Fitlump fucking won a Austin City Council seat, Now on to Congress 2026!

[Longhornstampede 3173]

Who put a sharpie in their wrinkled grommet?

[dcar00 13966]

1 hour ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Congrats on your victory against death panels, you’ve been had. As Austin gets more segregated and less affordable, you’ve only yourself to blame. And after 16 years of unaffiliated volunteer service to this city and region I honestly couldn’t care less because I did what I could and left it all on the field - the citizens of this city brought San Jose  on themselves with eyes wide open. Good luck!

 

PS- the “original inhabitants of Clarksville, Tarrytown and Wheatsville” are all dead but OK.

what do you mean by more segregated?  and the horror that property values might rise...

[washparkhorn 9926]

2 hours ago, Eskimohorn said:

I get what you’re saying with “Austin has always done planning well” but I’ll take this pot shot: I think the original inhabitants of Tarrytown, Clarksville, and Wheatville would respectfully disagree.

Shock troops for gentrification will not be deterred from their rounds of: 

commodifying all that pain

https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/1995-10-20/529941/

 

 

[El Diablo 4232]

Has she ever actually owned a home in her district or did she just marry into one? 

[Bozo_Casanova 26120]

8 hours ago, dcar00 said:

what do you mean by more segregated?  and the horror that property values might rise...

I mean that the most economically segregated city in America, Austin, will get more segregated still, and will lose affordability at an accelerating rate over the next decade because of our failure to reform the Land Development Code.

You haven’t seen anything yet. Take Austin as you know it today, but make it a primary rather than secondary hub for two of the most well paid and specialized industries, and grow the population by 50-75%, but only increase the housing supply by 10%. What do you suppose it’s like then. Who lives in that Austin. And who works there, and where do they live?

A few years ago a bank President in the Bay Area invited to have dinner at his house. It was in the east Bay, about an hour drive from his workplace in no traffic, the sort of home that was built for blue collar workers in the mid 80’s. It was a rental, and both of his adult children lived there also. That’s our future. We ignored the facts that we knew and will face the consequences. Rather than adapt to change we tried to protect the buildings and sacrifice the community that occupied them.

But hey, we sure showed those evil developers!

Edited January 21, 2021 by Bozo_Casanova

[DigglerontheHoof 20911]

2 hours ago, El Diablo said:

Has she ever actually owned a home in her district or did she just marry into one? 

You saying she horned in on her district?

[Deej 76300]

12 minutes ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

You saying she horned in on her district?

[Blotto 23349]

10 hours ago, Continental Op said:

How many sharpies do I have to put in my bunghole to get your vote? 

 

[Orange&White 5510]

2 hours ago, El Diablo said:

Has she ever actually owned a home in her district or did she just marry into one? 

I don't even think she married into one. I think residency requirements were why she was "living with her parents" with her husband during the campaigning.

[Bozo_Casanova 26120]

11 hours ago, Eskimohorn said:

I attended a meeting with my fellow “death panelists” and it seemed like a mass. The city planners attempted to act patient in the face of us NIMBY’s, but it was a clear that their scheme was a compromise with developers to open up the floodgates in exchange for subsidized housing targets. The middle class would be fucked and property values would exponentially increase.

I get what you’re saying with “Austin has always done planning well” but I’ll take this pot shot: I think the original inhabitants of Tarrytown, Clarksville, and Wheatville would respectfully disagree.

I didn't want to skip by the excellent point you make here, which is that structural racism defines the built environment of this city. Very true, and it was by design. BUT - protecting and expanding white and affluent spaces makes that worse, just as it's currently driving the middle class out of town. 

I mean, I could quibble on the technicalities. For example, no, having an 8-plex next door doesn't change the assessed taxable value of a single family homestead next door. So that's a lie they tell you. But we don't need to get into those details to appreciate the big picture, which is: Austin has a housing shortage and it will get worse. That 8-plex you've succeeded at stopping is housing.
The working class and minorities lose out in a housing shortage, which is designed into our current code that you've protected. Our current code is a blueprint to protect white spaces first and create leibensraum for the constantly arriving  affluent second by colonizing working class areas, and it's working.

Edited January 21, 2021 by Bozo_Casanova

[dcar00 13966]

2 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I mean that the most economically segregated city in America, Austin, will get more segregated still, and will lose affordability at an accelerating rate over the next decade because of our failure to reform the Land Development Code.

You haven’t seen anything yet. Take Austin as you know it today, but make it a primary rather than secondary hub for two of the most well paid and specialized industries, and grow the population by 50-75%, but only increase the housing supply by 10%. What do you suppose it’s like then. Who lives in that Austin. And who works there, and where do they live?

A few years ago a bank President in the Bay Area invited to have dinner at his house. It was in the east Bay, about an hour drive from his workplace in no traffic, the sort of home that was built for blue collar workers in the mid 80’s. It was a rental, and both of his adult children lived there also. That’s our future. We ignored the facts that we knew and will face the consequences. Rather than adapt to change we tried to protect the buildings and sacrifice the community that occupied them.

But hey, we sure showed those evil developers!

so basically you are opposed to urban sprawl.   why does it matter who works in downtown Austin and where they live?  that's his problem if both of his adult children live there.

yeah, they fucked up big time when they didn't make loops that actually loop.

[Wally Fairway 5500]

2 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I mean that the most economically segregated city in America, Austin, will get more segregated still, and will lose affordability at an accelerating rate over the next decade because of our failure to reform the Land Development Code.

You haven’t seen anything yet. Take Austin as you know it today, but make it a primary rather than secondary hub for two of the most well paid and specialized industries, and grow the population by 50-75%, but only increase the housing supply by 10%. What do you suppose it’s like then. Who lives in that Austin. And who works there, and where do they live?

A few years ago a bank President in the Bay Area invited to have dinner at his house. It was in the east Bay, about an hour drive from his workplace in no traffic, the sort of home that was built for blue collar workers in the mid 80’s. It was a rental, and both of his adult children lived there also. That’s our future. We ignored the facts that we knew and will face the consequences. Rather than adapt to change we tried to protect the buildings and sacrifice the community that occupied them.

But hey, we sure showed those evil developers!

This is the way!

[El Diablo 4232]

A loop looks a lot like a noose if you stare at it too long. 

[Armybrat 40615]

10 hours ago, washparkhorn said:

Shock troops for gentrification will not be deterred from their rounds of: 

commodifying all that pain

https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/1995-10-20/529941/

 

 

The destruction of the East Austin black community began with the closing of Old Anderson High school 50 years ago at the behest of the desegregation movement leaders. 

[TexasEd 8054]

6 hours ago, El Diablo said:

Has she ever actually owned a home in her district or did she just marry into one? 

She went to Westwood so lived in her parents house. Since then I think it has been apartments and living with in-laws.  

I don't think she has ever been named on a deed/title.  Lease agreement at best.

[TexasEd 8054]

3 hours ago, Orange&White said:

I don't even think she married into one. I think residency requirements were why she was "living with her parents" with her husband during the campaigning.

I think she was living with her parents (or in-laws) because she was broke and couldn't afford an apartment anymore, but all the same.  

[Armybrat 40615]

22 minutes ago, TexasEd said:

I think she was living with her parents (or in-laws) because she was broke and couldn't afford an apartment anymore, but all the same.  

Well, what did she do with all the embezzled funds? Certainly didn’t spend it at Saks 5th Avenue.

[Bozo_Casanova 26120]

3 hours ago, dcar00 said:

so basically you are opposed to urban sprawl.   why does it matter who works in downtown Austin and where they live?  that's his problem if both of his adult children live there.

yeah, they fucked up big time when they didn't make loops that actually loop.

I don't care about sprawl, for what it's worth. I care about broad based affordability and maintaining regional economic diversity. The President of a pretty successful Bank can't afford to live in the city his bank serves or buy an appropriate home near his place of business because the only people who can are people involved at high levels in the ecosystem surrounding tech. Not only are the entire working class and public sectors forced a great distance away from the places they work, so are the mid-career professionals even in thriving industries and professional categories.  The bankers kids live with their parents are mid-grade professionals who work white collar jobs in the city. All that because of intense competition for housing, in a place where people in one industry make vastly more than everybody else. 

That's not a sustainable or healthy local economy, let alone a community. 

Edited January 21, 2021 by Bozo_Casanova

[RPM 26145]

42 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

Well, what did she do with all the embezzled funds? Certainly didn’t spend it at Saks 5th Avenue.

An upcoming hornectomy.

[SquishMitten 10377]

On 1/20/2021 at 11:21 AM, Orange&White said:

 

Hahaha. Wasn't that the biggest emphasis of her campaign?

[Wally Pryor 5217]

And now the lunatic Kelly is going to have to convince Mayor wet rag that the repeal of the ban was and is a good thing. 

Played out just as expected. 

 

[El Diablo 4232]

Seems like she's been a bit of a couch camper her own self. 

[threesheets 1651]

Just be nice to the gentlemen Fancy. They'll be nice to you.

[Armybrat 40615]

30 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I don't care about sprawl, for what it's worth. I care about broad based affordability and maintaining regional economic diversity. The President of a pretty successful Bank can't afford to live in the city his bank serves or buy an appropriate home near his place of business because the only people who can are people involved at high levels in the ecosystem surrounding tech. Not only are the entire working class and public sectors forced a great distance away from the places they work, so are the mid-career professionals even in thriving industries and professional categories.  The bankers kids live with their parents are mid-grade professionals who work white collar jobs in the city. All that because of intense competition for housing, in a place where people in one industry make vastly more than everybody else. 

That's not a sustainable or healthy local economy, let alone a community. 

Well, that is what the Austin powers that be have promoted since WW2

[dcar00 13966]

38 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I don't care about sprawl, for what it's worth. I care about broad based affordability and maintaining regional economic diversity. The President of a pretty successful Bank can't afford to live in the city his bank serves or buy an appropriate home near his place of business because the only people who can are people involved at high levels in the ecosystem surrounding tech. Not only are the entire working class and public sectors forced a great distance away from the places they work, so are the mid-career professionals even in thriving industries and professional categories.  The bankers kids live with their parents are mid-grade professionals who work white collar jobs in the city. All that because of intense competition for housing, in a place where people in one industry make vastly more than everybody else. 

That's not a sustainable or healthy local economy, let alone a community. 

I'd like to live in a house in tarrytown but I cant afford it so I live farther out.  The local economy will be fine no matter where people live if they have jobs and the govt doesnt spend money they dont have.

Why don't you just support rent controls on all apartments?

 

[McFly 606]

6 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

A few years ago a bank President in the Bay Area invited to have dinner at his house. It was in the east Bay, about an hour drive from his workplace in no traffic, the sort of home that was built for blue collar workers in the mid 80’s. It was a rental, and both of his adult children lived there also. That’s our future. We ignored the facts that we knew and will face the consequences. Rather than adapt to change we tried to protect the buildings and sacrifice the community that occupied them.

But hey, we sure showed those evil developers!

Are you a transplant from California? That would explain so much.

[Bozo_Casanova 26120]

50 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

I'd like to live in a house in tarrytown but I cant afford it so I live farther out.  The local economy will be fine no matter where people live if they have jobs and the govt doesnt spend money they dont have.

Why don't you just support rent controls on all apartments?

 

Rent controls restrict housing supply and make shortages worse. And no, the local economy will not be fine.

 housing shortage begets labor shortage begets higher costs begets more risk 

 

[Bozo_Casanova 26120]

36 minutes ago, McFly said:

Are you a transplant from California? That would explain so much.

No, I’m a sixth generation Texan and my parents met in Austin. why?  Does the mattress store not take you  places?

Edited January 21, 2021 by Bozo_Casanova

[Guest Lobo]

Yeah, rent controls typically work best (if at all) when there's already a fixed amount of housing already built out and not really room for anymore not so much because of land codes but because of physics like your city is on a peninsula or an island.  

If y'all could tell CTRMA (not Cap Metro, not CAMPO, not ATP or the rest of the grifters)...one thing about how to improve transportation as it improves to housing/quality of life...what would be it be?  I'm genuinely curious because there's some people on here who are frustrated but also informed and smart.  

[Armybrat 40615]

15 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

No, I’m a sixth generation Texan and my parents met in Austin. why?  Does the mattress store not take you  places?

One of the most striking comments my English visitor made after driving her around the Austin area in 2019 was “ Texans really take their mattresses seriously!” 😂

[crash_davis 23071]

Honest question, how could Austin, or anyone, stop the insane increase in housing prices. I'm a free market guy but at some point, the free market does more harm than good, although the definitions of harm and good vary from person to person. 

But seriously, what could Austin have done years ago to prevent this? 

I live in Crestview. I'm seen the market value of my house rise above $1M. On one hand I'm thinking, kick ass! On the other hand I'm thinking, one of my kids will get to inherit my house and live here, the other will live in the sticks because Austin is already way too damn expensive. In 5 years, she'll have to sell a liver and lung to buy a modest home.

[crash_davis 23071]

8 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

One of the most striking comments my English visitor made after driving her around the Austin area in 2019 was “ Texans really take their mattresses seriously!” 😂

I'm convinced they are money laundering operations.

[Armybrat 40615]

4 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

Honest question, how could Austin, or anyone, stop the insane increase in housing prices. I'm a free market guy but at some point, the free market does more harm than good, although the definitions of harm and good vary from person to person. 

But seriously, what could Austin have done years ago to prevent this? 

I live in Crestview. I'm seen the market value of my house rise above $1M. On one hand I'm thinking, kick ass! On the other hand I'm thinking, one of my kids will get to inherit my house and live here, the other will live in the sticks because Austin is already way too damn expensive. In 5 years, she'll have to sell a liver and lung to buy a modest home.

My brother bought this Crestview house in 1959 for $6,500. He sold it, with its badly cracked slab, for $10,000 in 1970.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1916-Piedmont-Ave-Austin-TX-78757/29418001_zpid/

[Wally Fairway 5500]

1 hour ago, dcar00 said:

Why don't you just support rent controls on all apartments?

Da moy drug, that is a great idea for the people 

[crash_davis 23071]

2 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

My brother bought this Crestview house in 1959 for $6,500. He sold it, with its badly cracked slab, for $10,000 in 1970.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1916-Piedmont-Ave-Austin-TX-78757/29418001_zpid/

That's what tear downs are going for in the neighborhood, $500k+. No one is going to buy that house to live in it. Someone is going to pay $550k to tear it down and build a $1M home to sell.

[McFly 606]

42 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

No, I’m a sixth generation Texan and my parents met in Austin. why?  Does the mattress store not take you  places?

Most people spend a third of their life on a mattress, while your mom spends most of her day there.

[Bozo_Casanova 26120]

12 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

Honest question, how could Austin, or anyone, stop the insane increase in housing prices. I'm a free market guy but at some point, the free market does more harm than good, although the definitions of harm and good vary from person to person. 

But seriously, what could Austin have done years ago to prevent this? 

Reform the code to allow for more housing supply in the city. Seriously.  That's the only real bullet in the policy gun. A housing shortage got us here the only way we can get out of that is to allow the market to address the unmet demand. Everything else is immaterial. 

38 minutes ago, Lobo said:

If y'all could tell CTRMA (not Cap Metro, not CAMPO, not ATP or the rest of the grifters)...one thing about how to improve transportation as it improves to housing/quality of life...what would be it be?  I'm genuinely curious because there's some people on here who are frustrated but also informed and smart.  

Serious answer - the most effective single thing we could do would be to replace every 4 way stop sign  and controlled intersection with a traffic circle where space permitted, which is most of them. Not a joke answer. 

[dcar00 13966]

13 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

Honest question, how could Austin, or anyone, stop the insane increase in housing prices. I'm a free market guy but at some point, the free market does more harm than good, although the definitions of harm and good vary from person to person. 

But seriously, what could Austin have done years ago to prevent this? 

I live in Crestview. I'm seen the market value of my house rise above $1M. On one hand I'm thinking, kick ass! On the other hand I'm thinking, one of my kids will get to inherit my house and live here, the other will live in the sticks because Austin is already way too damn expensive. In 5 years, she'll have to sell a liver and lung to buy a modest home.

here is the interesting thing.  the "poor" folks who had to buy homes in pflugerville 30 years ago now have a nice little nest egg.  

I admit that retiring in central Austin so you can play Lions, head to central market on a whim or hang out at Maudie's on Lake Austin Blvd is a thing of the past unless you are very well off.

and ANOTHER THING....

 

[Bozo_Casanova 26120]

2 minutes ago, McFly said:

Most people spend a third of their life on a mattress, while your mom spends most of her day there.

She's fancy like that.  your mom is fine with a public restroom or cabin of a semi. 

[ZB'Tejas 593]

22 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

Honest question, how could Austin, or anyone, stop the insane increase in housing prices. I'm a free market guy but at some point, the free market does more harm than good, although the definitions of harm and good vary from person to person. 

But seriously, what could Austin have done years ago to prevent this? 

I live in Crestview. I'm seen the market value of my house rise above $1M. On one hand I'm thinking, kick ass! On the other hand I'm thinking, one of my kids will get to inherit my house and live here, the other will live in the sticks because Austin is already way too damn expensive. In 5 years, she'll have to sell a liver and lung to buy a modest home.

The good news is once they change the land code you can convert it to a multi family so they can both live there.

[dcar00 13966]

3 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Reform the code to allow for more housing supply in the city. Seriously.  That's the only real bullet in the policy gun. A housing shortage got us here the only way we can get out of that is to allow the market to address the unmet demand. Everything else is immaterial. 

Serious answer - the most effective single thing we could do would be to replace every 4 way stop sign  and controlled intersection with a traffic circle where space permitted, which is most of them. Not a joke answer. 

why not just allow developers to tear down existing old apartments like near farwest/greystone and build complexes that are 3 or 4 times as tall?  or existing condos/duplexes.

why target single family homes?  just build up.

[tbone_ 14016]

Honest question, how could Austin, or anyone, stop the insane increase in housing prices.

There are only two possible answers. Either allow more supply, or do something that changes the desirability of Austin to reduce demand.

Demand currently is outpacing supply. Fundamental economics. No way around it.

[Guest Lobo]

15 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Reform the code to allow for more housing supply in the city. Seriously.  That's the only real bullet in the policy gun. A housing shortage got us here the only way we can get out of that is to allow the market to address the unmet demand. Everything else is immaterial. 

Serious answer - the most effective single thing we could do would be to replace every 4 way stop sign  and controlled intersection with a traffic circle where space permitted, which is most of them. Not a joke answer. 

I agree, but that's not really CTRMA is it?  That's more Travis County/City of Austin, no?  

[Pasken 1309]

17 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Reform the code to allow for more housing supply in the city. Seriously.  That's the only real bullet in the policy gun. A housing shortage got us here the only way we can get out of that is to allow the market to address the unmet demand. Everything else is immaterial. 

Serious answer - the most effective single thing we could do would be to replace every 4 way stop sign  and controlled intersection with a traffic circle where space permitted, which is most of them. Not a joke answer. 

The problem you run into there is our insanely large fire trucks that we have due to our match stick homes. You can reduce the side of the circle for the truck but then all it does is slow down traffic. It can't handle congestion. 

[CDAK 216]

1 hour ago, crash_davis said:

 I'm a free market guy but at some point, the free market does more harm than good, although the definitions of harm and good vary from person to person. 

 

The "free market" is not the driver of housing costs in Austin. Local codes and regulations restrict the market. For example, the codes and regs prevent building a duplex or a building over X height in certain neighborhoods.

[I don't think you're actually a "free market guy."]

[drt 637]

29 minutes ago, Pasken said:

The problem you run into there is our insanely large fire trucks that we have due to our match stick homes. You can reduce the side of the circle for the truck but then all it does is slow down traffic. It can't handle congestion. 

Can’t you construct them such that emergency vehicles can drive almost straight through by reducing inner curb height?

[Pasken 1309]

1 minute ago, drt said:

Can’t you construct them such that emergency vehicles can drive almost straight through by reducing inner curb height?

I've never heard of that but it would be great. All I know is ATF nixed our roundabout. We have a smaller circle that requires you to slow and veer to the side a bit.

[CooterBrown 17807]

That's what tear downs are going for in the neighborhood, $500k+. No one is going to buy that house to live in it. Someone is going to pay $550k to tear it down and build a $1M home to sell.

I’m in Allandale. I have no doubt I could sell
my 1962 house for around $700K within a week and it’d be a tear down. I don’t think I’ve seen a new construction under $1.2M on this side of burnet in over a year.

[Bozo_Casanova 26120]

1 hour ago, dcar00 said:

why not just allow developers to tear down existing old apartments like near farwest/greystone and build complexes that are 3 or 4 times as tall?  or existing condos/duplexes.

why target single family homes?  just build up.

First, reforming the code to allow a greater supply of units isn't "targeting" single family homes, but in answer to your other question there's massive opposition to that, too, including the greatest public testimony in the history of the City of Austin. But even so, it wouldn't be enough. 

 

[dcar00 13966]

55 minutes ago, drt said:

Can’t you construct them such that emergency vehicles can drive almost straight through by reducing inner curb height?

yes. traffic circles are a good solution in many cases.  the problem is getting shitty Austin drivers not to freeze up.