Quote:
Originally Posted by _Matt
I love the vision. But if the city went big and zoning density here significantly, would we just turn Burnet into a highway to handle the increased traffic? Density is great, but there really isn't a good to handle people movement, and our car centric culture won't be thirsty for other options until traffic gets MUCH worse across the entire city, not just a pocket in North Austin. Maybe I'm wrong.
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I'd argue that the highway access here is better than DT. 183 and Mopac are right there, and 360 is easily accessible from there. DT really is only well-connected to 35 -- getting to Mopac requires going down CC or 6th, only the former of which is really comparable in capacity to Burnet.
And, really, I think the main appeal of a second downtown is that traffic is so bad getting from north Austin and the suburbs all the way down there. Urban development here might make traffic in the immediate area worse, but it will shorten commutes for many people. The market seems to want density here, and developers seem prepared to bet a lot of money that they can fill offices, apartments and shops in this area. I'd say let them go for it.
Use the tax dollars generated from the development to fund transportation improvements in this area, including improvements to the train stop here, and turn this into a new urban node.