East Riverside Corridor Plan - Susana Almanza — original pdf

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Zoning and land use planning have been described by some scholars as not only as a root enabling cause of disproportionate injustice, but also the most burdens and environmental fundamental and potentially most powerful of the legal weapons deployed in the cause of racism. The history of land use planning and zoning in Austin helps to explain how the unequal distribution of economic and environmental burdens has occurred, and why these historical patterns have been the source of many injustices that confront people of color and/or low- income communities in East Austin. Zoning/Planning 1928 City of Austin “Yes Master Plan” relocated African American and Mexican population along with industries to East Austin 1990 City of Austin Smart Growth Initiative designates East Austin Desired as Development Zone the Most of Austin’s gentrification is the consequence of the city’s segregation, first through separate-but-equal city plans, the twenty-seven Jim Crow laws passed in the Texas, the public housing legislation and also through the disenfranchisement of people of color voice in city and state politics. Both the University of Texas and the Austin Independent School District fought against integration. Heman Sweatt, Texas law school, Austin, 1950. Prints and Photographs Collection, Heman Sweatt file, CAH; CN 00323B. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. Sweatt won admission to the University of Texas law school as a result of Sweatt v. Painter, which went to the United States Supreme Court. East Riverside Corridor Master Plan Produces White In-Migration Growth Report September 2019 Riverside/Oltorf Combined Plan East Area City Council adopted East Riverside Corridor Master Plan as if the corridor was vacant of human life. Over 1,700 low-income & working poor, mostly people of color, have been displaced to make room for new higher density, and higher-income wage earners. ERC Subdistricts; Corridor Mix Use - Brown Industrial Mixed Use- Bluish Green Urban Residential – Light Purple Neighborhood Residential- Light Blue Displaced residents from E. Riverside Drive Corridor request more time to relocate. ERC experienced growth of White population , one block area increased by 490%. Area around Oracle Campus saw White population growth of 183%. Your text here Latino population declined from 64% to -56% in 2017. 12 Blocks had negative changes. No areas with over 100% change. In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s it was still taboo for Whites to live east of highway 35. Before the adoption of the East Riverside Corridor Plan, many of the apartments were affordable and Section 8 housing vouchers were accepted. Most of the apartments did not consist of studios. Below is a chart of the partial list of apartments that were affordable before the adoption of the East Riverside Corridor Master Plan and Regulating Plan. These affordable apartments no longer exist; they have been demolished and not replenished. Name of ApartmentAddress# BedroomsAVG RentLakeview2401 Lakeshore1 & 2$871Lakeshore1720 Lakeshore Blvd1 & 2$662Chelsea on TownLake2201 Lakeshore Blvd1 & 2$806Barcelon l, ll, & lll2101 Elmont1 & 2$637The Addington2510 Elmont1 & 2$591Vista Lago 1,2 & 32215 Town Lake Circle1,2 & 3$627London Square2400 Town Lake Circle1, 2 & 3$670Also, below is a chart that shows the rental prices of some of the current apartments built in the ERC area, none are income restricted and/or receive Section 8 Vouchers. www.zillow.com The new ERCMP zoning regulations have created an increase in housing prices and a change in the character of residential development. The new ERCMP zoning regulations have caused direct and indirect displacement. Name of ApartmentAddressStudio1 Bedroom2 Bedroom3 BedroomAmil South Shore1620 E. RiversideN/A$1,635-$2,905$2,159-$3,203South Shore District1333 Shore DistrictN/A$1,319-$2,369$1,834-$2,755Riverview1300 E. Riverside$1,352-$2,097$1,674-$3,025$2,225-$4,076Edison4711 E. Riverside$1,250-$1,559$1,659-$1,965$2,740-$3,065Aura Riverside6107 E. Riverside $1,340-$1,420$1,350-$2,195$1,940-$2,940$2,360-$2,400ERC per capita income increased significantly between 2010 & 2017. Per capita income for Whites increased 20% while per capita income for Latinos increased 9% ERC per capita income increased significantly between 2010 & 2017. Per capita income for Whites increased 20% while per capita income for Latinos increased 9% A comparison of student enrollment from 2000 to 2010 show an increase at Allison, Sanchez and Linder. However, between 2010 and 2017 there was significant change in student enrollment with Linder losing 69% of students followed by Sanchez at 57% and Metz at 48%. Only Allison had the lowest loss in the number of students at almost 10%. YEARDISTNAMECAMPNAMEBlackHispanicWhiteAsianAmerican_Indian_or_Alaska_NatTwo_or_more_racesFREELUNCH_STUDENTS2000-1ALLISON43437110348METZ 1958717-999417SANCHEZ-99944019-999310LINDER7851262-9994482010-11AUSTIN ISDALLISON EL-999507-9990004992010-11AUSTIN ISDMETZ EL314471214004422010-11AUSTIN ISDSANCHEZ EL18550-99920-99905512010-11AUSTIN ISDLINDER EL3679132-9990-9998382017-18ALLISON23450N/AN/AMETZ EL20234822SANCHEZ EL7234N/A11LINDER252451915Traumatic Experience of Displacement Too often, studies do not examine the psychological and emotional factors that are part of the equation during and after displacement. Displacement is a traumatic experience that can have long lasting affects not only mental but physical. Descriptive factors identified during focus group interviews included: stress, depression, financial burden, loss of community, fear of further displacement, insomnia. Residents’ loss of community and housing instability was a traumatic experience expressed by numerous members of different trailer parks. Parents expressed concern for their children’s mental health with disruption of school and friends. Overall, residents felt the most impact on the additional financial burden caused by displacement. Having to move to the outer boundaries of Austin conflicted with transportation, work and other activities such as access to grocery stores and general medical needs (doctors/clinics, pharmacy). Environmental Impacts • Vacant lots filled with trees, plants and animal life and current developed lots are being redeveloped with the allowance of up to 80% impervious cover. Impervious coverage impacts the health of residents and the environment. Impervious surfaces collect particulate matter from the atmosphere, nitrogen oxides from car exhaust. Non-impervious coverage areas, such as yards, helps the pollutants seep down into the soil, and the community of microorganisms living there begin a rapid breakdown process. Pollutants can’t penetrate an impervious surface, which means these pollutants linger in high-density development areas and end up in the water streams. High density development also adds to the heat island effect. Solutions to the problem: urban planning and gentrification City Council consideration Austin should incorporate of potential displacement/gentrification land use and negative impacts of decisions into the fabric of their planning and zoning activities. The University of Texas report, Uprooted: Residential Displacement in Austin’s Gentrifying Neighborhoods and What can Be Done About It, should be utilized to identify as priority target areas to protect. Austin City Council should use their full legal authorities to enact appropriate ordinances, issue policies, develop guidance, and develop accountability measures to ensure that, all core government functions are authorized and required to address displacement/gentrification. City officials who are responsible for planning, zoning, public heath, and environmental protections should take immediate action to protect residents in low-income and people of color neighborhoods encountering excessive levels of displacement/gentrification. Appropriate substantial, sustainable funding and staffing to tackle displacement. Appropriate substantial, sustainable funding and staffing to tackle displacement. NAACP, PODER, Raza Roundtable and Development without Displacement Coalition recommend an $18 million Anti- Displacement Program for City of Austin Budget for 2020. The Peoples Plan a comprehensive, executable anti-displacement plan, was submitted to the City of Austin from a coalition of grassroots groups (NACCP, PODER, Save Montopolis Negro School Coalition, Eastern Crescent Right to Stay Coalition, LULAC and Community Not Commodity). On January 15, 2018 (Dr. Martin Luther Kings’ birthday). The Peoples Plan was referred by the City Council for review by the City Manager. To date, the City has failed to act and implement such recommendations endorsed by many boards and commissions including the city’s Anti-Displacement Task Force. The Peoples Plan recommendations are as follows: • Create Low income housing trust fund and appropriations. Establish a separate, dedicated low income housing trust fund in which all City housing funds are placed. Allocate 1% of City’s Budget each year to the trust fund to construct or subsidize housing for low income families. 20% of all future general obligation bond elections will be included for low income housing. • Adopt right to Stay and Right to Return Programs for east Austin residents. Develop policies to reduce or freeze property taxes for low income residents and seniors; create home repair programs. Use public owned land property to build new land-banked and land trust homes for low income former families of East Austin. • Use City Owned Land for Low Income Housing. Identify eight properties owned by the City of Austin that can be quickly made available for building low income housing. • Expand use of Neighborhood Conservation Combined Districts and Historic Districts. Apply tools to help conserve and preserve our neighborhoods and prevent gentrification and displacement. • Establish Interim Development Regulations in Areas with Inadequate Drainage. • Implement Austin Environmental Quality Review. Creation of deeply affordable units at 20% and 30% MFI and below (recommendation alignment with Anti-Displacement Task Force Report & Austin Strategic Housing Blueprint). City right of first refusal/right to purchase for rent-restricted properties being sold. Purchase ordinances provide cities or tenants, or both, with a right to purchase a rental property when the owner decides to sell the property or convert it to market rate. A “right of first refusal (ROFR)” provides a right to match a private offer to purchase the property during a set period of time. A “purchase right” gives the city or tenants the right to purchase the property at fair market value when the property is exiting the affordability program. ROFR and purchase rights can extend to: (1) all subsidized apartments requiring city funding or approval (such as 4% LIHTC/tax-exempt bond projects); (2) all subsidized apartments, regardless of the source of funding; or (3) all apartments, regardless of whether the property is subsidized (recommendation from the UT Uprooted Report should be instituted to protect the apartment units along the East Riverside Corridor). This report has shown that the adoption and implementation of the East Riverside Corridor Master Plan and regulating plan has negatively impacted low-income and people of color. Austin must reexamine its existing policies and adopt new measures to assure that the diversity and character of East Austin along the East Riverside Corridor Master Plan area can be protected and preserved.