 car instead of 2)?
I can tell you here in south central austin that I can afford a condo and possibly a townhouse but I cannot afford a single family home except for the dinkiest of teardowns. I also highly desire to spend as little of my time driving in traffic as possible. Over time the demand for living in walkable mixed use areas will only increase. The reason they are expensive is *because* they are in so little supply relative to demand, and lots of them are new developments; a new SFH would also be very expensive.
I didn’t say it would increase prices
@@JeremyAKnight Sorry, maybe you didn't emphasize it in the video but you seemed to agree with some comments below. As far as worrying about transportation, you should be aware South Lamar is on the map to receive a bus rapid transit lane among other improvements.
@@thomasgricezodiac ahh. Gotcha.
There are several reasons for the lack of affordability. One, it seems nobody can build anything in Austin that's not a 'luxury' development with wonderous amenities. Amenities are like gym memberships, a thousand people have them and 50 actually use them. That one time you took cousin Bob to the pool when he was in town doesn't count. Another is that there are alot of people that make pretty good money in this town but they don't want to pay for anything. They like that their $400k condo is now worth $800k but they don't like that a hamburger and fries is $20. Too many people work for too little money. Subsidies and affordable housing just distort things even further. When you raise the ceiling but leave the floor where it is you will find that you've actually sunk down even though 'the numbers' say otherwise.
The tax man is all too happy that your house doubled in price and he's lined up with his hand out. Do they really need or deserve that extra money? Probably not but they'll demand it. One would think economy of scale would assert itself in this situation but it never does. They always need more and faster. That's the surest sign of a management problem. If it was your friend or relative you'd be worried they had a drug habit or gambling addiction. In this case it's just good old fashioned corruption and mismanagement. I bet the fastest growing demographic in Austin is that of 'consultant'. Every politician has a ton in the family and among their friends along with the 'non-profits' pulling down deep six figures for what exactly? What do we actually get for all that extra loot we send in? We get the other hand coming out to grab more because the first is full.
@@SLM-hf1cr 👆👆👆
Im all for mixed use development. The problem I forsee is that the housing in those areas will still be massively unaffordable to most people (and especially native texans). Condos and town houses are great ideas, but the HOAs for them usually make them less affordable than buying a house with land.
I wish I could bring the mixed use neighborhoods of South Korea to Austin. Imagine every apartment complex having two or three bottom floors of restaurants and small businesses. It really is amazing. Plenty of parking too, in underground parking garages.
Good Stuff!
Uh, wait a minute. That story you told about someone not being able to make money on the sale of their home because of the red tape of the affordable housing programs? You must have left out lots of details. Was there a deed restriction that required a portion of the sale proceeds to be put into a land trust or some affordable housing fund? If so, then the homeowner had to have known about that deed restriction (or similar) when they purchased the home. Or, like many new homeowners, perhaps they just didn't read the documents. In that case, don't feel sorry for the seller and please don't trash the affordable housing programs using that example. I have friend who purchased homes in Mueller under the affordable home programs and indeed, their homes require some revenue sharing when they sell the home. That requirement was perfectly clear when they purchased the home. Otherwise, your example is just plain confusing or not really true.
DON’T MOVE TO AUSTIN!!! I moved to Austin in 1971 to attend the University of Texas. The city was a paradise. Imagine this: 250,000 population with 50,000 college students and the main employers in the city were the University of Texas and a state government controlled by Democrats. We were the ‘liberal’ oasis inside of conservative Texas. Rents were cheap. I rented my first apartment for $200 per month. There was lots of live music, restaurants, and other fun things to do. People were easy-going, welcoming, and friendly. Traffic was quite reasonable. Rush hour lasted about 30 minutes. You could be the only car on a major thoroughfare. For me it was the perfect city-small enough to get around and escape but big enough to provide everything you needed.
Now just the opposite is the case. The population of Austin is pushing 1,000,000 and the entire metro-population is almost 2,500,000. We are still struggling to get by on the road system that was largely in place when I moved here, and all the modern improvements to the road system turn out to be toll roads. We have a continuous rush hour that never stops. It can take hours to get to and from work and going anywhere between 7 o’clock in the morning until about 8 or 9 o’clock at night can be a very aggravating experience. Don’t think that public transportation will offer relief. Expect public transportation to take twice as long because the buses are stuck in the same traffic as the cars and giant ‘man’ trucks. That’s why drivers in Austin drive very aggressively and are angry all the time. Housing is very expensive and continues to go up. My friends that rent are paying $1700 to $1800 per month for one bedroom apartments. Soon their rents will be above $2000 per month. Wages are low. After all, Texas is a ‘right to work’ southern state. If you don’t have an elite high-tech job, expect to live in poverty. Live entertainment still exists but expect to be packed in like sardines and driving for hours in heavy traffic to get there and later to escape. Austin’s ‘liberality’ is eroding in a very hateful and draconian state.
So, don’t expect to be welcomed if you move here. People trapped in a city that doesn’t work for them with no relief in sight resent the people that move here and just make things worse.
Subsidies don't make things more affordable it just shifts the costs some place else often trapping people in homes/apartments or healthcare systems or whatever other situation it may be. The problem is that low income people have low income. How about we 'fix' this by paying people properly for things we find valuable. Subsidizing them keeps them trapped in dead end jobs, regulated housing, etc. It truly is a form of modern indentured servitude. We all need to start paying for the things we want and use. No one should be mowing your yard for 10 bucks, cleaning your house for 10 bucks or spending an hour driving across town through traffic in their vehicle for 10 bucks so you can sit comfy at home waiting on dinner. Luxury services are just that...too many people that can't afford them are using them and feeling entitled and too many companies are all too willing to exploit others to make it happen. The only way to have healthy markets is to have natural and proper pricing throughout. Central banking is of course the root of all evil but even in this corrupt system we can all take steps to make positive change. Didn't you grow up hearing a good person treats others as they like to be treated? It still applies. If the real and fair price is more than you can or want to pay then you can certainly do it yourself or do without. Most of us grew up with a huge list of wants and a much, much smaller list of 'got to haves'. Draw on that strength 😉
👆👆👆👆
I recently moved to the Arboretum area, also somewhat next to Domain.
A lot of shops and great restaurants are in walking distance and that is for sure good. When it comes to affordability, I am not sure if that is true. These areas are in high demand and people want to move to those places -> higher rents than average -> great areas for investors to put in some luxury apartments.
I moved from a somewhat affordable apartment complex in Cedar Park to this area and I can tell that the people here are very different. In my old apartment, many neighbors were mostly Latinos and Black and some poor white people. The new area is mostly white and somewhat wealthy. I assume if Austin build a new area next to Domain.... it is certainly not for people with the average household income. I assume politicians say that just because they have to do that.
I don’t see any developer wanting to make “affordable” apartments or condos. They want to maximize profits.
@@JeremyAKnight Exactly. I would do the same.
Muller Park is another. These enclosed neighborhoods are only for the wealthy upper middle class(or what's left of one). When the US economy collapses before the end of this year, non of it will matter.
It's Menchaca. Respect one of the defenders of Texas liberty. Don't gentrify/white wash the Tejanos.
Moving here from another heavily Hispanic state, I find the Texas pronunciations of Spanish names very weird. Everything is very Anglicised
@@JasonJrake depends where, but yes, most places north of san antonio/east of el paso were/are heavily non-hispanic for a long time so many of the pronunciations are not native spanish at this point
I get crap for not saying ManShack. But, it’s Menchaca
People mispronounce words in their own language you really expect them to get it right in another language entirely? There are thousands of roads around here named after people and hardly anyone knows who any of them were. Sadly if it's not a celebrity or sports figure most people won't have a clue. Foreigners mispronounce words too. The important thing is that you understand what someone is saying without having to get offended. The primary use of language is to communicate not commemorate. So if someone tells you "get in da kaaahh so's we can go to da shop for some pop!" go ahead and cringe but at least you'll soon have a frosty beverage. Defending Texas liberty is our gig now and we let it go for too long and let down alot of people that came before. It's just the cycle of things unfortunately.
I suppose you could always open a bar of some sort by that name 😁@@JeremyAKnight
ruining Austin even more