HOUSING
HOUSING CHALLENGE. PART OF THAT INCLUDES THE DESTRUCTION OF OLDER
HOMES AND CONSTRUCTION OF NEWER
MORE MODERN
ONES.
THE NUMBER OF DEMOLITION PERMITS
ISSUED BY THE CITY OF
AUSTIN
AUSTIN HAS GROWN NEARLY 13 PERCENT A YEAR SINCE 2016 -- MOSTLY FOR HOMES.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD S WHERE IT IS
HAPPENING THE
MOST-- ARE FEELING IT AND THERE
IS VERY LITTLE THE CITY
CAN DO TO STOP IT.
THERE'S A GROWING PRICE FOR
THESE MILLION DOLLAR
VIEWS.
21:54 WE BOUGHT IT BECAUSE OF
THE VIEW
BECKY MOTAL HAS LIVED IN BARTON
HILLS FOR 35 YEARS.
THE 78704.
ONE OF AUSTIN'S HOTTEST HOUSING
ZIP
CODES.
ZIP CODES. YOU'RE CLOSE TO THE GREENBELT,
CLOSE TO THE CREEK, CLOSE TO
CENTRAL CITY CLOSE TO A LOT OF
STUFF ZILKER PARK :38 IT'S GREAT
BUT THE PEACE AND SERENITY OF
WHAT DRAWS SO MANY
FAMILIES HERE -- IS BEING
REPLACED BY THIS.
ON NEARLY EVERY STREET -- OLD
HOMES
HOMES BEING DEMOLISHED -- AND NEW MODERN STRUCTURES BUILT.
YOU MIGHT CALL THIS A REMODELING
COVE SHE GIGGLES :46
OR A DEMOLISHING COVE :48 I
DON'T THINK IT'S ENDED YET
FOUR OF THE NINE HOMES ON HER
STREET PLOWED DOWN
IN THE LAST TWO YEARS.
BECKY 2:29-:37 WE WERE LUCKY TO
HAVE A VIEW BUT LITTLE DID WE
EVER KNOW THAT IT WOULD BECOME
THIS VALUABLE :37 WALKS OUT OF
FRAME
ZACH HALLIGMAN LIVES IN ONE OF
THOSE NEWER -
MODERN HOMES IN THE 78704.
MOVING FROM CALIFORNIA TO TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF
LOWER TAXES AND PROPERTY COSTS.
THE TWO YEARS I'VE BEEN DOWN
HERE
HERE I'VE
HERE I'VE SEEN RATES GO UP AND TAXES GO UP A LOT AND SOME OF THOSE RATES ARE GETTING CLOSE TO
WHAT THEY'RE PAYING IN
CALIFORNIA :18
BUT THERE'S A BIGGER PRICE THAT
EVEN HE IS BEGINNING TO
SEE TAKE SHAPE.
THERE WAS A HOUSE ON THE CORNER
AND THERE WAS A DOG
SO ANYTIME YOU'D WALK BY THE DOG
WOULD ALWAYS BE GREETING YOU :40
RUNNING UP AND DOWN THE YARD :47
ONE DAY THE HOUSE WAS
ACTUALLY GETTING TORN DOWN :51
BULLDOZED DOWN AND THE OWNER
AND THE DOG UNFORTUNATELY WERE
STANDING THERE WATCHING
:47 PROBABLY ONE OF THE SADDEST
THINGS I'VE SEEN IN THIS
NEIGHBORHOOD :59
THIS IS HOW IT LOOKS TODAY.
IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS 3,485
HOMES HAVE BEEN
DEMOLISHED IN AUSTIN.
NEARLY A THIRD OF THEM ARE IN
THE 78704 ZIP CODE.
THIS
THIS MAP
THIS MAP SHOWS ALL THE DEMOLITION PERMITS THAT HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR PROPERTIES
ACROSS OUR
CITY SINCE 2016.
A 2017 AUDIT CRITIZED THE
PROCESS AFTER SEEING A SPIKE
OF DEMOLITION PERMITS-- SAYING
THE CITY NEEDS BETTER
SAFETY MEASURES, MANDATORY TREE
REVIEWS
AND DEMOLITION INSPECTIONS AFTER
NEW CONSTRUCTION
HAS BEGUN.
THE CITY TYPICALLY ONLY REVIEWS
DEMOLITION
PERMITS FOR STRUCTURES THAT ARE
40 YEARS OLD OR
OLDER -- TO HELP PRESERVE
BUILDINGS OF HISTORICAL
SIGNIFICANCE.
WHICH LEAVES CHANGE AROUND US.
WHEN WE MOVED IN THE HOUSES WERE
GOING FOR AND WE THOUGHT
WE WERE PAYING A LOT FOR ABOUT
175-THOUSAND :00
:07 NOW YOU CAN'T TOUCH THESE
LOTS FOR LESS THAN A MILLION
DOLLARS
DOLLARS
THE
THE PRICE
THE PRICE OF PROGRESS IS A LOT GREATER THAN SOME FAMILIES CONSIDERED WHEN THEY
MOVED HERE
DECADES AGO.
AND YET -- EVEN BECKY SEES THE
VALUE IN THE NEW REPLACING
THE OLD.
I CAN UNDERSTAND IT AND IN SOME
RESPECTS ENCOURAGE IT :03
SOME OF THESE HOMES WERE NOT
WELL TAKEN CARE OF
BUT
BUT AS
BUT AS MORE AND MORE LOTS GO FROM SINGLE FAMILY HOMES TO SOMETIMES HOLDING
MULTIPLE STRUCTURES -- THERE ARE
WORRIES
WORRIES THAT WHAT WE LOSE CAN NEVER BE REPLACED. SOMETHING EVEN THE YOUNGER
GENERATION
APPRECIATES ABOUT AUSTIN.
I HOPE THE FUTURE OF THE
NEIGHBORHOOD IS WHAT IS WAS
ORIGINALLY :02 YOU CAN'T REALLY
TURN BACK TIME BUT I JUST HOPE
WE
WE CONTINUE TO HAVE FAMILY IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS ACCORDING TO AUSTIN'S
DEMOGRAPHER THE CITY IS
INCREASINGLY LOSING FAMILIES TO
THE SUBURBS.
WE'RE ALSO SEEING BIG CHANGES IN
EAST AUSTIN -
MORE ON THAT THURSDAY HERE ON
KVUE.
KVUE.