neighborhood activists

Mildly eccentric (colorful?) lawyer and erstwhile City Council candidate Robin Cravey, like me, worries about the flight of children from central Austin.

 He's a bit more acerbic than I am; he calls it a suicide pact:

Neighborhood activists say Austin Water drilling in parkland for transmission line before gaining Parks Board approval (via Save Water Save Money)

A promising new blog by local planner Jonathan Law, covering Austin and the Southeast.

 (H/t M1EK and Keep Austin Wonky.)

A promising new blog by local planner Jonathan Law, covering Austin and the Southeast.

 (H/t M1EK and Keep Austin Wonky.)

Developers are frequently criticized for failing to provide community benefits.   This is sometimes a fair criticism.

 But neighborhoods often deserve the same:  they have no incentive to consider anything other than their own parochial interests when developing their neighborhood plans.

 

Here is a case in point.  

Developers are frequently criticized for failing to provide community benefits.   This is sometimes a fair criticism.

 But neighborhoods often deserve the same:  they have no incentive to consider anything other than their own parochial interests when developing their neighborhood plans.

 

Here is a case in point.  

Brian Rodgers and others who organized the Stop Domain Subsidies campaign have formed a new group (PAC?) called ChangeAustin.org.

 It describes itself as "an amalgam of local activists dedicated to activism (Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Greens, and independents!)-new and old-who believe the future determines the past."

Wendy Waters recounts Costco's attempt to break into the Manhattan market.

A coalition of neighborhood activists, labor groups and (almost certainly) local businesses are trying to repel Costco's foray.

While their agendas are transparent, the arguments they've trotted out are mostly of the, "It won't work here, so don't try" variety.

Wendy does a nice job dissecting them.

submitted by Steven Zettner Developers, neighborhood activists and City officials all proposed changes to the Commercial Design Standards and VMU ordinance at a review meeting held March 28 at City Hall.

Council Member Brewster McCracken moderated the meeting, the first...