Dog's Head: 2,500+ Acre Mixed-Use Development

[freerover]

Originally Posted by ATX2030

I remember when the City bought out houses in the Richland Estates subdivision in the Dog's Head because of noise pollution from the airport. Now they want to build in the same area. Make it make sense.

https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/council-watch-11702008/

Hard to believe Endeavor Real Estate wants to build 6,200 Single-Family Homes there.

I get them building 6,200 Multifamily Units like mid-rise or high-rise apartments and condominiums integrated into the commercial and retail districts but single family homes.

Just recently there was huge push back from neighbors concerning the new fuel farm build on airport property near 183/McCall Ln.

I guess those who buy the single family homes will know what they're getting into from the get go.

The city only owns a handful of lots there and I believe it's from a few years after the article you posted and related to flooding. The city bought the lots along the creek furthest away from the runway.

https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=130128

[Lobotomizer]

Originally Posted by wwmiv

The materials cost increase throughout raises the price of the units to above what is truly affordable.

Not all housing needs, nor should be "affordable". Affordability comes from building lots of housing in every corner of the city. When supply exceeds demand prices will stop rising, or even begin dropping. Property owners who view housing as an investment don't particularly like when that happens, and that's why they're oftentimes Nimbys. But for renters, which are the majority of Austinites, it's a very positive turn of events as we have witnessed the last several years. It's not even a bad thing for people planning on living in their home long-term, as lower home values should lead to less property taxes.

To summarize, BUILD, BUILD, BUILD, and then build some more!

[lonewolf]

Originally Posted by Lobotomizer

Not all housing needs, nor should be "affordable". Affordability comes from building lots of housing in every corner of the city. When supply exceeds demand prices will stop rising, or even begin dropping. Property owners who view housing as an investment don't particularly like when that happens, and that's why they're oftentimes Nimbys. But for renters, which are the majority of Austinites, it's a very positive turn of events as we have witnessed the last several years. It's not even a bad thing for people planning on living in their home long-term, as lower home values should lead to less property taxes.

To summarize, BUILD, BUILD, BUILD, and then build some more!

correct. "affordable housing" is a subsidized cutout. it's not in the housing supply. i think the cutoff is you have to make less than 30k a year. which creates a perverse incentive to lower hours worked, skills gained or jobs applied for.

whereas housing supply built anywhere (high/middle/low end) puts downward pressure for price on proximal quality builds and everything beneath.

it's an IQ test and the city is failing it.

[WesternSon]

Originally Posted by lonewolf

it's an IQ test and the city is failing it.

We are literally the poster child for building houses until rents and values fall. No other cities has been better about this but sure.

[chinchaaa]

Originally Posted by westernson

we are literally the poster child for building houses until rents and values fall. No other cities has been better about this but sure.

100%.

[lonewolf]

Originally Posted by WesternSon

We are literally the poster child for building houses until rents and values fall. No other cities has been better about this but sure.

You misunderstand.

Yes, we are the poster child of the exact thing I am advocating for. And that is unrestricted housing. But that's not what my complaint was, was it?

I was very clearly talking about income restricted housing. But sure.

[Riverranchdrone]

If we continue this wasteful expansion of single-family housing, then we are no different than San Antonio or DFW. Corporations sold us the idea of supply and demand, yet that idea has failed miserably. Of all the years that I have lived that concept has never correctly worked on how it was intended. This is why we need and should push more for affordable housing. We have way too many homeless due to the highly inflated market due to overpriced and corporatized housing.

[Urbannizer]

https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/...evelopment-amazon-endeavor-atx-land.html

Outside of the Amazon facility, it may be some time before another active construction project kicks off in the Dog’s Head, said Andy Pastor, Endeavor’s managing principal.

“We've got the big picture of what we want it to be and how we want it to look and feel with walkability and protected bike lanes,” Pastor said. “We've not started making calls for specific uses yet. Now we're in a big planning process of making sure that we execute the infrastructure well.”

Endeavor is committing to protect a lot of the natural environment in the Dog’s Head that wasn’t impacted by the years of mining in the area. Endeavor will set aside at least 266 acres for publicly accessible open space.

Pastor hopes to put six public access points for the Colorado River in the Dog’s Head and create 6.5 miles of trails there too. Some of the trails would run along the Colorado River and be similar in design to the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail along Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin.

Endeavor also has plans to feature a 75-acre lake called Bailey Hole. That was created as part of the mining activity and would be an open space asset. The lake is located on the northwest portion of the Dog’s Head. Pastor said that area of the site could be well suited for retail and restaurant activity.

[urbancore]

Originally Posted by Riverranchdrone

We have way too many homeless due to the highly inflated market due to overpriced and corporatized housing.

"Housing first" is a solution for some (very few in my view) but it is definitely not the solution for the vast majority of people with debilitating drug/alcohol addictions, or even worse, psychiatric issues. Lastly, something people don't like to admit, some people choose to live outside.

source? I have literal HOURS of video of myself interviewing Austin's homeless in their campsites. I've owned multiple small businesses since I graduated UT in '92, that had to deal with them daily. I had to 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 one out of Butler P&P 2 days ago who was threatening the girl behind the counter with violence. I had to ask one this morning to stop sleeping in the bushes next to my business on S Lamar.

I once owned a restaurant on the Drag at 22nd ST (the Scientology Building), from '98-00....and I would give a couple of the regular "Drag Rats" free food each day to keep an eye on my spot overnight. Those guys panhandled $20-50 day, not too bad for the 90's, and spent it mostly on beer and weed. They would hop trains or take busses to Cali or NYC, bumming the whole way. It was a lifestyle for them.

Not saying all or even most are similar, just saying, you can chat them up all you want about the services that are available, and some of them will never, ever take you up on it.

What's saddest to me, worse than the drugs and alcohol or the corrupt politicians who have zero incentive to solve the problem (which could be solved in 6 months if they really wanted to) because they need issues to run and raise money on, is the prostitution, 🞵🞵🞵🞵, violence against women, children and animals. Some of which, I've witnessed with my own eyes.


Not to mention, governments across the US have an awful history of building insanely overpriced "government housing" then neglecting them and the people in them...letting them turn into projects. They should allow builders to build as many units as possible that the market will bare, that is the only way to keep prices somewhat sane.

Housing prices don't cause "homeless" though they could in theory. But if they did, how do you explain cities like Monaco, Singapore, Tokyo, Zurich, and Hong Kong? All of which are far more expensive than Austin, and have little to zero homeless.

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by Riverranchdrone

If we continue this wasteful expansion of single-family housing, then we are no different than San Antonio or DFW. Corporations sold us the idea of supply and demand, yet that idea has failed miserably. Of all the years that I have lived that concept has never correctly worked on how it was intended. This is why we need and should push more for affordable housing. We have way too many homeless due to the highly inflated market due to overpriced and corporatized housing.

(like button)

[Lobotomizer]

Originally Posted by Riverranchdrone

Corporations sold us the idea of supply and demand, yet that idea has failed miserably. Of all the years that I have lived that concept has never correctly worked on how it was intended. This is why we need and should push more for affordable housing. We have way too many homeless due to the highly inflated market due to overpriced and corporatized housing.

I agree some public tax dollars supporting low-income housing is a good thing. I really like Foundation Communities locally, and I'd really like to see them continue and expand upon what they've been doing.

However, extremely restrictive zoning has been the norm across this country for generations. We have not seen what would happen at a large scale if the cities got out of the way, and let housing be built en masse.

There are a few examples locally, though. The city up zoned West Campus and Rainey, and we have seen what followed. VMU wasn't a thing until twenty years ago, or so. All of the arterial streets in Austin used to be almost exclusively single story strip malls, used car lots, etc. Mueller's built environment couldn't be replicated anywhere else in Austin because of our land-use code.

Even these are tightly controlled, and were controversial. It looks years of planning, but it gives a small glimpse of what the market wants.

[Tyrone Shoes]

Thank you Urbanizer for posting those good photos. If we cannot get an MLB stadium at the old Statesman site than this might be an interesting alternative. Imagine this view looking west out over the outfield.

[clubtokyo]

Agree Tyrone that would be an iconic mlb view.

[drummer]

That would put the sun right in the batter's eyes. Not sure that would work.

I found this graphic showing the orientation of MLB stadiums.